Lucas
Page 52
Tom’s eyebrows shoot up, and he looks from Luke to me. I look down at my hands. “I know this,” he says. “But how do you and why did you feel the urgency to tell me?”
“You’re not worried?” Luke asks.
“Should I be?”
“Sir Tom,” I start, and Luke chuckles.
“Sir Tom? Really?”
“Shut up.”
“Lane,” Tom says, “What’s wrong?”
“Cooper—my ex—”
“Your ex?” he asks. “I wasn’t aware…”
I force a smile. “Cooper offered my dad a job.”
“Right.” Tom nods. “And let me guess, he threw in a bunch of perks?”
“Yes, sir.”
Luke laughs. “What? No Sir Tom?”
I kick his leg.
Tom sighs. “You know what the good thing about our town is, kids? And I say kids because that’s what you are, and you really shouldn’t be worrying about this stuff. The good thing about our town is that everyone knows everyone’s business, and people like to talk about that business. I’ve known about this since the company was created five days ago.”
“And you’re not worried?” I ask.
“No.”
“How can you be so confident?”
Tom looks from me to Lucas and back again. Then he leans forward, lowers his voice. I find myself leaning into the conversation. “Because I had Wendy in the office call Lance Kennedy, make out like she was from the newspaper and asked for an interview about his new venture into the construction trade and you know what Lance said? He said, ‘What construction trade?’”
“So Lance doesn’t know?” I mumble.
Luke says, “So he lied to your dad?”
Tom leans back in his chair, gets more comfortable. “I spoke to Brian today, we had a good laugh about it. He didn’t mention anything about Cooper offering him a job.”
I sigh. “Maybe I made this a bigger deal than it is.”
Tom chuckles. “I love you both. Really, I do. But you’re only this young once, and you’ve both been through so much in your eighteen years. And Lucas, you carry more responsibilities than most your age. But this—worrying about me and the business—it’s something I never want either of you to have to be burdened with. Do me a solid? Let loose now and then, enjoy life, get into a little trouble, y’know?”
Luke smiles. “Yes, sir.”
“Good,” Tom says. “Now that that’s out of the way, what time’s your meet next weekend?”
“What meet?” I ask him. I have all of Luke’s track meets scheduled in my phone, and there’s no meet next weekend. “I don’t know about a meet.”
“It’s not a school one,” Luke assures and then eyes his dad, shakes his head, just slightly.
“What meet?” I ask again.
Tom doesn’t take Luke’s hint. “It’s an independent meet in Charlotte. Not school related.”
“I want to go!” I say.
Tom says, “He’ll probably beat his PB. He’s so close.”
I look at Luke. “You are?” I hate that I don’t know this about him. Up until this school year, I’d been to all his meets and knew all his times and now… “I didn’t know.”
“It’s cool,” Luke says. “But this meet—I mean, I’ll be competing in under 21s so I won’t be competing against Cooper, but he’ll probably be there so…”
Oh. “Oh.”
Luke’s gaze drops, and I feel his disappointment before I see it take over his body.
“So what?” I say, and I’m already preparing the excuses in my head. “I still want to go.”
Luke shrugs. “We’ll see,” he says. He knows me too well.
“I got to pick up Lachlan and take him to the store,” Tom says. “Lane, you staying for dinner? It’s LTT night!”
“What’s LTT?” I ask, looking between father and son.
“Lachlan’s Tasty Tacos!” Tom says.
I cringe. “That sounds scary.”
Tom chuckles. “It’s pancakes.”
“Folded,” Luke adds.
“Because tacos,” Tom says.
“Right.” I nod.
“And I take him to the store to select and buy his filling.”
“Candy,” Luke says.
My eyes light up. “Pancakes filled with candy?”
Tom says, “But the best part is the hit or miss salsa.”
Luke faces me. “Lachlan gets a bunch of candy and blends it together to make the sauce. As the name states, it’s very hit or miss.”
