The Nerd Who Loved Me

by Vicki Lewis Thompson

  Then she had no more time to think of that, because the door flew open and Dexter came running out to meet her.

  "Mommy, I just got a royal flush! I caught it on the river card, Mommy! I'm not just a card shark, I'm a great white! That's what Cherie calls me."

  Lainie swept him into her arms, her throat tight from holding back tears of joy.

  "Did you have a good time on your trip with Mr. Harry? Did you— Oof, you're squeezing me too tight!"

  Lainie loosened her grip and set him back on his feet. Then she cleared her throat. I was just glad to see you." She reached in her purse and pulled out the little action figure. "Look what I brought you!"

  "Oo, cool! Thanks!" He clutched the toy against his chest and took her hand. "Come on inside. I'll bet Miss Rona's friends will deal you in if you ask them. Miss Rona has really nice friends. The only bad thing is I couldn't take Fred for a walk, but Miss Rona said maybe another time I can. Can I, Mommy?" He tugged her inside the house.

  "Maybe." But Lainie didn't see how that was possi­ble, now. She should tell Dexter that he was about to take a plane trip, but she couldn't bring herself to talk about it yet. Instead she crouched down to pet Fred, who was dancing around her feet while Dexter giggled.

  "He's happy you're home, too," Dexter said.

  Lainie had no idea where home was anymore. This place sure felt terrific, though, with the sound of happy voices back in the kitchen and the aroma of food cook­ing. Then Rona came walking down the hall and held out her arms. Lainie walked right into them and ac­cepted Rona's warm hug.

  "Just remember, you'll always be welcome here," Rona said as she released Lainie.

  Something in her expression made Lainie suspect Rona knew about the meeting with Joey. "Leo called you from the road?"

  Rona nodded, her expression sober. She glanced quickly at Dexter, who seemed engrossed with Fred. "And I understand why you have to do this. But if you need any help, or a shoulder to cry on..."

  "Thanks, Rona." Lainie kept a tight grip on her emo­tions. Blubbering now wouldn't help the situation and might scare Dexter. "That means a lot."

  "Come on in and have something to eat before Harry takes you back to your apartment."

  Lainie looked into Rona's eyes and saw the sadness there. Saying goodbye to Dexter wouldn't be easy for her. No reason to make it abrupt. "Sure," she said. "I'd love to stay a little while."

  "Mr. Harry!" Dexter stopped playing with Fred when Harry came through the door with one suitcase. Leo brought up the rear with the other one. "Mr. Leo!"

  "Hi, there, kid," Leo said. "I hear you've been clean­ing up playing poker with the TI. .. ladies."

  "Yep." Dexter beamed. Then he sidled over to Harry and tugged on his pant leg. "I played with some of your toys."

  Looking confused, Harry set down the suitcase. "What toys?"

  "You know. Your stuff that was in the box. 'Cept you'll have to teach me about Dungeons & Dragons, and the Atari cartridges, but the machine that plays them is bro­ken, but there's a chess set, and a Rubik's Cube, and—"

  "Oh, those toys." Harry glanced at Rona. "You still have some of that old stuff?"

  Rona shrugged. "Just one box full. I thought some­day you might. . . well, I got the box out for Dexter."

  "Good idea." Harry looked down at Dexter standing there expectantly. "You want to learn Dungeons & Drag­ons?"

  "Yeah! It looks really cool!"

  "Well, um. .." He glanced over at Lainie. "I'd be glad to explain the game, but I'm not sure what the schedule is, here."

  "What schedule?" Dexter looked from his mother to Harry.

  Lainie found herself swamped in emotion as she imagined Rona getting out Harry's old toys. Now Harry was here to show Dexter how to play with them. That was the kind of special treat that should be allowed to un­fold without time constraints. But time was running out.

  She couldn't bear to bring the curtain down just yet, though. "Tell you what, if it's okay, Mr. Harry can show you about Dungeons & Dragons while I'm..." She'd be packing for the trip, but she didn't want to say that. "While I'm doing some other things." She met Harry's gaze. "Will that work?"

  "Of course."

  "Yippee!" Dexter started dancing around while Fred barked happily. "Can Fred come?"

  "No, I'm afraid not." Lainie couldn't work miracles. "The apartment complex doesn't allow dogs, remember."

