Tales from Kansas 01 - Dumped in Oz by Andrew Grey

Author:Andrew Grey [Grey, Andrew]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2014-05-01T04:00:00+00:00

THE NEXT day, Lyle discovered that dating someone who got up at four in the morning on a regular basis might be a challenge. But he was convinced Roger was worth it. He got up when Roger did and went home to rest for a few more hours. That Sunday afternoon, once the restaurant closed at two, they spent the afternoon together doing nothing. It was nice to have someone to do nothing with. He did notice that every time the phone rang, Roger jumped, but otherwise it was quiet and peaceful. That evening at dinner, Roger cooked for both him and Lizzy.

“So, you and my dad…,” Lizzy said once they’d all sat down.

Roger narrowed his eyes at her. “Be polite.”

“I am. It’s just that it takes a little time to get used to meeting your father’s boyfriend.” She grinned. “Come on, Dad, lighten up. I think it’s nice. And as long as he’s good to you, I don’t care who you date.” She leaned closer to Lyle. “I’ve been taking karate lessons at school.”

“Lizzy,” Roger scolded.

“I’m just saying,” she said, suddenly looking much older than her thirteen years. This was definitely no awkward teenager but a young woman who knew her own mind.

“It’s all right,” Lyle told Roger. “She’s being protective.” He turned to Lizzy. “I don’t have any intention of hurting your dad. Sometimes things happen, but I won’t do it on purpose.”

Lizzy squinted at him, shifting back into teenager mode. “Just so we understand each other.”

“That’s enough,” Roger scolded again, this time more gently. “Finish your dinner.” It had been a while since Lyle had been part of a family, and some of the scolding and protectiveness he saw in Lizzy made him wish he had that in his life. He was starting to believe it was a possibility with Roger.

“Dad,” she said with a grin, “I’m just teasing.” She rolled her eyes dramatically. “But I will chop him if he hurts you,” she added in a whisper and went back to her dinner.

“So have you decided on a career?” Lyle asked, trying to break the ice a little.

“I’m going to be a nuclear physicist and unlock the secret of cold fusion,” she told him seriously. “Fusion is what the sun does, but it takes a lot of heat. If we could unlock a way to create fusion without all the heat, we could have a great deal of energy without the radioactive byproducts and without fossil fuels,” she explained. “Either that or a dancer.” Lyle stared openmouthed, and she broke into a smile. “Please, can you see me as a dancer with these legs?” She held them up from under the table. “Dancers are graceful and have long legs. Not short chicken legs like me.”

Lyle had no idea what to say about that.

“I know I’m not going to get by on my looks, so I’ll rely on brains. They’ll last longer.”

Lyle glanced at Roger, wondering if he was being teased or if she was serious. “I think you’re very pretty.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.