be my turn again.”
She waved her hand over the table, giving him permission to proceed.
Chase thought it over as he chewed. “Favorite saying?” he finally asked.
Andie pursed her lips, looking up at the ceiling, and his eyes automatically dropped to her mouth, noticing how full her lips looked when she did that; he pulled his attention away almost immediately, studying the French fry in his hand as he swirled it through the ketchup on his plate.
“Everything happens for a reason,” she finally said.
“ What ?” Chase scoffed as his eyes flashed back to hers. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s total horseshit,” he laughed. “That’s just some crap people say when something bad happens and they have no way to explain it. It’s a pathetic way to try and make somebody feel better. And if anything, it has the reverse effect.”
Andie shrugged. “I disagree.”
“Anytime anyone has ever said that to me, it just made me want to punch them in the face.”
“That’s because you’re an asshole,” she said matter-of-factly before taking a bite of her sandwich.
Chase’s mouth dropped. “Was that a profane word that just left your mouth?”
“That one was warranted,” she explained, and he smiled.
“Tell you what,” he said, placing his burger on the plate and leaning in on his elbows. “If you can convince me that bullshit saying has any merit, lunch is on me.”
Andie looked at him for a second before she carefully placed her sandwich on the plate. “When you were a kid, did you ever get grounded?”
“Of course I did.”
“What for?”
Chase laughed. “Lots of stuff.”
“Try and remember one specific time.”
He looked up at her; she sat poker faced as she waited for an answer. He had no idea what any of this had to do with anything, but he figured he’d humor her.
“When I was seventeen, my mother found my fake ID.”
Andie smiled. “How long were you grounded?”
“I can’t remember now. A couple of weeks, I think.”
“Were you pissed at her?”
“I’m sure I was.”
“But do you understand why she was upset over you having a fake ID?”
“Of course,” he said, taking another bite of his burger.
“Why was she upset, then? Explain it to me.”
He stopped chewing, lifting his eyes to hers. “What the hell are you doing? Running a guilt trip on me for something I did when I was seventeen?”
“No, I’m just making a point. Why do you think she was so upset?”
Chase exhaled. “Because it was illegal. And the shit I was doing with it was illegal too.”
“So if you understand why she was upset, then why were you mad when she punished you?”
Chase looked at her as if she was crazy. “Because what kid wants to be punished? Plus, at the time, I didn’t think it was such a big deal. Everybody had fake IDs.”
Andie smiled slowly, and he suddenly felt as if he had just stepped into a trap.
“So at the time, you couldn’t understand why your behavior deserved a consequence, and you were angry about receiving one. But now that you’ve grown up, and you have some perspective, you can understand how having a fake ID would get you into trouble, and you probably appreciate the fact that you had a mother who cared about you enough to make sure you were doing the right thing.”
Chase dropped his burger on to his plate. “What’s your point, Andie?”
“All I’m saying is, sometimes things happen, and we don’t see them clearly, either because we’re not at the right point in our life, or we’re too closely involved to understand. But just because we can’t see the reason behind things doesn’t mean there isn’t one.”
Chase felt his back straighten. This conversation was starting to make him angry. “So when people die, when good people die before their time, there’s a reason for that?”
“I don’t know,” Andie said. Her expression turned empathetic as she tilted her head. “It doesn’t seem fair,
She waved her hand over the table, giving him permission to proceed.
Chase thought it over as he chewed. “Favorite saying?” he finally asked.
Andie pursed her lips, looking up at the ceiling, and his eyes automatically dropped to her mouth, noticing how full her lips looked when she did that; he pulled his attention away almost immediately, studying the French fry in his hand as he swirled it through the ketchup on his plate.
“Everything happens for a reason,” she finally said.
“ What ?” Chase scoffed as his eyes flashed back to hers. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s total horseshit,” he laughed. “That’s just some crap people say when something bad happens and they have no way to explain it. It’s a pathetic way to try and make somebody feel better. And if anything, it has the reverse effect.”
Andie shrugged. “I disagree.”
“Anytime anyone has ever said that to me, it just made me want to punch them in the face.”
“That’s because you’re an asshole,” she said matter-of-factly before taking a bite of her sandwich.
Chase’s mouth dropped. “Was that a profane word that just left your mouth?”
“That one was warranted,” she explained, and he smiled.
“Tell you what,” he said, placing his burger on the plate and leaning in on his elbows. “If you can convince me that bullshit saying has any merit, lunch is on me.”
Andie looked at him for a second before she carefully placed her sandwich on the plate. “When you were a kid, did you ever get grounded?”
“Of course I did.”
“What for?”
Chase laughed. “Lots of stuff.”
“Try and remember one specific time.”
He looked up at her; she sat poker faced as she waited for an answer. He had no idea what any of this had to do with anything, but he figured he’d humor her.
“When I was seventeen, my mother found my fake ID.”
Andie smiled. “How long were you grounded?”
“I can’t remember now. A couple of weeks, I think.”
“Were you pissed at her?”
“I’m sure I was.”
“But do you understand why she was upset over you having a fake ID?”
“Of course,” he said, taking another bite of his burger.
“Why was she upset, then? Explain it to me.”
He stopped chewing, lifting his eyes to hers. “What the hell are you doing? Running a guilt trip on me for something I did when I was seventeen?”
“No, I’m just making a point. Why do you think she was so upset?”
Chase exhaled. “Because it was illegal. And the shit I was doing with it was illegal too.”
“So if you understand why she was upset, then why were you mad when she punished you?”
Chase looked at her as if she was crazy. “Because what kid wants to be punished? Plus, at the time, I didn’t think it was such a big deal. Everybody had fake IDs.”
Andie smiled slowly, and he suddenly felt as if he had just stepped into a trap.
“So at the time, you couldn’t understand why your behavior deserved a consequence, and you were angry about receiving one. But now that you’ve grown up, and you have some perspective, you can understand how having a fake ID would get you into trouble, and you probably appreciate the fact that you had a mother who cared about you enough to make sure you were doing the right thing.”
Chase dropped his burger on to his plate. “What’s your point, Andie?”
“All I’m saying is, sometimes things happen, and we don’t see them clearly, either because we’re not at the right point in our life, or we’re too closely involved to understand. But just because we can’t see the reason behind things doesn’t mean there isn’t one.”
Chase felt his back straighten. This conversation was starting to make him angry. “So when people die, when good people die before their time, there’s a reason for that?”
“I don’t know,” Andie said. Her expression turned empathetic as she tilted her head. “It doesn’t seem fair,
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