Two of a Kind (Fool's Gold #11)(66)

“I’ve never seen a record before,” Carter said as he stood and crossed to the wall. “On TV and stuff, but never in person.” He glanced back. “Can I touch one?”

“Sure. But hold it by the edges or the middle.”

“Like a DVD.” Carter pulled out a sleeve, then carefully slid out the record. He held it reverently. “So, these are like, what? A hundred years old?”

Gideon sighed. “It’s from the ’60s.” At Carter’s blank look, he added, “The 1960s. Barely fifty years ago.”

“Fifty is pretty close to a hundred.”

“I’m ignoring that.” He held out his hand. “I’ll play it for you.”

Carter looked at the title. “The Beatles Second Album? That’s the name?”

“It’s actually the third album they released in this country. They’re a British band.”

Carter handed him the record. He put it on the turntable and carefully placed the needle so they would hear his favorite track, the classic “She Loves You.”

“Why do you like this music?” he asked as the first strains began to play.

“I can understand the words,” Gideon said with a laugh. “I like the message of songs from the ’60s. Life was simpler.”

Carter shook his head. “Yeah, yeah, yeah? That’s a message?”

“It was at the time.”

Carter settled back in his chair and listened. When the song was over, he asked to have it played again.

Gideon studied the teenager who was his son. For the first time since Carter’s arrival, he saw him as a person rather than a problem. A kid with hopes and dreams.

The song ended and he turned off the turntable. “You’re going to have to tell me what I’m supposed to be doing,” he said, putting the record back in the sleeve.

Carter’s dark eyes flashed with emotion. “You mean about me?”

Gideon nodded. “I’m not exactly father material.”

“You’re doing good,” the teen said quickly. “I’m not that much trouble.”

“Nice to know. Should we talk about anything? You making friends okay? Anything with girls?”

Carter grinned. “I know about sex, if that’s what you’re asking. Besides, it’s a little early for that. Get back to me in a couple of years.”

Longer would be better, Gideon thought. “If you need anything or want to ask me any questions, you can. I won’t lie to you.”

“I’m glad. I’ll try not to lie, either.”

“I notice you didn’t promise.”

Carter smiled. “What can I say? I’m a kid. Things happen.” His brows went up. “You know, we could talk about me driving.”

“You’re thirteen.”

“It’s never too early to start.”

“It’s highly illegal.”

“Okay, but just so you know, you’ll need to get me a car when I turn sixteen. So you might want to start saving now.”

With any luck, he would start getting the hang of this “dad” thing before then, Gideon thought.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

FELICIA SAT AT the long table, feeling more than a little out of place. She was used to meetings that involved moving a six-man team into enemy territory with two tons of equipment and then extricating them with less than three hours’ notice. That she could handle. A city council meeting was more than a little frightening.

She recognized the mayor, of course, and Charity Golden, the city planner. There were a few other people she’d seen at various functions. She was pretty sure the two old ladies sitting in chairs by the wall were Eddie Carberry and her friend Gladys.

“We have a revised agenda,” Mayor Marsha said, standing with several sheets of paper in her hand. Slowly she put on her glasses and studied the sheet on top. When she raised her head, there was a slight tightness in her jaw. Almost as if she were grinding her teeth.

“Someone made changes,” she said sternly. “Was that you, Gladys?”

One of the old ladies grinned. “Yup. We have a few things to discuss.”

“We, in fact, do not,” the mayor told her.

Eddie stood. She had on a bright fuchsia tracksuit that flattered her coloring. With her short, white hair, she looked like a cheerful, rowdy grandmother. Which she probably was, Felicia thought.

“The calendar last year made a lot of money,” Eddie said. “We need to do something like that again. We could become known for our sexy calendar.”

Felicia leaned toward Charity. “There was a sexy calendar?”

“Clay Stryker used to be a butt model. He brought in several model friends to pose for a calendar to raise money for the fire department. It was a big hit.”

“This is a town,” Mayor Marsha said slowly. “Not a club or a bar. We will not be known for anything but a civically focused calendar.”

“I say we do butts,” Gladys announced. “Naked male butts. You there. New girl.”

Felicia realized they meant her. “Ma’am?”

“Those men you had moving the boxes. They’re the bodyguards, right?”

“Yes.”

“Use them. Don’t they have nice butts? You’ve seen them, haven’t you?”