Page 37 of Love, Always and Forever
What he needed they didn’t stock at the store. “Nope, I’m good.”
In fact, he’d love to show her how good he was. How good the two of them would be. He wanted to grab that ponytail and hold her head at exactly the right angle to kiss her until they both went up in flames and down for the count.
As she pulled out of the driveway, he noticed that Ricky was watching him with an odd look on his face. “What, kid?”
“Seeing Amy reminded me that I was supposed to ask you something. Uncle Tino wants to know if you’ve made up your mind about bringing a plus-one to that charity dinner dance we’re all supposed to go to next weekend.”
Well, crap, he’d forgotten all about that. The last thing he wanted to do was get dressed up and hang around at some fancy country club on his night off. “I haven’t made up my mind if I’m even going at all.”
Ricky’s expression brightened right up. “Really? Any chance I could stay home with you?”
He could just imagine how Jack and Caitlyn would react if he made that offer. “It’s not up to me, kid. Ask your parents.”
The boy’s shoulders slumped in defeat. “I did. They said I had to go. They also said your mom was excited that the entire family would be there. She even bought some new shoes that she says will be comfortable for all the dancing she plans to do with the men in the family. How come that doesn’t include you?”
“Because they know I might have to work.”
But he already knew that he didn’t, so the trap was closing in on him. “But if I don’t have to cover a shift, I’ll be there.”
“So are you going to ask Amy to come with you?”
He wasn’t ready to answer that question. “Tell Tino I’ll let him know in a couple of days.”
Ricky immediately shook his head. “No can do. He and Natalie have to have a firm head count by tomorrow afternoon at the latest.”
“Fine. Tell him I’ll text him my answer in the morning.”
Suddenly, any desire to keep working in the yard disappeared. Even with only Ricky there, he was feeling crowded, cornered, and in desperate need of some alone time. He dumped the last bag of mulch on the flower bed and made a halfhearted effort to spread it out.
“Ricky, it’s quitting time. Go wash up and then you can head on home.”
“But—”
Mikhail cut his nephew off mid-protest. “I’ll still pay you for the full day. It’s not your fault I ran out of”—patience, energy, interest, control—“compost. I don’t feel like picking up another load this late in the day.”
Not that it was much past noon. “While I’m thinking about it, would you be willing to come spend a little time with Sarge on the days I have to work this week? If you could walk him, feed him, and hang out for a while, I’d really appreciate it. Just keep track of the hours, and I’ll pay you when I see you again.”
“Sure thing. If it’s okay with my folks, I’ll come straight from school and do my homework here to keep him company.”
“Sounds good.”
They headed into the garage to put the tools away. As they stepped into the shady interior, another of his late father’s lectures rose to the surface. He fought the urge to grin, knowing his nephew wouldn’t appreciate the reminder any more than Mikhail and his brothers had back when it had been aimed at them. “I don’t have to tell you not to bring any friends over, right? Especially that gaggle of girls.”
Ricky gave him one of those looks that never failed to put an adult’s teeth on edge. “I’m not that stupid, so you can save the ‘I’ll kick your ass if you do’ speech for some other special occasion.”
Mikhail bumped Ricky’s shoulder with his. “God, you remind me of your dad and Tino back in the day.”
The teenager laughed. “To hear them talk, you were the one with the smart mouth.”
No use in denying the truth. “Maybe, but we all had more than our fair share of attitude. Now, get washed up, so you can go home and pester Jack instead of me.”
“One last question?”
Did he really want to hear what it was? Absolutely not, but he nodded anyway.
“Why don’t you want to ask Amy to the dance? Because I’ve got tell you, she’s really nice, not to mention totally hot.”
What the hell? The last thing he needed—or wanted—was dating advice from a seventeen-year-old kid. “We aren’t dating.”
