Page 104 of Filthy Liar

“Thanks for not trying to kill him anymore,” I said with amusement.

“I was apologizing for it, not telling you I wasn’t going to keep trying.”

“Beckett,” Diesel sighed as he walked over, apparently hearing our conversation. “Stop threatening to kill people.”

“I’m the product you created.”

“Absolutely not. I am not taking the blame for you. You are one hundred percent Skeet and your mother.”

I was a little surprised to hear him say that in front of me, not sure if any of their kids' biological father’s were public knowledge, but Beckett gave me a knowing look.

“You can’t even argue with it, can you?”

“Not really. Do you know for sure though?” I asked carefully, unsure if it was a touchy subject or not.

Diesel rolled his eyes, giving me a smile. “There is no doubt in our minds that Beckett and Ryder are Skeet’s. I mean, look at them.”

He wasn’t wrong. They really did have a lot of Skeeter’s features, starting with his green eyes.

“Boys,” Diesel said, changing the subject and catching Reid and Logan’s attention. “You both wanted jobs, right?”

They stopped their conversation immediately and moved closer.

“You’ve actually found something for us?” Logan asked skeptically, and Diesel smirked.

“Yes. Paperwork is written up for your contracts and everything.”

“What is it?”

“You know we're about to open the community center,” he started, eyeing both of them. “And as much as we’d love to do most of the work ourselves, it’s just not possible with the crews and our kids. Noah obviously needs more time with us, and Ry gets out of rehab in twelve days, so we want to free up as much of our time as we can to help him settle back in at home. We got too busy and didn’t notice the signs with Ry’s relapse last time, so we’re not risking it again.”

“We’re happy to help with anything,” Reid offered.

“I know. We’ve hired security, cleaners, and got some volunteers for odd jobs, but we have two full-time paid positions that we actually think would be perfect for you.”

“You’re killing them with suspense, Dad,” Beckett snorted.

I was close to dying from suspense myself, wanting to know what they were getting involved with. I tried to keep the anxiety off my face, knowing whatever it was, the guys would take it.

“The community center needs someone to run it, and we’ve secured some charity funding to run a youth program too. We pay for the setup and staff, and the charity donates towards snacks, drinks, and little things that can help the kids,” he explained, motioning to Reid. “No one’s going to just allow some random person in a suit to run the place, and we really think having you oversee the center will ensure the right changes happen and that people are comfortable talking about their problems. Heights understands Heights.”

“Wait, you want me to run the whole place?” Reid almost choked, slight worry on his face.

That was a lot of responsibility.

“We do. You’re a natural born leader, Reid. You work hard, you listen, and you help without question. You’ve been through the same problems a lot of the Heights community will be dealing with, so having you run it means people will trust you more.”

“And me?” Logan asked slowly, starting to look a little panicked at how serious the job was starting to sound.

“The youth program needs someone to oversee it. You’re fun, easy to talk to, and kids are more likely to approach you. You’ll be around the center most days like Reid, and you can be an ear to listen, or just shoot some pool or darts with the kids to give them a safe space. This might change over time depending on its success, but for now, we’ve got the green light to get started. So, what do you think? You guys want to be the faces of the Hawthorne Heights Community Center?” he asked with a grin. “Forty hours a week, at thirty bucks an hour.”

Reid was silently doing the math in his head, but Logan’s mouth fell open. “Holy fucking shit, we’re going to be rich.”

“Not really,” Beckett scoffed, and Diesel gave her a dirty look to shut her up.

To us, that kind of money was rich.

“After taxes. We’ll handle all that for you,” Diesel added, and I just blinked at him like a fucking idiot.

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