Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 93096 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93096 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
“We will.” Luis stood taller. His pride in his work sure was appealing.
“Great. And speaking of busy, I better head home. It’s Jacob’s night to cook. Pray for my stomach.”
“I’m sure you’ll be fine.” Even as he laughed, Tucker’s chest gave an odd twinge. He’d known Linc was living with someone, of course. It was a small town with a smaller firefighting community, and word got around, but seeing Linc, the former badass, all domesticated...well, that was something. And somehow they were managing a life for themselves here. Garrick and his guy too. Maybe...
No. Tucker tried to picture a universe where he wasn’t coming home to an empty house half the week, but all his brain supplied were flashes of Luis’s face, which weren’t helpful. Even if Tucker ever did find the inclination to date, Luis wasn’t going to be here to see it, let alone participate. And on that fun thought, he let Linc continue on his way home while they reached the Jeep.
“I’ll drive to my place, then I’ll help you set your GPS—”
“I’ll be fine. Save the parenting for the boys.” Luis laughed as he climbed in the passenger seat.
“Hey, I can’t help it. Worry. It’s in my DNA now.”
“I know. You’re cute.” Luis didn’t give Tucker a chance to digest that little comment before he was asking, “Who’s this Jacob?”
“Linc’s boyfriend, although it might be fiancé now. Another smoke jumper. They’ve got a pack of dogs and a place out in the country. You’d remember Jacob’s brother Wyatt.”
“I remember.” Luis’s mouth pursed, probably because Wyatt had been something of a bully. “Lincoln Reid, though. With a boyfriend. Sure didn’t see that one coming.”
“Me either, but my radar for that sort of thing has always been off.” That got a laugh from Luis, and he waited until he completed the turn out of the air base before continuing. “They’re good together though.”
“Nice. It can be tough, being on the same crew.” Luis’s attention was on the rural landscape, not Tucker.
“Was it for you?” It was surprising how much Tucker wanted to hear about Luis’s LA life, Mike in particular.
“Oh yeah. Especially at first. We were trying to keep it secret and probably failing at it. I suck at secrets. Stress.”
“I imagine so,” Tucker said mildly. Again, there seemed to be a message there, a note of defiance that Luis wasn’t about to be secret again. They passed the edge of town, ranch land giving way to a few neighborhoods and small downtown.
“He...it wasn’t perfect. He could be stubborn. We used to butt heads over the stupidest shit.” Tone fond, Luis shook his head. He straightened as they passed the high school, older brick building with only a car or two in the lot since it was summer. “Same old building?”
“Yep. They’ve added on here and there, but I doubt the town has money for new. We make do. Boys are pretty happy there. Some of the same teachers even, old-timers hanging on.”
“Wow. It was so weird, going from such a small school where all the teachers knew my name to one with over two thousand kids. So many choices.”
“I bet.” Tucker tried to match Luis’s reflective tone.
“I went a little overboard signing up for clubs. Maybe part of that was trying to outrun how much I missed that place, ceiling cracks and few electives and all.”
“Understandable. And glad you missed...something.”
“I did.”
At a stop sign their eyes met, and there it was again, that energy between them. Not so much a crackle this time, but an ebb, a mutual wave of understanding, same as at the restaurant last night. The harsh edges of the past were softening, and he wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it.
Painter’s Ridge wasn’t nearly big enough because here they were, turning into his neighborhood, and he still felt rather dazed.
“New housing?” Luis’s mouth tilted, quizzical expression on his face.
“Yep. Even Painter’s Ridge expands. And Heidi and I wanted houses close together at decent prices, so it worked out for us,” he explained as he pulled into his short drive. “The tradeoff for me is a tiny yard. No room for a garden.”
“I imagine that’s a hardship for you. You always did like helping your mom with hers.”
“Yup. I’ve gotten creative with some containers, but it’s not the same. And the boys wanted me to get a puppy after our old dog passed on, but it wouldn’t be fair to the puppy, no room to roam.”
“You need a cat...” Luis got a sly look on his face.
“Oh no, you don’t. You’re not pushing yours off on us, and no way am I getting talked into a kitten.” He laughed as he shut off the engine. “Say...you want to come in?”
“Come in?” Luis raised an eyebrow, that way he had of saying volumes with a single look.