Dead Reckoning - Charlaine Harris [69]
I figured he might get to relax in twelve years, give or take a few.
You know your dad loves you, and you know he wants what’s best for you, I said.
He wants me to be like all the other kids, Hunter said, half-sad, halfresentful.
He wants you to be happy. And he knows that the more people who know about this gift you have, the chances are you won’t be happy. I know it’s not fair to tell you that you have to keep a secret. But this is the only secret you have to keep. If anyone talks to you about it, tell your dad or call me. If you think someone’s weird, you tell your dad. If someone tries to bad-touch you, you tell.
I’d just scared him now. But he swallowed and said, I know about bad touching.
You’re a smart boy, and you’re going to have lots of friends. This is just a thing about you they don’t need to know.
Because it’s bad? Hunter’s face looked pinched and desperate.
Heck, no! I said, outraged. Nothing wrong with you, buddy. But you know what we are is different, and people don’t always understand different. End of lecture. I gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“Hunter, you get us some napkins,” I said in the regular way, as Remy picked up the plastic tray with our Blizzards. I’d gotten a chocolate chip one, and my mouth was watering when we’d distributed the napkins and dug into our separate cups of sinful goodness.
A young woman with chin-length black hair came into the restaurant, spotted us, and waved in an uncertain way.
“Look, Sport, it’s Erin,” Remy said.
“Hey, Erin!” Hunter waved back enthusiastically, his hand moving like a little metronome.
Erin came over, still looking as though she weren’t sure of her welcome.
“Hi,” she said, looking around the table. “Mr. Hunter, sir, it’s good to see you this fine afternoon!” Hunter beamed back at her. He liked being called “Mr. Hunter.” Erin had cute round cheeks, and her almond eyes were a rich brown.
“This is my Aunt Sookie!” Hunter said with pride.
“Sookie, this is Erin,” Remy said. I could tell from his thoughts that he liked the young woman more than a little.
“Erin, I’ve heard so much about you,” I said. “It’s nice to put a face with the name. Hunter wanted me to come over to go around the kindergarten rooms with him.”
“How did that go?” Erin asked, genuinely interested.
Hunter started to tell her all about it, and Remy jumped up to pull over a chair for Erin.
We had a good time after that. Hunter seemed to be really fond of Erin, and Erin returned the feeling. Erin was also quite interested in Hunter’s dad, and Remy was on the verge of being nuts about her. All in all, it wasn’t a bad afternoon to be able to read minds, I figured.
Hunter said, “Miss Erin, Aunt Sookie says she can’t go with me to the first day of school. Would you?”
Erin was both startled and pleased. “If your dad says it’s okay, and if I can get off work,” she said, careful to put some conditions on it in case Remy had some objection . . . or they’d quit dating by late August. “You’re so sweet to ask me.”
While Remy took Hunter to the men’s room, Erin and I were left to regard each other with curiosity.
“How long have you and Remy been seeing each other?” I asked. That seemed safe enough.
“Just a month,” she said. “I like Remy, and I think we might have something, but it’s too soon to tell. I don’t want Hunter to start depending on me in case it doesn’t work out. Plus . . .” She hesitated for a long minute. “I understand that Kristen Duchesne thought there was something wrong with Hunter. She told everyone that. But I really care about that little boy.” The question was clear in her eyes.
“He’s different,” I said, “but there’s nothing wrong with him. He’s not mentally ill, he doesn’t have a learning disability, and he’s not possessed by the devil.” I was smiling, just