Chapter 6
Six
Gentry
Goddamn, it’s been a day.
I haven’t been this happy to be home in a while. The sun set hours ago; I’ve barely had a minute to myself all day to eat, or breathe, or think, and I can’t wait to spend a few hours doing all of that before finally taking my exhausted ass to bed.
I’m barely inside the house—my shoes aren’t even kicked off yet—when there’s a knock at the front door.
Letting my head fall back on my shoulders, I close my eyes and exhale a groan.
Whoever that is, I don’t want to see them.
For a moment, I consider ignoring it all together.
But I can’t do that. What if it’s something important?
Spinning around on my heels, I heave another sigh before twisting the knob and pulling open the door. My gaze settles on the man standing on my front porch, and before he even opens his mouth, I already know this isn’t important and I should’ve ignored it.
“What are you doin’ here?” I ask, not bothering to step aside to let him in.
Remington snorts. “Well, hello to you too, ya big grump.”
“I just walked through the door. I’ve had a hell of a day, and I’m not in the mood for company. So, I’ll ask again. What are you doin’ at my house unannounced, Remington?”
The corner of his mouth ticks up, and he waggles his thick, dark brows. “You know how much I love it when you say my full first name like that, Daddy Moore.”
“Goodnight, Remington,” I say, attempting to close the door, but he shoots a hand out, flattening his palm against the sturdy wood to stop me before I can.
“Okay, okay. I’m sorry, I’ll behave,” he murmurs.
I lift my brows questioningly when he doesn’t say anything else. “Get on with it, Remington, or get the hell off my property.”
He chews on the inside of his cheek for a moment. Shrugging, he says, “You never came back to class.”
Staring at him blankly, I wait for more. It doesn’t come. “And?”
“And I wanna know what’s up with that.”
What?
“You tellin’ me, you drove all the way here for that?”
“Yup.” He nods, a smirk curving his lips.
“That’s ridiculous, Remington.”
“Answer the question,” he pushes, grinding my last nerve.
I huff a breath and grind my molars. “What’s up with that is, the class was a waste of my goddamn time. And I didn’t even enjoy myself, so there’s no point in going back. Waste of money, waste of time. End of story.”
“Well, why’d you go in the first place?”
“Excuse me?”
“There’s obviously a reason you signed up for the class,” he offers. “I wanna know what that reason is.”
“None of your damn business,” I grind out. “What the hell’s gotten into you, boy?”
“Come on.” Remington breathes out a small chuckle. “Humor me, old man. Comin’ to a class for pottery is so far out of character for you. There’s obviously a reason you decided to give it a shot. It won’t kill ya to give me somethin’.”
I should’ve known this line of questioning was coming the second I saw Remington in that room. I’ve known him for most of his life, and he’s never been too good at minding his own business. But fuck, I didn’t plan on sharing any of this with anybody, much less my son’s nosy best friend.
Exhaling a deep breath, I keep my voice low and even. “The reason doesn’t matter because I won’t be returnin’. And next time you decide to show up here unannounced to stick your nose in somethin’ you shouldn’t, do me a favor and don’t.”
Shaking his head, Remington whistles. “It’s a mid-life crisis, isn’t it?”
“What?” I hiss, my eyes narrowing to slits.
“A mid-life crisis,” he repeats, as if I’m stupid. “Maybe you realized that all your life, you’ve never really done anything other than tend to this land.” He shrugs, completely oblivious to the annoyance reverberating inside my chest. “So maybe you wanted to try something just for yourself.”
“Let me get this straight. I’m having a mid-life crisis, and my solution is to find a new hobby, and you think, of all the things, I would’ve chosen pottery?”
“Yeah, why not?” He snorts. “I may be biased, but it’s a pretty good hobby.”
“You’re out of your fuckin’ mind,” I mutter. “Did you fall and bump your head before drivin’ over here? Do you have a fuckin’ concussion?”
Remington throws his head back and laughs. His Adam’s apple bobs in his throat, and for some reason, my gaze lasers in on it. My mouth waters and my stomach clenches. What the hell?
“Fuck, you’re grumpier than usual tonight,” he drawls, wearing that goddamn smirk I just know is going to be followed by some flirty remark that’s going to piss me off. “It’s doin’ it for me.”
There it is.
“And you’re more irritating than usual tonight,” I deadpan.
“Hey, side note. I took your advice.”
My eyebrows knit together. “Advice about what?”
“Lukas. The kid who lost his dad recently.”
“Oh?” It comes back to me. “So, you’re lettin’ him move in with you then?”
Remington nods, but this time when he smiles, it’s thoughtful. “He moves all his stuff in tomorrow morning,” he says. “We got his new room all painted last week, and I bought him all new furniture.”
“Wow, that’s generous of you.”
I’m somewhat surprised he’s doing this. Not because I don’t think he can handle it—because I do—but because he seemed so adamant that he couldn’t when we first talked about it.
“Still don’t know what the hell I’m doin’, but it feels like the right choice.”