  "Oh, yeah." Dexter looked forlorn. "Mommy, can we move? Can we move someplace where they let you have dogs?"

  And there it was, the bribe she needed to convince Dexter this trip was a good thing. If they moved back to New York, she could promise him a dog. Somehow, it didn't seem like nearly enough.

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Harry spent a couple of hours on the floor of Lainie's apartment taking a trip back into his childhood. As it turned out, he still loved playing Dungeons & Dragons, and so did Dexter, partly because of the extra challenge involved. The game was technically geared toward much older kids, but Dexter valiantly studied the principles and accepted his losses as the price of learning "Mr. Harry's game."

  Although Dexter's attention span was amazing for somebody less than five, Harry decided to give him a break part way through the session. They fooled with the Rubik's Cube and paged through some of his Choose Your Own Adventure books. If Harry could choose his own ending to this adventure, it would involve him hitting a huge jackpot on the Strip so that Lainie could forget about the Benjamins and their money.

  She'd used the time to sort and pack for the trip. Dex­ter didn't know that. He thought she was cleaning up from Joey's rampage. The mess hadn't been as bad as it could have been, though, thanks to Leo.

  Harry figured eventually Lainie would gather her courage to come in and tell Dexter what was about to happen. He knew it wouldn't be an easy conversation, and he was prepared to leave if she didn't want him horning in.

  About the time Harry was ready to suggest buying dinner, Lainie walked into the living room where Harry and Dexter had their activities spread out on the floor. From her resolute expression, Harry knew she'd chosen her moment to give Dexter the news.

  He stood. "I probably should go on down to my own place and... check on things." He had nothing to check on—no plants, no goldfish, and probably nothing interest­ing on his answering machine, but it sounded like a rea­sonable excuse. It also made him realize his life sucked without the kind of excitement Lainie brought to it.

  "Aw, Mr. Harry!" Dexter got to his feet and grabbed Harry's hand. "We're not done yet."

  They never would be done, either. Harry could play with this little guy forever. What fun it would have been to watch him grow up.

  "Please don't leave," Lainie said. Her gaze pleaded with him to stay and offer moral support.

  And just like that, his life sparkled with meaning again. "Well, if you're sure . .."

  "Absolutely sure." She sat on the floor. "Whatcha got there, Dexter?"

  "I'll show you!" Dropping to his knees, Dexter proudly displayed his knowledge of Dungeons & Dragons, the Rubik's Cube, and the wonder of a book that had more than one ending.

  "Looks like you've been having a blast," Lainie said as Dexter began to run out of steam.

  "We've been having a blast, both of us, right, Mr. Harry?"

  "Definitely." Harry sat on the floor across from Lainie. He'd used the past few hours to adjust to not being able to touch her. It was quite an adjustment after the touch-fest they'd engaged in at the time-share.

  Lainie cleared her throat. "Dexter, you know how you've always wanted to take a plane ride?"

  "Yep." Dexter gazed up at her. "But you always said it's out of our price range."

  Harry worked not to smile. Dexter was such a little parrot, and it was so cute to listen to him repeat exactly what he'd heard the grown-ups say.

  "Well, it is out of our price range," Lainie said. "But Daddy's treating us to a plane ride so you can go see your Grandma and Grandpa Benjamin."

  Dexter stared at her
, and Harry could almost hear his brain working on that statement. "Daddy's mommy and daddy?" he asked at last.

  "That's right."

  Dexter blew out a breath. "Are we talking about those people who didn't teach him to behave right? 'Cause if that's who we're talking about, I don't want to go."

  Lainie gulped. "Well, just because they weren't very strict with your dad doesn't mean they wouldn't be very nice to you. And it doesn't matter if they're strict or not, because you already know how to behave."

  "Does Daddy have to come with us?" "Yes, he--"

  "Nope." Dexter crossed his arms and shook his head. "I'm not going if Daddy goes. He yells."

  Harry was caught in the middle. He completely agreed with Dexter, but Lainie needed help. If she didn't take Dexter back to meet his grandparents, she'd never forgive herself.

  So Harry plunged in on Lainie's side. "I don't think you have to worry about your dad yelling," he said. "You'll just drive to the airport, which isn't very far, and then get on a plane. People aren't allowed to yell on planes. Then when you get there, your grandma and grandpa will be around."

