The Big Time

CHAPTER SIXTY

TATE'S EYES FLASHED IN the direction of the bar. She leaned forward and said, "Your dad's coming. Give it to me, quick."

"How, Tate?"

She growled at him and said, "When a girl's gotta go, a girl's gotta go; now give me that."

Troy reached in his pocket, removed the quarter, and held it out across the table. He hesitated, looking into Tate's dark brown eyes. He dropped the coin into her hand. She snapped her hand shut and jumped up, brushing past Troy's dad and his drinks.

"Where you going, Tate?" Troy's dad asked.

"The facilities," Tate said.

Troy's dad looked away and nodded, and Troy thought that she just might be right. He knew that whenever a girl he'd been around mentioned anything having to do with the bathroom, the mind of every guy within ear-shot would go blank. It was like a stun gun, rendering them useless.

From his spot, Troy could see Tate working her way through the maze of shrubbery, past the pool. She was headed right for the sliding doors of the great room, even though the small cluster of men around the zebra couch was clear to see.

"She's a fireball," Troy's dad said, sitting beside him and plunking down the sodas on the big round table.

His dad's appreciation of Tate only made Troy sad.

"Dad?" Troy said.

"Yeah? Oh, wait," his father said, raising his soda can. "Here's to five million dollars. Right?"

Troy clinked his can against his father's and took a swig.

"What'd you want to tell me?" his father asked.

"If I could help you," Troy said, "I would, you know."

His father's face twisted up for an instant as if he might cry, but then the pained look was gone. And when his father grinned hard at him and winked, Troy wasn't sure it had ever happened. Maybe he'd imagined it.

"I know you would," his father said, clapping his shoulder. "I'm your dad. I don't doubt it. You're a good kid, Troy."

"And I'd never do anything to hurt you, Dad," Troy said, looking away because he didn't trust his own emotions to stay in check the way his father's had.

"Is there something you've got to tell me, Troy?" his father asked. "You're not going to ask me to back out of the deal? It's too late for that, Troy."

Troy sighed and said, "No, it's a great deal."

"It sure is. So, we're good?" his father said, raising his can again as if they were toasting all over.

"Good," Troy said, and he dared a peek at the big window where he could clearly see Tate standing inside the zoo room with her back to him. The group of suspicious-looking men stared at her, astonished. Tate's arms flew about with her hands flitting through the air to assist in the telling of what Troy knew must be some crazy story.

Troy cleared his throat, looked into his father's eyes, and said, "I just wanted to see you. It's still pretty cool for me to just see you. I thought about you for a long time."

His father's grin went slack, and in a sad way he said, "And I've thought about you, Troy."

Troy's insides froze.

"But," he said, "I…thought you didn't know about me?"