Page 26 of Sycamore Circle

If he’d had so much going for him, why had he taken such a wrong turn? Why had he started drinking too much, smoking weed when he knew it would get him kicked off teams, doing stupid stuff when he knew if he got caught his mother would have to help him pay for it?

Why had he never cared?

Hating the direction his thoughts had turned, Bo stood up and decided to work out. He had a set of weights in his basement, and sit-ups and push-ups didn’t need anything except for him to get off the couch. He’d learned that in prison.

He’d just completed his first set of fifty sit-ups when his phone buzzed. He picked it up gratefully.

“Lincoln.”

“Hey.” His boss’s familiar, gruff voice sounded a little off. “You busy?”

“Nope. What do you need?”

“Babysitting.”

“Hunt?” he asked hopefully. Hunt was Lincoln and Jennifer’s adorable one-year-old baby. The kid had just started walking and talking and loved to do both—and to watch cartoons. He’d watch the little guy any day of the week.

“Sorry, but it’s Chance. He needs a hand on Monday morning. I was going to drive him around and check in with him, but Jennifer’s got a doctor’s appointment, so I have to stay with Hunt.”

“She okay?” Jennifer was as sweet as Lincoln was gruff. They’d all fallen in love with her the moment she’d shyly offered them cinnamon rolls warm from her oven in exchange for their help shoveling her drive.

There was also the time when she’d been attacked and harassed—all while her no-good father was lurking around. Bo still had nightmares about the phone call he’d received saying that Jennifer was about to be loaded onto an ambulance.

Bo didn’t know a single guy who wouldn’t drop everything to help her, even if it was just to fill her car with gas. She was truly adored.

“Yeah.” Lincoln paused. “Jen doesn’t want everyone to know yet, but she’s pregnant again.”

Bo grinned. “Hey, that’s great. Congrats.”

“Thanks.” Lincoln’s voice filled with warmth. “We’re real happy. The doctors said it was doubtful she’d get pregnant again on account of some female problems, so I’d been thinking Hunt was going to be our one and only.”

“And now she’s got another on the way. That’s a lot to be thankful for.”

“Yeah.” Lincoln’s voice turned soft. “It’s a miracle, that’s what it is. But she’s feeling like crap. Got morning sickness twenty-four seven. She’ll likely be on the couch all weekend—which is why Chance is gonna need you on Monday.”

“Where’s he living?”

“At the house. I know Mason would run him around but you know what it’s like when he leaves.”

If Mason was gone for five hours, all hell would break loose around T-DOT. “I’ll do it. That’s no problem.”

“Thanks, man. I don’t think it will be more than four hours, tops. If you take him to lunch, keep the receipt, yeah?”

“Will do. You got anything in mind for him?” Sometimes these one-on-one times with fresh ex-cons were actually an excuse to give them a kick in the pants.

“Nah. Chance is good. He’s shy. I swear, sometimes I have no clue how he survived in Madisonville.”

“No worries. Tell your girl to hang in there.”

“Stop by one day soon. You know she and Hunt miss you.”

“I miss them too. I’ll stop by as soon as you let me know she’s feeling better.”

On Monday morning, Bo headed over to the main house early, spent a couple of hours making phone calls and filling out paperwork, then got mentally ready to cart Chance around. Babysitting grown men wasn’t his favorite activity, but at least he wasn’t sitting alone with his thoughts. He’d ended up spending the rest of Saturday and most of Sunday sitting home by himself.

He found Chance hanging out in the main room. A couple of guys were playing Xbox. The kid looked bored though. When he saw Bo, he stood up. Obviously Lincoln had passed the word that Bo would be taking him around.

“Thanks,” he said when they got in Bo’s truck. “I can’t wait until I get my own wheels.”

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