Page 50 of Luca

“I dunno. Some dude she met online.”

Oh, good lord.“So why are you bringing that jumpy dog here?”

“She said he’d been having a bad day. And someone needed to watch him.”

“I think she meant you. You’re the someone.”

“I can’t. I’ve got plans.”

I cross my arms over my chest in indignation. “Since when?”

“C’mon, Jilly. This dog is makingmeanxious. I’ve cleaned up behind him twice already.”

Mom really needs to invest in some doggy Depends.He can’t be the only dog to struggle with incontinence.

“Mom told me you were having some backyard party tonight. It’s perfect. Just keep him back there so he can piddle on the grass.”

“Why don’t you keep him in the backyard?”

“I tried that. He’s practically scratched a hole in the sliding glass door trying to get in.”

Ugh. I guess he’s right. It shouldn’t be that bad if he’s outside all night. “Fine. But if Mom’s not home by the time the movie is over and the kids need to go to bed, you better be back here to get him.”

Roger looks pale, like he suddenly doesn’t feel well.

“What?” I ask, a bit concerned.

“If Mom is out that late on a date…” he gives an entire body shake to demonstrate his disgust. “Let’s not go there. Please?” Ha. He’s got a point. Roger steps out onto my porch, closing the front door loudly behind him. Moments later, Cliff’s dogs begin to howl, and I look down to see Ted E. standing in a puddle.

“You couldn’t wait two minutes?”

The movie screen is erected, and Luca has a projector and blue tooth speakers hooked up. Myla choseWreck It Ralph,which is perfect for this crowd. The boys are sitting side by side in camp chairs eating nuggets, popcorn, and candy. Truitt alternates between watching the movie and crawling about the blanket where Myla’s lying against the cushions. Every now and then, I close my eyes to the sheer bliss I’m feeling until I sense the light graze of Luca’s pinky against mine, causing us to steal glances at one another.

After Luca spoke briefly with Cliff, he agreed to bring the dogs inside until our movie was over. There had been a close call, and we didn’t have the energy to deal with that again.

Earlier in the evening, we’d been setting up the food on the picnic table when Luca went flying over toward the fence. “Tarzan, no!”

I’d jumped when I heard his stern voice. Twisting frantically to see what was happening, I found Caleb trying to lift Ted E. to the top of the fence, where the Shepherds barked uncontrollably.

“They just want to play with him,” Caleb had said.

“They want to eat him,” Luca had corrected. “They think he’s a dog biscuit.” I could tell he was trying to ease his tone, so as not to upset Caleb over his mistake, yet still get the point across how dangerous that was. “Go get some food, and I’ll take care of him.”

I would’ve laughed at the sight of Luca holding this mangy mutt out about a foot away from him to make sure the dog didn’t piddle down his leg if I wasn’t so relieved that he’d caught Caleb in time.

“And Tarzan…”

“Yeah?”

“Where’s the red line?”

“Right there.”

“Don’t forget it.”

“Yes, sir.”

My heart squeezed, watching the entire thing unfold. Not just because Ted E. Ruxpin had almost been served up like a Vienna sausage. But Caleb has never really had a male authority figure in his life. Even when Dillon was alive, he was rarely here for anything that required scolding. He was the fun parent. His visits were so short, the kids were typically well behaved. And if Myla and Caleb did get rambunctious, I wasn’t going to waste the precious moments he was there letting him get marred down in discipline.

---