The Summer Proposal. Judith McWilliams
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to be an alien,” Julie sympathized.
“Yeah.” Will looked morose for a second and then suddenly brightened. “Maybe I can get possessed.”
Caleb grimaced. “Maybe you already—”
“Since you’re a human, let’s test some human skills,” Julie hurriedly said. She didn’t want Caleb giving Will ideas. The kid had enough already.
Handing Will a small beginning reader, she said, “Would you see if any of that looks familiar?”
Will opened the book and flipped through the pages.
“Nope,” he finally said.
“No, what?” Julie, wise in the ways of kids, sought clarification.
“No, it don’t look familiar. Ain’t never seen it before,” Will said.
“A literalist yet,” Caleb said. “He sounds for all the world like his great-grandfather.”
Will peered uncertainly at him. “I gots me a great-grandfather?”
“You had,” Caleb said. “He died when I was a teenager. He was a judge, and you had to be really careful what you said to him because he took everything literally.”
“A judge?” Will looked intrigued. “Did he hang anyone?”
Caleb chuckled, and the sound slipped through Julie’s mind, soothing her sense of frustration at the way this session kept going off on tangents. Caleb had the most attractive chuckle. It made her feel warm and excited. As if something exhilarating was about to happen.
“Not that I know of,” Caleb said. “Although he did threaten to horsewhip me the time I drove his car without permission.”
“Really?” Will’s eyes widened as he tried to imagine the scene.
“Can you read the book, Will?” Julie broke in.
“’Course I can,” Will scoffed. “But I don’t wanna. It’s dumb.”
“What do you like to read?” Julie asked.
“Star Trek books and Goosebumps and lots a’others.”
“I see,” Julie said slowly. “Unfortunately, I didn’t bring anything like those with me.”
“I gots a great book in my room. That guy that brought me here, he bought it for me in the airport to read on the plane,” Will said. “Wanna see it?”
“Sure,” Julie said.
Will jumped up and raced toward the house.
“What are those books he mentioned?” Caleb watched his son disappear through the French doors.
“Upper elementary level,” Julie said slowly.
“Do you think he really can read them? I mean, he’s never been to school.”
“Did you notice the cards?” she asked.
“I didn’t pay much attention. I assumed they were simply to break the ice. As far as I was concerned, he’d already melted it with his vocabulary,” he said dryly.
“It does seem to be a bit on the X-rated side,” she conceded. “But about those cards, Will remembered what he had guessed on all the cards. He didn’t have to ask. Or even stop and think. And he didn’t make a mistake.”
“There were only ten cards,” Caleb said.
“The average kid would be lucky to remember four of them.”
Caleb frowned. “Meaning?”
“Meaning he has a good memory. A very good memory.”
“I already knew that! He’s apparently remembered every vulgarity he’s ever heard.”
“Here it is.” Will burst through the French doors waving a ragged paperback. “It’s a great book, all about a Jewish boy whose parents come to live in the United States from Russia a long time ago. You wanna borrow it?” he offered.
“Thanks.” Julie accepted the book and tucked it into her briefcase.
“Have you ever tried writing a book yourself, Will?” she asked.
“Nah,” Will rejected the idea. “Printing’s too hard. Them squiggly letters don’t never come out right.”
“I see. How about math?” Julie asked. “What are six and eight?”
Will shrugged. “Don’t know. Ain’t got my calculator.”
“Which would seem to be a powerful argument for learning to do sums in your head,” Caleb observed.
“No, it ain’t,” Will said. “’Cause I ain’t the one what wants to know. She does.” He pointed a grubby finger at Julie. “She’s the one what should learn to add.”
“Definitely the judge’s offspring,” Caleb muttered.
“But—” Will started.
“Never mind,” Julie cut him off. “I think I have a fair idea of what I wanted to know. Thanks for your help, Will.”
“You all done?” Will looked surprised. “No more questions?”
“Nope. No more.”
“You coming back?” Will eyed her hopefully. “Maybe we could try them cards again. Maybe I gots that ESP, but it’s hidden deep.”
“Let’s hope it stays hidden,” Caleb muttered. “Will, I’m going to talk to Julie for a while. You go amuse yourself.”
Will obediently got to his feet and stood there looking at him.
“What is it?” Caleb asked.
“Where’s my ten bucks?”
Caleb frowned. “What ten bu…dollars?”
“Mom always gives me ten bucks to go outside and amuse myself when she wants to talk to her dates.”
Julie closed her eyes, praying the scorching heat she could feel burning its way over her cheekbones wasn’t as visible as it felt. She had no doubt why his mother had given him the money to disappear. And it sure wasn’t so she and her dates could talk.
She stole a quick glance at Caleb, but he looked more taken aback than angry at Will’s inadvertent disclosure.
“I don’t give bribes,” Caleb finally said. “And I expect to be obeyed.”
Will wrinkled his nose as he considered the situation. “But I expects my ten bucks, and I ain’t seeming to get it.”
“There is a difference,” Caleb said sternly. “I am the adult.”
“All that means is that you done lived longer,” Will retorted. “Someday I’ll be as old as you.”
“Not if you don’t get out of here right this moment!” Caleb snapped.
“Grown-ups!” Will grumbled as he stalked back into the house.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Caleb muttered.
Julie studied Caleb’s tense, frustrated features, not sure even in her own mind what to say to him. She liked Will and wanted to help him. But the trouble was, she also liked his father and that worried her.
“Caleb,” she began slowly.
“Not here,” Caleb cut her off. “He’s probably eavesdropping.”
“No, I ain’t!” Will yelled from just inside the French doors.
Julie hastily swallowed the giggle threatening to escape. She had the distinct feeling from Caleb’s harassed expression that he was not seeing the humor in the situation at the moment.
“Come