“That’s great, Remington. Glad to hear it.”
“It’s all thanks to you.’
“Me? Why?”
“Your little pep talk is what made me believe I might actually be able to do this. That I might actually be what the kid needs.” He shrugs, averting his gaze before meeting mine again. “Had it not been for you, I probably would’ve told him no.”
Something akin to pride radiates through my chest. Thinking back to the day we ran into each other at the diner, Remington was a mess.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look so unsure of himself.
If there’s one thing Remington’s never struggled with, at least outwardly, it’s confidence.
Both in himself and the choices he makes in life.
“I don’t know if that’s true,” I murmur. “Sure, I may have given you the push you needed, but deep down, I think you were always gonna let him in. You’re a good man, with a big heart, and whether you saw it or not at first, he’s probably got more in common with you than not.”
A splash of pink spreads across his cheeks as he chews on the inside of his bottom lip. “Well, thanks for believing in me.”
“If ya really wanna thank me, get off my porch and let me enjoy the rest of my evening in peace.” I snort as Remington chuckles and rolls his eyes.
“Touché, old man. But for real, why didn’t you come back to the second class?”
He doesn’t give up.
“Why do you care so much?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugs. “I’m just curious. It was cool seein’ you there. I’ve never shared that part of my life with anybody, so seein’ a familiar face with possibly the same interest as me was…unexpected. And fun. Guess I was bummed when I didn’t see you the following week.”
Heaving a sigh, I pinch the bridge of my nose. “I was embarrassed,” I admit. “Okay?”
His brows pinch. “Embarrassed? About what?”
“Maybe because I didn’t know what the hell I was doin’, and I guarantee, everyone else in the class had at least a baseline knowledge of what to do. There’s no point in goin’. It was a waste of time.”
“Okaaay,” Remington says slowly. “That takes me back to my other question. Why’d you decide to sign up in the first place?”
For a long moment, I consider shutting the door in his face.
Locking up and pretending this little conversation never happened.
I meant it when I said this isn’t any of his business.
Remington has no right digging into it like he is.
But I know that wouldn’t be the end of it.
He’s clearly got it in his head that he needs to know, and I don’t see him stopping just because I turn him away tonight.
For whatever reason, I decide to humor him. If only to get him off my property.
“My doctor suggested it,” I explain. “For a while now, I’ve been experiencing some stiffness or soreness in my hands and wrists. Doc says it’s from all my years on the ranch. Apparently, pottery can really help with fine motor skills and mobility issues.”
Remington nods. “Yeah, I’ve heard that before. Even seen how true it can be.”
I huff. “Well, there’s gotta be another way to find some relief because I’m not goin’ back to that class. I’ll only make a fool of myself.”
“Yeah, but it could help,” he says. “It could be really good for you, Gentry.”
Gentry.
It’s not lost on me that Remington never calls me by my name. It’s either Daddy Moore or Mr. Moore. I don’t know why him simply using my first name feels so weird. It makes my mouth dry and my heart race, and to be honest, I don’t really know what to do with that.
“I guess we’ll never know because I’m not goin’ back. I’m no good at it, and like hell if I’m gonna embarrass myself on a maybe solution.”
Remington chuckles, but not in a way that’s directed at me.
“It was your first time tryin’ it,” he murmurs.
“Of course you weren’t any good. It takes time and practice.
Everybody sucks at things the first few times.
That’s normal. You can’t give up just because you weren’t perfect at somethin’ right off the bat. ”
“Actually, I can,” I point out stubbornly. “That’s exactly what I’m doin’.”
Shaking his head, Remington breathes out an exasperated laugh. “Look, if embarrassment at your lack of knowledge is all that’s stoppin’ you, there’s an easy solution for that.”
I already know I’m not going to like whatever he’s about to suggest. And yet, I find myself going along with it anyway. “There is?”
“Hell yeah, old man. I got you,” he says. “I can give you a private lesson or two.”
“Uh, no. That won’t be necessary.”
“I’m serious,” he pushes. “Let me help you get you that baseline knowledge so you can show up to the classes with a little more confidence. The beginner classes restart in a few weeks. That’s plenty of time.”
My stomach growls and my eyes burn with exhaustion, which means I’ve had enough of this chit-chat for the night. My patience is wearing thin. “Remington, I appreciate the offer, but no, thank you. I’ll be just fine. Now, goodnight. I’d like to enjoy my evening…alone.”
A grin splits his face as he takes a step back toward the stairs.
“Alright, goodnight, Daddy Moore. But just so you know… I’m not takin’ no for an answer.
We’re doin’ this. Doctor’s orders, remember?
And when you’ve got some relief from your pain and stiffness, don’t forget to thank me for pushin’ you to keep goin’. ”
Remington bites down on his bottom lip and winks before he turns on his heel and strolls down the steps. He climbs into his truck without another word or backward glance, and all the while, I watch him from my doorway, stupefied by what just happened.