Tom’s standing now, pocketing his phone, keys, and wallet. “It’s dessert for dinner, Laney. Right up your alley.”
“And Luke actually eats this?” I ask Tom.
“He gets this twitch in his left eye and his hands shake and he breaks out in a sweat.”
“Probably pre-calculating the calories,” I say with a giggle.
“He has one bite and then runs for two hours afterward.”
Luke shakes his head. “I don’t like LTT night,” he murmurs, and I laugh, tell them that as much I’d love to stay for LTT night, I can’t. I have to work. Luke gives me a ride home so I can get ready, and I walk to work for my 4 pm shift. At 9 pm, an hour before my shift ends, Luke shows up with a Ziploc bag in his hand. “Lachlan didn’t want you missing out on his tasty tacos.” He slides it across the small opening of the ticket booth. The pancake’s still warm as if he’d just made it, and I’m almost positive that Lachlan has nothing to do with this. “And I thought I’d give you a ride home.”
“That’s really nice, Luke.” And it feels strange saying those words—as if I’m trying hard to be super, uber, extra polite, and I don’t know why. “But my shift doesn’t end for another hour.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah…”
“But you always finish at nine on Thursdays.”
“New roster. Sorry.”
“I’ll come back then,” he says quickly.
“Or you could stay,” I say, just as fast. Truthfully, I could use the company. “You can hang out with me in here. It’s quiet.” I lift my psychology textbook. “I’m just catching up on homework.”
Within seconds, he’s opening the side door and joining me in a small room made for one, not two, and now we’re close, too close, and it’s terrifying in all the best possible ways. He gets out his phone, takes a picture of the noticeboard on the wall. “What are you doing?” I ask.
“Getting your new roster. I don’t want you walking anywhere.”
“Okay, Cooper,” I say, and soon as his name leaves my mouth, I mentally cut off my tongue. Stupid. So stupid.
Luke’s eyes drift shut, his shoulders tense.
“Sorry,” I whisper. “I don’t know why I said that.” I try to find something to do so we can move on, and fast. I open the bag and pull out the pancake taco and a note falls out with it:
29 days, Lois Lane.
“You’re not worried?” Luke asks.
“Should I be?”
“Sir Tom,” I start, and Luke chuckles.
“Sir Tom? Really?”
“Shut up.”
“Lane,” Tom says, “What’s wrong?”
“Cooper—my ex—”
“Your ex?” he asks. “I wasn’t aware…”
I force a smile. “Cooper offered my dad a job.”
“Right.” Tom nods. “And let me guess, he threw in a bunch of perks?”
“Yes, sir.”
Luke laughs. “What? No Sir Tom?”
I kick his leg.
Tom sighs. “You know what the good thing about our town is, kids? And I say kids because that’s what you are, and you really shouldn’t be worrying about this stuff. The good thing about our town is that everyone knows everyone’s business, and people like to talk about that business. I’ve known about this since the company was created five days ago.”
“And you’re not worried?” I ask.
“No.”
“How can you be so confident?”
Tom looks from me to Lucas and back again. Then he leans forward, lowers his voice. I find myself leaning into the conversation. “Because I had Wendy in the office call Lance Kennedy, make out like she was from the newspaper and asked for an interview about his new venture into the construction trade and you know what Lance said? He said, ‘What construction trade?’”
“So Lance doesn’t know?” I mumble.
Luke says, “So he lied to your dad?”
Tom leans back in his chair, gets more comfortable. “I spoke to Brian today, we had a good laugh about it. He didn’t mention anything about Cooper offering him a job.”
I sigh. “Maybe I made this a bigger deal than it is.”
Tom chuckles. “I love you both. Really, I do. But you’re only this young once, and you’ve both been through so much in your eighteen years. And Lucas, you carry more responsibilities than most your age. But this—worrying about me and the business—it’s something I never want either of you to have to be burdened with. Do me a solid? Let loose now and then, enjoy life, get into a little trouble, y’know?”
Luke smiles. “Yes, sir.”
