Chapter Sixteen
LUCAS WAS PRETTY quiet as they replaced the siding, but he didn’t fight Doc on every little thing, and Doc took that as a good sign. Juliette texted to say she’d be a while, and Doc reassured her that things were okay on the home front. When they took a break to eat lunch, in between Lucas thumbing out texts, Doc got him talking about his horses and what he liked about bull riding.
Clouds rolled in as they got back to work, but when the sun cut through, it was stifling. Lucas had been squinting against it all day. Doc wanted to tell him that wearing his hat didn’t have to mean anything about the two of them, but he kept that to himself because, thankfully, Lucas was more receptive to talking while they worked the second time around, and he didn’t want to rock that boat. He kept the conversation light and stayed away from anything too personal, until Lucas stopped working to send about his fifth text in ten minutes, a grin curving his lips.
“Girlfriend?” Doc asked.
“Not really.”
“Do you want her to be?”
Lucas shrugged and pocketed his phone.
“I’ll take that as a no.”
“I didn’t say that,” he griped.
Sounded like Doc struck a nerve. “Well, I haven’t been your age in a long time, but I remember knowing when I wanted someone to be my girl. A shrug means you’re not sure, and that’s okay.”
“That’s not what it means.”
“No?”
“ No . It means I don’t want to tell you.”
“Fair enough.” Doc grinned. “But you just did.”
Lucas rolled his eyes.
“Hey, I’m not going to lecture you or ask a million questions. But I will say this. How you’re seen in the eyes of girls starts now, and you’ve got two choices. You can treat girls with respect, think of their well-being before your own, and be the guy who sets the standard for how they should be treated. If you do that, every girl will want to go out with you. Or you can be the guy whose reputation for being a dick supersedes him when he enters a room. That’s a tough rep to shake in a small town like this.”
“Which were you?”
“At your age? I was a cocky-ass bull rider with a long line of girls after me. I was the guy who set the standard.” Doc took off his hat and wiped his brow. As he set it back on his head, he said, “But I know you don’t want to have anything in common with me, and hopefully you won’t follow in my footsteps, because after all that shit went down with your grandfather, when I gave up bull riding and went to college, I became the other guy for a while. Ghosting women, not caring if their feelings were hurt.” He picked up a board and set it in place. “That was a long time ago, but I still regret it.”
“Then why’d you do it?”
“Because I’d had my heart broken once, and I wasn’t about to go through that nightmare again.”
They worked in silence for a few minutes, before Lucas said, “Are you still a dick?”
“No, and I haven’t been for many years.”
“What changed?”
He met his son’s gaze, mulling over his answer, and remembered something his father had once said when a kid who had been emotionally abused by his parents and put into the foster care system had come through one of the ranch’s programs. That kid’s confidence had been driven into the ground, and Tiny had said, Parents don’t realize how much power they have. If you ever have a family of your own, you’ll have moments when your kid does stupid shit, and you’ll want to tell them as much. Especially when they’re in those belligerent teenage years. But you bite your tongue and choose your words carefully, because kids learn from every word you say, and every word you don’t. They’re going to make hundreds of mistakes, and it’s up to you to help them learn from them. Never forget that a single sentence can change a kid for better or worse, and if you repeatedly tell them they’re less than anything, they’ll believe you.
Doc chose his words carefully and honestly. “My old man sat me down and said he’d heard I was going down a slippery slope that wasn’t going to end well, and he reminded me that I had two choices.”
“So you decided to set the standard?”
“Yes, but on my own terms. I didn’t want to be a dick, but I also didn’t want to get tangled up in a relationship. So instead of ghosting them, I was honest up front about not looking for anything long term. As I got older and realized what setting the standard really meant, I started putting more energy into making sure the women I was with had a good time and felt good about themselves. More importantly, I made sure they knew my lack of commitment wasn’t a reflection on them.”
“And they bought that?” He looked skeptical.
“It was the truth, so yeah. It’s always best to lead with honesty.”
A while later, as they finished installing the last board they had, they were still two boards short. “We made good time. Nice work.”
