Page 107 of Just Business

“He took advantage of you.”

“Oh, Mom.”So, so not the case.“If anything, it was the other way around.”

His father rose at that. “We don’t need to hear about your... exploits.”

Exploits.He mouthed the word. Ladino again. Understanding came so easily. Speaking less so. So in English, then. “Not exploits. I’m being forthright.” He tapped the fourteen-year-old version of himself. “You should have figured that out when dealing with this one.”

His mother stared at the photo and her shoulders dropped. “You did have a way of asking for what you wanted.” She turned to his father. “Do you remember, Jaco? When he talked you into that video game thing?”

His father grunted. “I remember a twisted logical argument about hand-eye coordination and how gamers were better at math and if I wanted you to get into Carnegie Mellon, you absolutely needed a PlayStation.”

Eli’s face warmed. “Ididget into CMU. Twice.”

“Twice?” That from his father.

They didn’t know about the second time. Why would they? “After I graduated with my BS in business admin, I went back for my MBA. Graduated with honors that time, too.”

“That’s... good, Eli.”

He shrugged. “I wanted it. I got it. I’ve never been afraid of hard work. It’s the easy stuff that bores me.”

Another nod from his father. “You’ve done well?”

“Reasonably. I’ve lost a few positions over my...” How should he phrase it? “My insistence on the proper way to manage things. But I’m a chief financial officer now, and that’s the perfect place for such a quirk.”

“You’re an executive?” His father sat up and even looked a bit proud. “At thirty-four?”

“I signed on last year. A small consulting firm, but Sam is well known in the industry. We’re growing.”

“Such a coup.”

“Yes, it is.” He picked up his mug and finished the tea. “Not bad for your sexually deviant monster of a son.”

They both recoiled. His mother looked mortified.

“I’ve heard the things you’ve muttered. I’m still involved enough with the community that I eventually hear your complaints.” Back to Noah again. “He didn’t abuse me, and he certainly didn’t rape me. Iaskedhim for sex.”

“You were fifteen!”

“I was five days shy of sixteen! He’djustturned eighteen. Hell, he was born late enough at night he was probablystillseventeen when I fu—”

They’d both gone crimson. Eli sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Yes, your son has a sex life. Even if I were straight, I’d still have one.”

“You don’t need to share it.” His father spoke through a clenched jaw.

“In this case, I do. You sued Noah’s parents. He was barely in the ground when you—” His throat tightened again. The sharp pain, the ringing in his ears.I will not flash back now. Not here.He waited a few seconds until his heart rate slowed, until his vision wasn’t hazy. “Why did you do it? I can’t change the past. I’ve had to live with what you did for more than half my life. But I want to know why you put Noah’s blood on my hands.”

Both his parents shrank back, both stared at him, his mother covering her mouth with her hand.

Had they only now realized what they’d done?

“I loved him,” Eli said. “As much as I could at that age. Then you made me the instrument of his parents’ punishment for a crime they didn’t commit, thathedidn’t commit. I’ve been the one paying for it since. All because I trusted you. Trusted Rebbe Coen.”

“We... thought we were doing the right thing. Protecting you.”

He wanted to scream,From what?but swallowed the words, kept his voice neutral. “That wasn’t the result. At all.”

“We never intended to hurt you. We just wanted you to have a normal life.”