“Good,” Tom says. “Now that that’s out of the way, what time’s your meet next weekend?”
“What meet?” I ask him. I have all of Luke’s track meets scheduled in my phone, and there’s no meet next weekend. “I don’t know about a meet.”
“It’s not a school one,” Luke assures and then eyes his dad, shakes his head, just slightly.
“What meet?” I ask again.
Tom doesn’t take Luke’s hint. “It’s an independent meet in Charlotte. Not school related.”
“I want to go!” I say.
Tom says, “He’ll probably beat his PB. He’s so close.”
I look at Luke. “You are?” I hate that I don’t know this about him. Up until this school year, I’d been to all his meets and knew all his times and now… “I didn’t know.”
“It’s cool,” Luke says. “But this meet—I mean, I’ll be competing in under 21s so I won’t be competing against Cooper, but he’ll probably be there so…”
Oh. “Oh.”
Luke’s gaze drops, and I feel his disappointment before I see it take over his body.
“So what?” I say, and I’m already preparing the excuses in my head. “I still want to go.”
Luke shrugs. “We’ll see,” he says. He knows me too well.
“I got to pick up Lachlan and take him to the store,” Tom says. “Lane, you staying for dinner? It’s LTT night!”
“What’s LTT?” I ask, looking between father and son.
“Lachlan’s Tasty Tacos!” Tom says.
I cringe. “That sounds scary.”
Tom chuckles. “It’s pancakes.”
“Folded,” Luke adds.
“Because tacos,” Tom says.
“Right.” I nod.
“And I take him to the store to select and buy his filling.”
“Candy,” Luke says.
My eyes light up. “Pancakes filled with candy?”
Tom says, “But the best part is the hit or miss salsa.”
Luke faces me. “Lachlan gets a bunch of candy and blends it together to make the sauce. As the name states, it’s very hit or miss.”
Tom’s standing now, pocketing his phone, keys, and wallet. “It’s dessert for dinner, Laney. Right up your alley.”
“And Luke actually eats this?” I ask Tom.
“He gets this twitch in his left eye and his hands shake and he breaks out in a sweat.”
“Probably pre-calculating the calories,” I say with a giggle.
“He has one bite and then runs for two hours afterward.”
Luke shakes his head. “I don’t like LTT night,” he murmurs, and I laugh, tell them that as much I’d love to stay for LTT night, I can’t. I have to work. Luke gives me a ride home so I can get ready, and I walk to work for my 4 pm shift. At 9 pm, an hour before my shift ends, Luke shows up with a Ziploc bag in his hand. “Lachlan didn’t want you missing out on his tasty tacos.” He slides it across the small opening of the ticket booth. The pancake’s still warm as if he’d just made it, and I’m almost positive that Lachlan has nothing to do with this. “And I thought I’d give you a ride home.”
“That’s really nice, Luke.” And it feels strange saying those words—as if I’m trying hard to be super, uber, extra polite, and I don’t know why. “But my shift doesn’t end for another hour.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah…”
“But you always finish at nine on Thursdays.”
“New roster. Sorry.”
“I’ll come back then,” he says quickly.
“Or you could stay,” I say, just as fast. Truthfully, I could use the company. “You can hang out with me in here. It’s quiet.” I lift my psychology textbook. “I’m just catching up on homework.”
Within seconds, he’s opening the side door and joining me in a small room made for one, not two, and now we’re close, too close, and it’s terrifying in all the best possible ways. He gets out his phone, takes a picture of the noticeboard on the wall. “What are you doing?” I ask.
“Getting your new roster. I don’t want you walking anywhere.”
“Okay, Cooper,” I say, and soon as his name leaves my mouth, I mentally cut off my tongue. Stupid. So stupid.
Luke’s eyes drift shut, his shoulders tense.
“Sorry,” I whisper. “I don’t know why I said that.” I try to find something to do so we can move on, and fast. I open the bag and pull out the pancake taco and a note falls out with it:
29 days, Lois Lane.