“Thanks.” Lucas squinted up at the remaining gaps in the siding. “But we’re two boards short.”
“Yeah, I know. I don’t suppose you have a lumber pile hiding somewhere.”
He shook his head. “Mom’s afraid of snakes getting into them.”
Doc remembered the time they’d seen a snake in the woods, and she’d jumped onto his back without warning. He laughed. “That she is. We’ve got plenty of this type of lumber at the ranch. I’ll call my brother and have him bring us a couple of boards. We need some gutter, too. What about the fence? Think we need any additional supplies?”
“No. The wood for the barn was here when we moved in, but my mom had everything we need for the fence delivered. It’s over there.”
“Okay. Give me a sec.” Doc made the call, and Cowboy answered on the second ring.
“Hey, Daddy. How’s it going?”
“Better than it’s gonna be for you if you don’t cut that shit out. You busy?”
“Depends. What do you need?”
“We’re two boards short with the siding on the barn, and we need some gutter.” He explained exactly what they needed, and Cowboy said he’d bring it over. “Thanks, Cowboy. See you soon.” He pocketed his phone. “Okay, we’re all set.”
“ Cowboy? How many brothers do you have?”
“Just the two, Cowboy and Dare. I’ve also got two younger sisters, Sasha and Birdie. We all live and work at the ranch except Birdie.”
“Y’all have weird names.”
“My brothers and I go by our road names. Our biker names. Dare’s real name is Devlin, and Cowboy’s is Callahan.”
His brow furrowed. “And is Birdie a biker?”
“No. Her given name is Blaire, but trust me, she’s Birdie through and through. She is the youngest, and she’s always marched to her own beat.”
“Why doesn’t she live at the ranch?”
“She doesn’t want to. She lives in Allure and owns Divine Intervention chocolate shop with our aunt and a family friend.”
“That’s cool.”
“Yeah, she’s good at it, but I can’t imagine working anywhere other than Redemption Ranch.”
“My mom told me a little about the ranch, but I don’t know what you do there.”
“Let’s load the old boards onto my truck, and I’ll tell you.” They began carrying the boards. “I’m a veterinarian, like your mom.”
Lucas was reaching for a piece of wood and stopped midway. “Seriously?”
“Pretty wild, huh? It’s all I ever wanted to do. Your mom said you’ve been into horses since you were little. Those are two beauties in your pasture. Do you know what you want to do when you grow up?”
“I don’t know, but not that .”
That was a far cry from the horse-loving answer he’d expected. “Well, you’ve got plenty of time to figure it out.” As they carried another load to the truck, he said, “I knew from the time I was a little kid I wanted to help horses. The ranch has been in my mom’s family for generations.”
“Did you always live there?”
“Yeah. It was only a horse rescue until my dad came through town and fell in love with my mom. She was getting ready to start graduate school at the time. He’s from Maryland, and he never went back. He started working for my grandfather at the ranch.”
“Seriously? He never went home?” He loaded up his arms with more planks.
“Yeah. I mean, he visited, but never went back for good. He and my mom are the reason the ranch helps people now, too. My old man was hiring ranch hands who had been in prison or had gone through recovery for drugs or alcohol. He was trying to give them a helping hand to find their footing, but they kept not showing up for work and falling back into their old ways.”
“That’s what happens when you hire dumbasses.”
Doc stopped walking. “Hey, don’t do that.”
“What?”
“Don’t judge people.”
“You gotta be stupid to do drugs or end up in prison.”
Doc shook his head. “No, you don’t. Sometimes it’s the circumstances you were brought up in. It’s stealing to put food on the table, or growing up in a house full of drugs, where there’s no escape, or suffering a life event that throws them over the edge, like grief or losing their job and their house. You can’t know what someone has been through until you’ve asked.”
“Well, you said they fell right back into old habits. What does that tell you?”
“The important thing is what it told my parents.” Doc picked up another load of wood. “My father realized that many of the people he was hiring had no family or friends. No support system. They’d lost their support while their lives were in turmoil, so after they left the ranch each night, they had no one telling them they’d done a good job, or they were better than where they came from. They had no purpose.”
