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)
“Oh, nothing.” Wade made a dismissive gesture. “He’s pissy about his test scores. And Dad’s new boyfriend.”
“Dad’s new what?” Heidi and Tucker spoke at the same time, and he was pretty sure his eyes were popping out even more than hers.
“He has this new coworker.” Tone dismissive, Wade headed toward the kitchen. “Walker said he was even at the house Friday. Drinking a beer.”
“Was he now?” Heidi stared Tucker down as she picked up a bowl of salad from the counter.
“It’s nothing. We were just...catching up. That’s all.”
“I think Luis needs to join us for dinner on Wednesday,” Heidi mused, voice more thoughtful than teasing, but her suggestion still stole the air out of Tucker’s lungs.
“He most certainly does not.” God, that was all they needed. Yes, he did want more time alone with Luis. Alone. Not introducing him to the chaos circus that was family dinner nights, and not risking making Walker even more unhappy.
“Yeah, he does. Let’s freak Walker out.” Wade, however, had no such reservations.
“There’s nothing for Walker—or you—to get worked up over. It’s a friend. That’s all.”
“Whatever you say.” Grabbing a pitcher of water, Wade headed to the patio, leaving Tucker and Heidi behind.
“Yeah, Tucker. Whatever you say. Bring that.” Heidi laughed and pointed toward a bowl of rice. “And now he’s a friend? I thought you were both bitter and sad about the past. What changed?”
“We talked. But it’s not—”
“Dinner!” Isaac called from the patio, setting a large platter of meat on the table.
“Bring him,” Heidi insisted. “I want to see him again too. We can all catch up.”
“Walker’s mad. Not sure if it’s this or something else, but I don’t have time for...anything right now.”
“You’ve got time for a friend.” Heidi set the salad down and squeezed his arm. “And like I said, I want to see him too. Revisit some good high school memories.”
“Yeah,” he reluctantly agreed.
“I mean, don’t go falling in love with the guy again or something crazy, but you’re entitled to a friend. Walker can deal. And whatever he’s got going on, there’s more than just you on the case—we’ll get to the bottom of it. Promise.”
Don’t go falling in love. Yeah, Tucker already knew that. Luis was leaving, had no interest in a serious relationship, and might well still be grieving his late boyfriend. Tucker might be interested in exploring their chemistry together, but it was like finding the perfect restaurant while on vacation. He could indulge now, enjoy it while he had it, and still understand that it wasn’t going to become a staple in his diet. As long as he didn’t go catching feelings, it wouldn’t be the worst thing to...sample the menu a little more so to speak. On that note, he headed outside, Walker catching the door right before it shut and brushing by Tucker.
“Food ready?” Walker slumped down next to Wade.
Damn it. No matter what Heidi said, he was still worried about Walker. It didn’t matter how he justified it, no amount of more time with Luis was worth alienating his kid over.
“Yep.” He passed the rice, then leaned in, lowering his voice. “Do you need a break? Want to sleep at my place tonight? I won’t bug you or try to hang out, but I did notice that new superhero movie is streaming now.”
“Dad. I’m not twelve.”
“I know.” Oh, how he knew, even if his heart kept trying to forget how fast the years had gone.
“And...maybe.” Walker frowned and kept his voice down. “I do need to think. It’s hard to do that with so many people around.”
“Don’t I know it.” He and Walker were alike in that they both enjoyed being around other people but craved quiet to reset. “Thinking about anything in particular?”
He sent up a quick prayer that Walker’s reply would have nothing to do with Tucker’s social life. He couldn’t stand it if he were the reason for Walker’s recent bad attitude.
“Stuff. Colleges. Everyone acts like senior year is supposed to be magical or some crap like that, but it hasn’t even started and so far it sucks.”
“Give it time. All you’ve had so far is football practice and the SAT classes. Things may change when school starts back up after Labor Day. You don’t have to have all the answers right now. You’ve got time to figure it out. And I meant what I said inside. I’m here to help you figure it out.”
“Thanks. Some things I have to sort out for myself, though.” Walker snagged a roll out of the bread basket coming around. “But...sorry I was rude earlier.”
“Sounds like you have a lot on your mind. I know you can handle yourself, but I’m here if you need to talk through anything, okay?”
“I don’t.” Then seeming to realize that he’d snapped again, Walker frowned. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Tucker said, even though it wasn’t. He wanted Walker to confide in him, the way he had when the boys were little, and it sucked to think that there might be something wrong that he couldn’t fix. The food was delicious, as always, but he couldn’t shake the sense of foreboding that settled over him even after Walker went back to teasing Wade and Angelica, same as always.