Mrs. Thomas also looked outside and let out a helpless chuckle: "Your dad, honestly, always likes to mess with Tobby. Over in Silverhall, when he fights those karate guys from the gyms, most of them let him win. Who wouldn't? He's a rich aristocrat. But your dad just loves sparring with Tobby, because Tobby never holds back. He knows he can't beat your dad, so to avoid getting beat up, he has to go all out."
Emily rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. You think I don't know Dad does it just to rile Tobby up? Every time Tobby doesn't go all out by fighting him, Dad hits him with the classic, 'Back in the day, your father never beat me.' Then Tobby just loses his cool and goes at it. Everyone knows Mr. Curry is his Achilles' heel."
Outside, I held out a hand to Jerry Thomas and said, "Dad, go ahead and make your move."
"You want me to go first? Hell no—I'll let you make the first move!" Jerry Thomas swore.
