Page 57 of Love in the Storm

“Not lately.” She dried her hands on a rag. “How are you holding up? I know the hours have been long.”

“I’m fine.” He rested his hip against the counter by the sink. “Just got a call from Jacob’s teacher. She said he seemed sad today.”

Asa’s mom jerked her head up. “Really? He’s been fine since I picked him up from school.”

“I’m gonna check on him. We’re heading to Beau’s shop to work on the car.”

“If he was sad before, he’ll be happy to hear that. It’s all he talked about last weekend.”

Fixing up old cars was something Asa had always wanted to do with his own dad. Unfortunately, his dad hadn’t ever wanted anything to do with him or his mom. When Jacob started showing interest in cars, Asa made a point to spend the time with his son.

Those old dreams and disappointments of his childhood vanished. Nothing could beat hanging out with Jacob, and the only one who had missed out was Asa’s dad.

Asa knocked on Jacob’s bedroom door.

“Come in!”

The room had as much furniture as his bedroom at home. Model cars sat along shelves around the room, and his socks were tossed on the floor at the foot of the bed. Jacob had spent quite a few nights at Granny’s house over the years when Asa’s job required long hours.

His kid shouldn’t need a second bedroom, but it was a weight off his shoulders knowing his son always had someone who cared for him.

“Hey, Dad.” Jacob didn’t look up from the paper in his lap.

“You have a lot of homework?”

“Nope. I’m almost finished. What’s up?”

Asa sat on the corner of the bed and waited for Jacob to finish the math problem he was working on.When he looked up, Asa saw the sadness his teacher had been talking about.

“Everything okay?” Asa asked.

“Yeah. Why?”

Apparently, the mystery would stay unsolved for a while. “Just wondering. You still up for working on the car at Beau’s garage?”

Jacob thumped his book closed over the page of problems and bounced on the bed. His eyes widened along with his smile. “Really?”

Well, that escalated quickly. “Yeah. If you’ve finished your homework, maybe we can stay an extra hour today.”

Jacob shoved his math book into his backpack by the bed and scrambled to his feet. “I’m done. Let’s go.”

“Wait for me, unless you plan on driving,” Asa said as he stood.

Jacob rounded on him and gasped. “I can drive?”

“Absolutely not. That was a joke. I’m not ready for you to drive yet.”

“You let me drive at Blackwater Ranch one time,” Jacob reminded him.

“Yeah. That was a work truck in a wide-open field. The road is a whole other ballgame.”

Jacob’s shoulders sank a little, but his smile didn’t fade. “Fine, but next time we’re at the ranch?”

“You can certainly drive if we get a chance,” Asa finished.

Jacob pumped his fist in the air and pushed his feet into his socks. “I’m ready.” Seconds later, Jacob darted out of the room and down the hallway.

By the time Asa made it to the kitchen, the door was slamming behind Jacob as he ran outside.

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