Page 48 of Bourbon & Bonfires

“But ...”

“No buts. Look, if it’s me, if you don’t feel I’m responsible enough to care for your son, I can ask my mom if he can stay over there. Whatever you need, but he’s already told you he can’t miss this test.”

“Oh my God. No, no it’s not you. You are great. Kind of perfect. Which, by the way, is super annoying.” I laugh and kiss her again. “I’ve never really left him to his own devices. When Dan and I were married, he was always traveling for work and when he was home, we stayed home. He was tired of eating out and hotels. Then, when he left, I couldn’t leave Mason. I felt like he’d already lost so much. Plus, I didn’t have the extra money for trips.”

“I know this isn’t really a trip but leaving Mason is new for me. For us. Plus, I don’t know that I completely trust him after all the shit he pulled before we moved here. It’s a lot of responsibility for you. You should be hanging out with your buddies, watching a game or something.”

There’s that dig at my age again. At least this time she didn’t point it out. She’s gone the passive aggressive route, and while I still don’t love it, it’s an improvement. I know the age difference bothers her. Actually, I’m not sure it’s the age difference as much as it is something with her own age. She rarely references my age, but she mentions hers often. That’s a conversation for a different time.

“First of all, my buddies are married or happily shacking up with their ladies. Our hanging out time now includes all of you ladies. Speaking of which, when you get back, we’re going to do that. Hang out with my friends. Who, by the way, are your friends too. Why haven’t we done that yet?” She shrugs her shoulders.

“Go be with your friends and family. I’ll hold down the fort.”

I place another kiss on her lips and reach for my coffee cup and her bag, extending the handle to her. Offering me a small smile, she accepts the bag and turns to walk toward her car. I playfully swat her ass. She squeals and jumps a little as she keeps walking. Once we’ve made it to her car, I promise again that everything will be fine and send her on her way.

Pulling my phone from my pocket, I make sure the ringer is on. If I know Addison, she’ll be calling within the hour. Since Mason already left for school, I head back to the house to lock everything up. I guess her suggestion for a guy’s night isn’t too far off. Mason is going to hang with me at my house this weekend while Addison is gone.

By the time I make it to my first call of the day, Addison has texted me twice and called once. The texts are just reminding me to have Mason shower—like I needed to be reminded of that—and to take the money she left for his lunch account. The call is to keep her mind off the long drive she has ahead of her.

The day is pretty stacked, and I know that I have to take Jameson’s suggestion and hire someone for the office. There’s no way I can keep up with this. I didn’t realize how much of the business side of things my dad was doing while I ran the calls. With summer just around the corner, we’re going to get even busier. People need heat, but it’s the hot summers that really make a difference in the HVAC business.

It’s late afternoon and I’m pulling into the driveway of my last service appointment when I receive a text message.

Mason: I’m at your house. You have nothing to eat.

Me: Hello. I’m fine. Thanks for asking.

Me: There’s shit in the freezer. I’ll be home around 4 as usual. We’ll work and then order a pizza.

Mason: Okay. That works.

Little shit.

Me: Call your mom.

Mason: I did.

Me: Ok.

“Wait. This table is forSpencer Garrison?” The awe in Mason’s voice as he realizes exactly whose furniture we’ve been building is fantastic. I’ve learned that it takes a lot to impress this kid.

Instead of responding, I simply continue with my work, leaving him standing with his mouth open. I intentionally kept the identity of our client to myself. I knew from a few conversations that Mason is a fan of Spencer’s. Hell, I’m a fan of Spencer’s. When I mentioned that I knew Spencer as a kid and he had lived in Lexington part-time, Mason had a total celebrity fan moment.

That was when I realized I needed to keep the information to myself. Besides the fact that I wanted Mason’s head in the work, I also didn’t want to listen to him talk about Spencer ad naseum. But we’re taking some of these pieces to his house this weekend, and I figured there was no time like the present to tell him.

“Landon!”

“Dude, what? Look. Spence is a good guy. But he’s private. He comes home to Lexington to be normal, not a world-famous skater. To us he’s the same Spencer we grew up with, ya know? So, please don’t make a bigger deal out of this than it is. He’s not in town right now, which is why we’re taking this stuff over to his place. Security and all that.”

“I can’t believe it. You know, I thought my mom dating you was pretty cool before. I mean you’re cool, and she’s so much more chill when you’re around. But now? You like went up a few levels.”

I chuckle in response and motion with my head for him to finish wiping down the table so we can add a coat of sealant before calling it a night. I’m proud of these pieces. A dining table that will comfortably seat ten, matching chairs, and a hutch. When I went to Spencer’s place a few weeks ago, I knew instantly the type of wood and finish I wanted to use. I still have a few more projects for the bedrooms that we’ll get to in the coming weeks. It was when I walked out to his patio and saw the setup he had in the back of his property, that I decided to add an art piece too.

“Why don’t you finish up what you’re doing, go inside and order us a pizza, and grab a shower. I’ll close up when I’m done.” I want to spend a little time with this art piece before calling it a night. I don’t know if it’s the creative side of me or what, but I prefer to work on the art alone.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to leave you with all this clean up; it’s kind of my job.”

His response makes me happy. When Mason first started working with me, he was a little bit on the lazy side. And kind of a shithead. But he’s come a long way. We’ve come a long way, and I see him being more considerate and taking more responsibility with his job duties.

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