7. Kumquat #3
Zoe laughed and grabbed her jacket and climbed out of the truck. Jumped, more like it. The thing was definitely lifted higher than it must have been on the showroom floor.
Each crunch of his feet over concrete, each happy little chirp of bird and rustle of maple trees flapping their leaves overhead clattered in his ears. When he told Patricia, he was going to be far, far away.
Hands stuffed deeply in her jacket pockets, Zoe’s cheeks were puffed out and her eyes were bugged so wide he was surprised the wind hadn’t landed a few bugs in there.
“Zoe?” he asked, loving the hell out of her pretense of calm that was completely failing.
“Yeah?” she chirped.
“He won’t really kill me, will he? Or is he more into torture?”
“Finn was the biggest risk. Although, having your sister to restrain him eased the blow. I told him right away.”
“Um, thank you, I guess?”
“Thank me if you’re still alive in an hour,” she said, turning and biting a wicked grin, and grabbed the doorknob and dashed inside before he could argue.
A laugh rattled his throat, shuddered in his chest, and dammit, he was grinning like an idiot as he followed her toward his doom.
“Hope you’re hungry,” a voice called from the kitchen.
In the small square entry, atop floral laminate flooring circa 1996, Zoe stood on one foot and kicked out of her shoes.
Ryder did the same, glad as hell he’d worn standard white tube socks with his ordinary-guy jeans and a plain black tee.
If they’d been telling Patricia this morning, he would be wearing chinos and a white tee with brown suede Chelsea boots and a matching belt.
When he groveled to plead for time off to his boss, he was still debating between the charcoal gray Armani vision of success with the gentle baby blue tie that made his eyes glow extra intense.
The carpeted stairs on the left looked to lead to the bedrooms. A shuttered closet on the right was open and full of more coats than one man could possibly need, with rubber boots on the floor, snow boots, waders, and a mountain of cleats and various athletic shoes.
Dammit, he should have brought a sample from Bellamy.
Too late. Next time, he’d bring sweatshirts.
When Ryder walked into his mother’s home, he not only rang the bell, but gave hugs to Hattie if she answered, an awkward air kiss to his mother if she answered, or a gruff handshake and half-hug, half-pat-on-the-back to his lumber mogul stepfather.
Scott Halseth was at least fifteen years younger than Patricia. Tall, fit, and if it wasn’t for his graying hair, he would look a decade younger than his fifty-ish years. He turned from the stove and grinned and nodded. “Hey Ryder. Fancy seeing you here.”
No words flew into his head, and his entire career in bullshitting failed him when it suddenly mattered more than it ever had before.
Zoe aimed straight for the coffee pot and greeted her father with a shoulder bump before pouring.
As she turned with the sacred brew, her father’s attention back on the stove, she held it to her mouth and inhaled deeply.
The tip of her tongue impishly bit and sticking out at him, a sparkle in her look, she dared Ryder to be that guy.
Air flowed in his lungs enough to laugh, and he shook his head at her tease. “No,” he mouthed in a feigned disappointed command.
She rolled her eyes and strolled over to hand him the coffee. “Spoilsport,” she said, but the gleam in her eyes, he knew she was kidding.
“What brings you to my humble home this morning?” Scott asked without turning around, scooping scrambled eggs onto plates to join the bacon and sourdough.
Before he could even grasp for a reason without dropping the big news on him, Zoe jumped over and took full plates from him.
As she carted them toward the kitchen table, she said, “I found him hitchhiking on the side of the road. It was really weird. So, I brought him home, fixed him up, and thought I’d ask you to feed him. ”
Not even batting an eye, Scott turned with the last plate and nodded for Ryder to join them at the table. “If you bring home a stray and feed it, you’ll never get rid of it.”
Ryder hopped to and moved to sit where Zoe directed him, in the seat across from hers. “Bears attacked me and left me for dead. It was terrifying. I’m so glad Zoe found me.”
“Lucky thing,” Scott said as he settled into the end spot between them, and grabbed the pepper and started sprinkling.
“Brenda always got the salt and pepper ratio exactly right, plus whatever magic seasonings she instinctively knew would be perfect, but I am no chef, so feel free to salt and pepper to your liking. I will not be offended. Try adding salt to Zoe’s creations, and she’ll bite your head off. ”
She nudged his foot under the table and rolled her eyes.