  "Yeah," Dexter said, his expression dark, "but they won't keep him from yelling. If they couldn't make him stop when he was little, they won't be able to make him stop when he's big."

  Perfect logic, Harry thought. But he was good with logic, too. "I happen to know that your dad wants to make a very good impression on his parents. That's why he wants to bring you back there, because he knows they'll like you a lot. Yelling wouldn't help his cause, so I'm betting he won't do it." He glanced at Lainie. "Isn't that what you think?"

  "Exactly what I think." Gratitude shone in her eyes.

  Dexter propped his chin on his fist and thought some more. "I guess that makes sense. Okay, I'll go, then." Then he looked at Harry. "I wish you could come with us."

  "Believe me. so do I." This time Harry didn't meet Lainie's gaze. He was afraid the yearning he felt was way too obvious, and a guy had to salvage a little of his pride.

  As if on schedule, the phone rang. Lainie got up to go into the kitchen to answer it, and Harry knew instinc­tively that Joey was on the line.

  Lainie confirmed it when she came back into the liv­ing room. "Our flight leaves at eight thirty-two in the morning," she said. "Joey will be by to pick us up at six-thirty."

  That was it, then. Everything was in place for Lainie and Dexter to start a whole new life, a life where Harry would have no role. But for now, they were still right here, and he wasn't going to miss a single moment.

  "Let's go out for burgers," he said.

  "Yeah, that would be cool!" Dexter said.

  With that kind of encouragement, Harry decided to pile on the activities. "And after that, if there's time, you can both come to my apartment and we'll play Space In­vaders on the Internet."

  "Space Invaders?" Dexter scrambled to his feet. "Like that Atari cartridge that doesn't work anymore?"

  "That's right. We'll pick up a couple of joysticks while we're out." He'd heard that the game was avail­able on the Web, and he'd thought about looking into it, for old times' sake. Now he had the perfect excuse. "If it's okay with your mom, that is." He couldn't believe she'd say no. Distractions should be welcome about now.

  "Can we, Mommy? Can we, please?" Dexter's face was alight with anticipation.

  "Sounds like fun." Lainie smiled bravely at Harry. "I used to play Space Invaders, too."

  * * *

  The evening whizzed by, when all Lainie wanted was to stop the clock. Eventually she had to call a halt to their hilarious game of Space Invaders because it was past Dexter's bedtime.

  "I'll walk you back to your apartment." Harry grabbed his keys and ushered them out the door.

  Dexter spent the entire walk between apartments rav­ing about how much he loved Space Invaders, so Lainie had plenty of time to make a decision. She would tell Harry goodbye now, at the door to their place. If she let him come in, she'd end up kissing him. Maybe she'd end up doing more than that, although probably not, with Dexter in the next room. But even a kiss would de­stroy her right now.

  She got out her key way ahead of time, and when they reached her door, she glanced down at Dexter. "Tell Mr. Harry goodbye. We'll see him ... after we get back from New York." She knew there was a chance they'd never be back. The Benjamins could easily hire some­body to pack up her belongings and have them shipped.

  Harry's quick intake of breath told her he hadn't ex­pected this. But he crouched down in front of Dexter without any protest. "Goodbye, then, Dexter. I've had a great time."

  "Me, too." Dexter gave him a hug. "Don't worry. We'll be back soon. Then we can play some more."

  "Right." Harry hugged him back. "I'll see you soon."

  Lainie busied herself unlocking the door so she wouldn't have to watch them saying goodbye. She swung the door open and flipped the switch by the door that turned on the living room lights. Someday she'd have to repay Leo for the door, too.

  "Okay, Dexter," she said, "go on in and start getting ready for your bath."

  "Okay." Dragging his feet and mumbling to himself, Dexter went inside. A few feet beyond the doorway he turned and waved. "Bye, Mr. Harry. See you soon!"

  "You bet." Harry's voice was suspiciously hoarse.

  Lainie steeled herself and turned to him. "I don't know how I'll ever be able to thank—"

  "You don't have to thank me, and you know it." His voice trembled. "I hate how this is turning out."

