Page 48 of Burn It Down

“Hey, Jake.” My dad looks up and smirks when he hears my greeting and I wave him on, telling him to mind his own business.

“Clear your calendar September twenty-sixth through the twenty-eighth,” Jake says over the line.

“The whole weekend? The concert’s just a couple hours away.”

“I know, but I’ve got something planned. And before you start feeling guilty, I invited Cora, but she can’t go and told me to take you. So we don’t even have to hide,” he says proudly.

I laugh. “Well, I doubt she told you to act on any of the nasty shit that’s undoubtedly in your head, but just going is a good start.”

I look over and see my dad watching me again as he slips out of the Porsche he just pulled in the bay at my request and I try to reign in my excitement a little. I know he’ll be happy for me, but there’s still a long way to go for Jake and I and I’m having a hard enough time keeping my own emotions in check without adding my father’s hopefulness into the mix.

“We’ll figure it out,” Jake says.

“Okay, well count me in and I’ll pay for my half of the hotel and stuff.”

“We’ll talk about it when it gets closer.”

“Fine, but Iampaying half the costs.” Lowering my voice, I add, “I’m not in the market for a sugar daddy, Jake.”

“Fine,Dylan,” he laughs into the phone. “I don’t have a daddy kink anyway.”

Choosing to ignore the comment about his kinks because my father is standing fifteen feet in front of me, no doubt listening to every whispered word, I ask where we’re staying.

“Do you like surprises?” he asks, repeating the question he texted me before the lake.

We’ve already been over this and I know he knows that, so I play along.

“Depends on what it is I guess.”

“Bring your suit, both your bathing suitandyour going out suit.”

“What about my birthday suit?” I ask before smacking myself in the forehead. “Shit. Damn. Fuck. Sorry. Not going there.” I see my dad laughing to himself and shaking his head.

“Oh, you’lldefinitelyneed that one, but thankfully it always travels with you.”

“I’ll admit, I’m intrigued.”

“That’s all the information you get. I’ve gotta get back to work. I need to be out of the office by two so I can grab some sleep before clocking into the station at seven.

“Jake?”

“Dylan?”

“Text me when you get to the fire station.”

“Okay,” he pauses and on his next breath, I know exactly what he’s going to say. “Daddy.”

“Oh my God, Jake. Never again.”

We’re both laughing as we hang up the phone.

My father’s smile has faded and he’s staring at me with a worried expression on his face.

“Out with it,” I tell him, popping the hood on the Porsche to gain access to its air filters.

“Betty and Carl are selling the shop.”

I stand up so fast, I smack my head on the underside of the hood.

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