The Brain and The Beauty. Betsy Eliot

on display like that at such a young age.”

      “It was fine.” If you considered it fine to be a lab rat.

      “I haven’t subjected Robbie to any of that kind of publicity. I’ve tried to keep him out of the public eye as much as possible.”

      He could commend her for that, at least. Allowing privacy to be one’s self had been one of the principles his school had been founded on. “So you understand the need for solitude?” As long, he thought, as it didn’t conflict with her own desires.

      “Of course,” she agreed. “Especially since others might get the wrong idea about someone with your abilities.”

      “The wrong idea?”

      “They might find it strange, even weird, I suppose.”

      “Is that right?” he managed to say, the rein on his temper straining. “And what about you, Abby? What do you think about me?”

      She’d been intently watching his proceedings, but now she looked away, appearing faintly embarrassed. “I haven’t decided yet.”

      Her actions and words declared otherwise. She looked at him and saw the freak, the mutant. Her next comment confirmed it.

      “I would think that someone who’s lived through the kind of experiences you have would want to give something back instead of just wasting that knowledge.”

      Control snapped like the leash on a monster. He dropped the spoon which sank beneath the mixture and ripped the goggles from his eyes to stare at her. “What do you know about it? You couldn’t understand what it’s like!”

      She didn’t jump back. Or run screaming from his home. Instead she looked straight at him for the first time since they’d entered the house. He saw satisfaction, not revulsion, in those startling eyes.

      “That’s exactly my point,” she said. “How could I? My childhood was filled with dolls and dress-up, not mathematic calculations. It’s impossible for me to understand what it’s like for my son—or for you. That’s why I need your help.”

      It took an amazingly long time for Jeremy to realize he’d been conned. She’d been leading him to this conclusion all along. He had to respect the ingenuity. It was a sign of gifted intelligence to look at problems with originality and resourcefulness. Perhaps her son wasn’t as different from her as she thought.

      Because she was beginning to intrigue him, he filled his voice with firmness and finality. “I can’t help you.”

      To his amazement, she looked shocked at his answer, as if she’d really expected him to change his mind. “Can’t or won’t?” she challenged.

      “Can’t and won’t. I can suggest someone, a counselor,” he said when she finally took a breath. “Maybe the two of you can see him together.”

      “I don’t want a counselor,” she insisted. “I want you.”

      Even knowing what she meant, her words lanced through him. “You don’t understand what you’re asking. Didn’t you hear that I eat small children for breakfast?”

      “That’s not what some of your former students said.”

      He couldn’t believe it. She’d shocked him again. “You contacted my students? What right do you have to…?”

      “The rights of a mother. Do you think I would come all this way if I hadn’t checked you out? My son’s future is at stake!”

      “Look, let’s get this thing settled once and for all. I am not going to teach your son or any other child.”

      Abby frowned and Jeremy wondered if he had finally gotten through to her.

      “I didn’t ask you to,” she responded. “I want you to teach me.”

      Chapter Three

      “What are you talking about?” he asked. “You’re not a genius.”

      Abby felt the heat rise on her face as he bluntly stated the obvious. “That’s the point.”

      “What’s the point?” he asked, obviously confused. “I thought you wanted me to enroll Robbie in my program?”

      “That was never my intent. I hope you won’t take this the wrong way, but I’m not sure you’d be a good influence on him.” The last thing Robbie needed in his life right now was a twisted and scarred recluse as a role model.

      He appeared stunned. “Then what do you want?”

      “As I said, I want you to work with me.” Although it galled her to confess it to this man, she knew he would accept nothing less than the truth. “I’m not smart enough to do this myself.”

      “To do what?”

      “Decide Robbie’s future. He can’t attend a normal elementary school and the higher level schools won’t take him. Obviously you’ll agree that home schooling is not an option. How can I know what’s best for my son? I don’t have a Ph.D. or any of those other letters you have tacked on behind your name. I never even went to college, for heaven’s sake.”

      “What has college got to do with anything?”

      He sounded truly perplexed and she couldn’t help wondering if it was a new experience for him. Join the club. “I didn’t pay much attention in school,” she admitted. “I was always too busy going to parties or hanging around with my friends to bother with anything as boring as studying.”

      “Do you think that if you’d paid attention in algebra, you’d have been prepared for someone with Robbie’s intellect?”

      She shrugged. “Maybe not, but I’d be a step closer. I was so sure that there’d be plenty of time to get serious.” She took a deep breath and continued, determined to get it all out. “I met Robbie’s father when I was only sixteen. He was older than me, already finishing college with top grades and expectations for a fast track to success. When he said we looked good together, I thought he meant we belonged together. We were married when I was just eighteen.”

      Jeremy listened to her story without expression. She wasn’t even sure if he was actually listening, or if his mind had wandered off the way Robbie’s sometimes did, until he responded. “Didn’t your parents have anything to say about that?”

      “We eloped. My parents were killed in an accident when I was young. I lived with my grandmother. Ted convinced me he had everything figured out and I believed him. Turns out, I was wrong.”

      “You were young. It’s called immaturity. Most kids are like that.”

      The fact that he was defending her made her feel worse. “Were you?”

      He shook his head. “Hardly.”

      Of course not. She tried to picture him skipping classes to go to the beach or spending his time studying the fine art of flirting, but she failed.

      His eyes focused on a spot beyond her head and she could tell he was looking into the past. It didn’t appear to be a comfortable place. “I’d have given just about anything to be able to have a normal, carefree childhood.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he appeared shocked to have said them.

      She got a mental picture of a young Jeremy, with his awkward clothes and remarkable brain. Had no one seen beyond those things, to the person inside? Was that how Robbie felt? It made her even more determined to figure out what he needed to be happy.

      “At first everything was fine,” she said. “Ted went to graduate school while I worked. He was smart and ambitious.” And he’d made it clear that she shouldn’t bother trying to understand the complicated life he’d mapped out for them. “Then Robbie came along and everything changed. We could see right from the beginning that he was different. At first Ted treated him like a trophy to be trotted out and placed