  "Me, too." She was sure her eyes reflected the agony in his. "But that's life. I'll... see you when I get back."

  "If you get back."

  She had no answer for that. Pressing her lips to­gether, she went inside. As she closed the door, she had one last glimpse of his face. He looked as if his world had just ended.

  Harry played Space Invaders until three in the morning, when his hand-eye coordination was totally shot and he was punch-drunk from staring at the screen. Then he staggered to bed, only to stare into the darkness and worry about Lainie and Dexter going off to New York with Joey. His goal all along had been to protect them, but he didn't know how to protect them now.

  At five-thirty his phone rang, and he must have been semi-asleep because he leaped out of bed as if shot from a cannon. He prayed it was Lainie, telling him she'd changed her mind, and if he was willing, they'd run away to some remote country and ... do what? Farm? God, he was so out of options.

  The caller turned out to be his mother. "What time is that loser picking Lainie and Dexter up?"

  "Six-thirty." The hour was burned into his brain. "Why?"

  "The TITS have officially decided we can't let Dex­ter leave without a send-off at the airport," she said. "We're taking Trixie's van, and you can go if you want. It'll be a surprise, so we'll come by and pick you up at six-forty. We'll see if we can catch up to them on the way and follow them in, which would be fun. They'd never expect it."

  As stupid as it sounded, Harry knew he'd take any excuse to see Lainie one more time. "I suppose you've made a banner."

  "Of course we've made a banner. What's a send-off without a banner? And we have balloons and confetti. We're taking Fred. Dexter didn't get to say goodbye to Fred, and Fred's very depressed about that."

  "I'm sure he is." Harry was pretty damned depressed, himself. "Okay, I'm in."

  "Good! You can drive the van. Trixie's not a morning person, so I'm not sure I trust her behind the wheel so early."

  "Then I'll definitely drive the van. Is Leo coming, too?"

  "Oh, you know Leo. Hates these kinds of mushy dis­plays. Tried to talk me out of it, so, no, he's not coming. His loss. Gotta run. We have more to do. Bye."

  Harry hung up and wondered what sort of undignified event he'd let himself in for. But he didn't really care. They needed him to drive the van, and he needed to see Lainie ... one more time.

  Lainie didn't sleep much. By the time she hauled herself out of bed, she ached all over and her eyes felt gritty. She hoped that eve
ntually she'd become resigned to this plan. Right now all she wanted was to run away, far away, and take Dexter with her. And Harry, if he'd be willing to go.

  She still wasn't sure what to think about Harry. He obviously adored Dexter, and he seemed to have fallen in love with her, but that didn't mean he'd changed his mind about wanting a wife with an ordinary day job.

  She was prepared to give up dancing so that Dexter could inherit the Benjamin empire, but if that all fell through, she wasn't prepared to give it up for Harry. If she did that, she'd resent him forever. Resenting the Benjamins and Joey didn't matter, because she already resented them. But resenting Harry would poison what had been a wonderful relationship. So she and Harry were probably doomed, no matter what.

  She got herself ready and packed her last few toi­letries. She'd packed a separate small suitcase for Dex­ter, to make this trip seem more special for him. At the last minute she'd remembered to put in a tube of kid-safe sunscreen, in case Celeste followed through on her promise to take Dexter to the beach. A new grandma might not think of such things.

  Lainie's final step was to switch her silver ring from her left hand to her right. She did it quickly and tried not to think about it too much, but once she'd moved the ring, she thought about it constantly.

  The secret was to keep going, keep doing all the little chores that were necessary. She set out some juice, cereal, and milk for Dexter. Then she went in to wake him up.

  He was already awake, his hands propped behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling, where she'd hung mobiles. He had one of the solar system, another of var­ious kinds of fish, and a third that was all butterflies.

  "Time to get dressed," she said.

  Dexter didn't move. "Mommy, are you sure this is a good idea?"

  No. "I talked to your Grandma Celeste yesterday, Dexter. She really wants to meet you. She wants to take you to the beach, so I packed a tube of sunscreen for you. You'll love the beach."

  Lainie didn't mention the toys Celeste had bought. She didn't want Dexter to start getting greedy right off the bat. Being rich had some disadvantages, too. Dexter wasn't spoiled now, but she'd have to work hard to make sure he didn't get that way.