Page 81 of The Surprise Play

Shit. I hate being put on the spot like that. Test situations always suck.

“It’s nothing to worry about.” She rests her hand over mine. “I know tests are scary, but you can do this, and there’s no need to rush. There’ll be plenty of time for you to take a breath and have a think before you have to start doing any kind of calculations or writing, okay?”

I nod, not really believing her but not wanting her to feel bad. She is trying to help me, after all.

She pauses, watching me for a second and obviously thinking something through.

“You know what… let’s try this.”

“Try what?” I ask as she stands up and points to her chair. “What are you doing?”

“You sit there.”

My face buckles with confusion, but I do as I’m told, shifting into her seat and wondering what the hell she’s up to.

“Now, I want you to pretend that I’ve just moved to the US, and I have my first job here. My English is good, but it’s not my first language. And I don’t really know how the money systems work in Colorado or across the United States.”

I squeeze my fidget toy. “O-kay.”

“I want you to teach me what I need to do in order to help me grow the finances I already have and what I should be doing with the money I’m now earning. I’m not a full citizen yet, I’m on a permanent resident visa, so I won’t have access to government benefits. I’ll need to start by using the stock market for long-term investments, so… how do I do that?”

My throat restricts, making it hard to swallow. “You…” I point at myself. “You want me to teach you?”

“Yes.” She smiles.

I like the shape her mouth makes when she does that.

She’s got pretty teeth.

Can people have pretty teeth?

I don’t know, but hers are pretty.

Or maybe it’s those plump lips I’m digging.

“The best way to learn something is to apply it,” Satch tells me. “An even better way to learn something is to teach it to someone else. And that’s what I want you to do. So, you pretend that I don’t know anything about investing and explain what a growth fund is to me and how I can make it work for my future.”

My mouth goes dry as I shake my head. “I can’t do that.”

She lets out a soft laugh and places her hand over mine again. Her short fingers look so small against my gorilla hand.

“Yes, you can.” Now it’s her turn to reach out and tip my chin.

I reluctantly look her in the eye the way she wants me to.

“You’re smarter than you think, Wily Wilson. Now teach me.” Her hopeful expression is so… how the fuck do I say no to it?

Everything in me is screamingDon’t do this! You’re gonna suck and make a fool of yourself!

But if I tell her that and bail like I want to, she’ll be really disappointed. And I will do anything not to be the guy to make her frown.

So, against my better judgment, I shift in my seat,pulling a blank sheet of paper toward me and trying to figure out where to start.

Okay.

Investments.

Growth funds.