Page 56 of Love in the Storm

Jason gave Dawson another glare before walking out.

“He needs a hobby,” Dawson said, pointing his snack at the door.

“Why don’t you set him up on a date. He’d leave us alone if he had a girlfriend.”

Dawson gasped. “I would never saddle some poor woman with that stick in the mud.”

Asa scanned the documents Jason dropped off. “Then take him fishing. I don’t know.”

Dawson huffed. “I’d rather lick wet paint, thank you very much.”

Flopping the papers down on his desk, Asa leveled Dawson with a stern look. “Is there something I can help you with?”

“Right. Back to your dilemma. You’ve been moody lately.”

“I have not been moody,” Asa said.

“Have too.”

Asa’s face heated as his irritation mounted. He was having a tough enough time figuring out his feelings for Lyric, and this wasn’t helping.

Dawson slapped his hand down on the desk. The thud echoed in the small office. “Call her. Make yourself happy.” He didn’t look back as he walked out.

Monday wasthe most Monday of all Mondays, and to top it all off, a headache was pounding behind Asa’s right eye. The weekend held the record for the most hours he’d ever worked, and he was on theverge of a twelve-hour rest before he would be called back to the grind.

He parked the rental truck in front of his mom’s house and rested his head against the seat. He’d give last week’s paycheck to be able to drift off into the hardest sleep of his life right now.

When he lifted his head, the clock on the dash read 4:47. Rubbing a hand over his face, Asa slipped out of the truck, preparing for Jacob’s excited energy that waited just inside the house.

The phone in his pocket buzzed, and he stopped in the driveway to take the call.

“Hello.”

“Mr. Scott? This is Mrs. Huntley, Jacob’s teacher.”

Asa turned his attention to the side door of his mom’s house. “Is everything okay?”

“Oh yes. I just wanted to let you know Jacob seemed a little sad in class today. He’s usually so happy. The change in his mood was concerning.”

“Sad? Did he say anything?” He’d never gotten a call from Jacob’s teacher before. His mood must have been terrible to warrant a call.

“He didn’t. I asked him how he was feeling after lunch, and I checked him for a fever. I thought he might be getting sick. Has he seemed okay this afternoon?”

“To be honest, I just pulled up at my mom’s house to pick him up. I haven’t seen him yet.”

“Oh, okay. It’s probably nothing, but I wanted tolet you know. I never have a single problem out of Jacob. He’s a good kid.”

Asa rubbed his face again. The unexpected call had jolted some life back into him, but his shoulders tensed as he tried to piece together what might be going on with Jacob. “I’ll have a talk with him in just a minute.”

“I’m sure he’s fine. He’s allowed to have bad days. They’re just so rare for him.”

Mrs. Huntley was right. Jacob rarely had bad days. The kid was so full of kindness and energy that he hardly ever seemed sad. “Thanks for the heads-up. I appreciate it.”

He pocketed the phone and stepped inside, immediately looking for Jacob. Asa’s mom stood in the kitchen washing dishes in the sink.

“Hey, you’re home early.”

Asa scoffed. “This is the time I normally get home from work.”

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