Page 56 of Sycamore Circle

“Thanks,” he said as he put it in his pocket.

An hour later, when the diner was pretty empty and his aunt had given him time to eat supper in the back, Finn pulled out Seth’s card and called. Seth answered on the second ring.

“Yeah?”

“Seth, this is Finn. Um, you met me over at Lane’s?”

“I remember. How are ya?”

“I’m okay. Um, I was wondering if you could tell me how to get a cell phone.”

“You ready to get one, hmm?”

“Yeah.”

“I can help ya with that. Where are you now?”

“I’m at the diner.”

“I’ll be over with one in about an hour.”

“Wait, no. I’m going to pay for it. I just wondered if you knew how much one cost.”

“Do you give your parents most of your pay?”

“Yeah, but not all.”

Seth’s voice softened. “I actually have some free time tonight and I’m right next to the supercenter. I’ll pick one up for you and bring it by the diner and show you how to use it. And it’ll be a gift.”

Finn frowned. “I promise, I really didn’t call to ask you to buy me a phone.”

“I know. But I do know what it’s like to need one, right? Accept it as a gift from someone who’s been in your shoes.”

“All right. Thanks.”

“I’m glad you called. I’ll be by within an hour. See you soon.”

When they hung up, Finn realized that after so many months of feeling confused, things were finally starting to make sense. He still worried that he would completely mess everything in his life up, but there was a layer of hope starting to form over his fears.

CHAPTER 19

Another day, another hour listening to Grafton complain about his broken heart. At least this time Bo wasn’t alone with the kid and all his problems. He’d called Lincoln in for an assist.

Lincoln had seemed amused by Bo calling for help and then even more entertained by the fact that Bo had been so serious about needing his presence. Five minutes in, though, Lincoln’s amused concern gave way to impatience and then being just plain uncomfortable. Bo knew exactly how he was feeling. It wasn’t that either of them didn’t feel sorry for the guy, it was that his brokenheartedness was so over-the-top, it was almost painful to witness.

Especially since the kid wasn’t listening to Lincoln’s advice any better than he listened to Bo’s or Mason’s.

Before long, Lincoln cut off Grafton’s excuses with a hand up. “I don’t want to hear any more about Molly. You’ve got to calm yourself and give it a rest,” he said. “Focus on something else.”

Grafton stared at them both with puppy dog eyes. “I can’t. It’s impossible.”

Bo inwardly groaned. Back in prison, there was a saying among some of the guys that the only thing that was impossible was to get out.

As expected, Lincoln didn’t take kindly to it. His voice deepened. “Impossible’s not a word you want in your vocabulary.”

“She’s not answering my calls.”

“How many times have you called her?” Bo asked.

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