Page 26 of Finding Jeremy
“Well shit, now I gotta make a logo.”
“Been telling you to do that for years,” Gray snarked.
“I’ll come up with somethin’ for ya, Pops,” Jeremy said as he reached for a slice of pizza, an idea taking shape that he was sure would get a rise out of the old man. “What about a scowling wrench tangled up in a hammock with steam pouring out of its ears?”
Haven coughed, then sputtered and started coughing harder until Chaos was forced to pat him on the back until his breathing evened out and he reached for one of the hard lemonades Chaos had placed on the table.
“What, too soon?” Jeremy asked before taking a big bite of cheesy goodness.
Meatball and mozzarella pizza was his absolute favorite, especially when it was made with real mozzarella slices and sprinkled with thinly sliced strips of fresh basil.
His old man sat with a wing halfway to his mouth, the expression on his face a mix of bemused and outraged. Blinking, he laid the wing down and tapped his finger on the edge of his plate, leaving Jeremy to wonder if he was actually thinking about it or plotting some sort of revenge.
Keeping one eye on him and one on his food, Jeremy took another yummy bite and waited to see what his old man had in store for him.
“That’s not a half-bad idea,” Chaos said, stroking his chin. “Why don’t you draw it up, and make sure you stretch a hand through the mesh with the middle finger raised while you’re at it.”
“Cool, I will,” Jeremy said, excitement coursing through him.
Though he’d only been half-joking when he’d said it, the image would be uniquely his old man, and anyone who got offended by it wasn’t someone they wanted to work with either. Having a project to work on felt good, especially with the warmth of Gray’s body heat soaking into his shoulder from where they sat side by side on the bench.
“That’s gonna be sick,” Haven declared. “We should have you refresh the gas station and dispensary logos too.”
“I don’t mind giving it a whirl.”
“Bet. I got something else for you to think about too,” Haven said as he practically drowned a wing in ranch dressing.
“What?”
“Driving the damn thing.”
Piffffffff!
That was the last thing he’d been prepared for when he’d taken a big gulp of his drink, which was exactly why he spit it halfway across the table, nearly sending Haven toppling over backward to avoid the spray.
“Seriously?” Jeremy said, excited beyond belief.
He hadn’t even had to ask, though he’d anxiously awaited the perfect moment to do it and nearly had when they’d been alone in the machine shed; only Haven’s reminder of his early struggles learning to drive on four wheels had given him pause.
“That should be my line right now,” Haven grumbled, blotting at the table with a paper towel. “Damn. I’d ask where you got your home training, but I already know.”
“Hey now!” Chaos protested.
“Hell yeah, I’ll drive,” Jeremy said, bouncing in his seat a little. “Gonna need to brush up on my maneuvering skills if I’m gonna handle a boat like that, though.”
“No worries,” Gray said, chuckling and nudging him a little. “Haven and I started cooking up another scheme on the ride. I think you’ll like it.”
“Awe, hell,” Chaos said as he regarded Gray skeptically, “What the fuck did you two come up with now?”
“Picking up a second car,” Haven explained. “Only not for the derby.”
“Okay…” Jeremy muttered, deciding it might be a good time to grab a few wings before the wing destroyers, and Loki-Bear, who was happily eating the pieces of meat Haven tore off the bone for him, decimated them completely.
“How’d you like to enter the figure eight races?” Gray asked. “I’d plumb forgotten about them until I saw the sign at the grandstand.”
“Oh, that would be awesome,” Jeremy declared. “You guys gotta find me something fast as hell for that.”
“We will,” Gray replied, winking when their eyes met. “Gotta keep my little speed demon happy.”