Ryder snapped a bite of crispy bacon and watched Zoe across the table.
Lips bit so tight together they were turning white, Zoe held a fork full of scrambled eggs halfway to her mouth, and searched the room blankly.
Scott snorted a laugh and set down his fork.
He leaned back in his seat and cradled his coffee in his hands.
Lips pursed out thoughtfully, one eyebrow lifted, he flicked his gaze away from Zoe and landed on Ryder.
“So. Ryder. This is totally normal, for Zoe to bring a random guy over for breakfast. And… Zoe, aren’t you dating Raphe again? ”
With a slow nod, Zoe finally brought the bite to her mouth. Chewed. Forever, she chewed, and finally choked a swallow. “Um, so…”
The Sonora Desert was actually quite lush.
Few people realized it was not only the home of the iconic saguaro cactus, but also to jumping chollas, gila monsters, and summers came with a constant buzzing of cicadas.
To his knowledge, there weren’t any dunes.
Thus, it would be nice to have words as beautiful as the desert in which he resided.
Sadly, nothing productive was happening in his skull.
Nothing. Not a damn thing.
Scott slurped a sip of coffee and watched them both. Finally, he inhaled meaningfully and said, “When I was a freshman in college—only a few miles from your place in Phoenix—my girlfriend comes to my dorm room one day, and shows me a stick with two blue lines on it.”
Shit.
“Instead of taking a moment for ourselves, we ripped off the bandaid to fess up. Within the hour, I was on the phone with my parents, she with hers, and the next six hours were spent hearing the most threatening, head-splitting lectures on how badly we’d messed up our lives.
If it helps, you’re both successful, independent adults, and I’m a forty-nine year old widower with nothing but love to give. ”
“Wow, Pops, that was deep,” Zoe said, nodding with exaggerated pride.
“I’m just saying,” Scott answered with a laugh and nudged his daughter’s foot under the table. “Come on. Hit me with it.”
An ornery smile brightened Zoe’s expression, and she shook her head and nodded and laughed as she finally said, “I’m pregnant.”
“No,” Scott said with dramatically feigned shock.
“I’ve only had the last fourteen hours to fret over why my daughter was coming for breakfast with the guy she was seen sneaking upstairs with two months ago.
How could I have guessed?” He chuckled at his own sarcasm and set his coffee down, but kept his hands around the mug.
“Really though, how are you… how are you both holding up?”
Zoe puffed out her cheeks and nodded slowly, then shook her head. “I don’t even know. What the hell? We used a condom.” She dropped her fork and leaned her elbows on the table and gripped her hands in her silky brown waves. “I’m not ready for this.”
“You’re a decade older than I was, and at least you used protection.
So, you know, at least you know you tried.
” He quieted and studied Zoe with the gentlest look, and if it wouldn’t look ridiculous, Ryder was tempted to take notes on how to not be Patricia, but to be more like this with their little peanut.
“You’re an intelligent, practical, grown woman.
I know you’ve thought through all your options. ”
“I have. I…” Zoe’s eyes reddened instantly, welling and ready to burst. “Mom would have been the happiest grandma. There’s this weird little part of me that thinks she posthumously sabotaged the condom.
” She snorted a laugh at herself and shrugged.
“Anyway, as much as I’m not ready, and however a therapist might have many things to say on the matter, I already feel closer to her, just knowing I’m brewing up something that she would adore. ”
Ryder slid his feet under the table toward Zoe and rested his feet against hers, silently offering support where he knew it was neither expected nor necessary. A zing of warmth radiated up his body, and he quickly shifted back away before it became more than a moment.
She smiled softly at him and sat up, a smile brightening her mood. After a few sniffles, she said, “On that heavy note… yes, I thought through all my options, I’m keeping the bugger, and… yes, it will be complicated.”
“Complicated.” Ryder snorted a laugh at that one. How in the hell did he get himself into these messes? This was one of his worst. That morning after, agreeing to leave it at that because neither wanted complications. “Somehow I don’t think you’ll want me with you to tell Raphe.”
Her eyes widened and she shook her head. “No. That conversation is going to be weird enough.” She shoveled a bite of scrambled eggs and forced a quick chew. “Poor guy. A few months apart, and, hehe.”