Lucas tossed the wood he was carrying into the truck. “What does that mean?”
“It means they were working to make ends meet, but they had no connection to that work. It was just a job, and it wasn’t helping them heal the relationships they’d lost or find their way back into society. Luckily, my parents realized those people needed more than money. They needed help and guidance. They needed a purpose for the work they were doing on the ranch, and they needed a reason to work on themselves, too.”
“I don’t get it.” Lucas tossed another plank into the truck bed.
“After my mom graduated and did all the things she needed to do in order to open a practice, they expanded Redemption Ranch to help people as well as horses. They added therapeutic services and came up with programs to help people of all ages. Even kids your age.” As they grabbed a few more planks, he said, “Our clients live and work on the ranch, and they attend therapy to work on themselves. But if you ask me, one of the most important things that our ranch does is give them a sense of family.”
“But they’re paying you, right? That’s not really family.”
“Clients don’t pay a penny. We run on grants and donations.” He tossed the last board into the truck. “They become family because when you live and work together, that’s what happens. I can’t remember a time when there weren’t twenty or thirty people around our tables at mealtime.”
He crossed his arms. “You eat with them?”
“Our whole family does, and so does everyone who works or lives there, and some people who don’t.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, Birdie comes by when she can, and my cousin Rebel is there all the time. And anyone who works at the ranch or goes through one of our programs is family by the time they leave, and they’re always welcome back. Even if only for a visit.”
“That’s so weird.” They headed over to get drinks.
“It’s not traditional, that’s for sure.” Doc grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler and tossed one to Lucas. “But we’ve helped hundreds of people find a new lease on life, and many have stayed on even after they were done with the program.”
“So, your mom and Dare are therapists on the ranch?”
“That’s right. Ezra, too.” He took a drink. “He went through one of our programs as a kid after his mother abandoned him and his father. He became a therapist to help other kids, and he and his little boy, Gus, have lived on the ranch for years. Now Ezra’s engaged to my sister Sasha. She’s an equine rehabilitation therapist, which means she helps the horses heal.”
“What does Cowboy do?”
“He manages the ranch hands. Our team also includes a residential manager and a cook, two on-call physicians, and a handful of other staff, and they’re all family.”
“That’s a lot of people to call family.”
“It is, but it’s good to have family. You should come by sometime. I’ll show you around, and you can decide for yourself. We work hard, and we give each other shit, but we play hard, too. We’ve got a paintball field, and everyone plays. Even my parents and Gus, who’s only five.”
Lucas choked on his water and coughed. “You let him play paintball?”
“Heck yeah. We never leave anyone out. We’re all careful with him, of course.”
“I wasn’t allowed to play until I was thirteen.”
Doc grinned. “We run things a little differently at our place. If you come by, you can meet Dare’s wife, Billie. She teaches kids your age to ride motocross. She’s got a racetrack on the ranch.”
Shock shimmered in his eyes. “No way . Do you think she would teach me to ride?”
“Probably, but you’d have to get the okay from your mom.”
“She lets me ride bulls . She’ll probably be thrilled about me riding a motocross bike.”
Doc knew Juliette might have hesitations because of what happened to Eddie, but Lucas didn’t need to hear about that. Billie would keep him safe. Doc would make sure of it. “You’re probably right.”
They finished their waters, and as they tossed the empty bottles into the cooler, Cowboy’s truck pulled down the driveway. “There’s Cowboy. No pressure, but if you want to meet one of your uncles, he’s a pretty great guy.”
Lucas’s expression turned wary. He lowered his eyes and kicked the grass. “Was he one of the people looking for me the night I took off?”
“Yes, but we’ve all been there. Remember what I said about not judging people?”
Lucas nodded.
“He’s never walked in your shoes. He’s not going to judge you just because your life was turned upside down and it was overwhelming. Remember, he puts his jeans on the same way you do. One leg at a time. And by the way, I’ve seen Cowboy cry. You’ll understand why that’s astonishing when you see him.”
That earned a smile, and they headed for the truck.
Dare practically flew out the passenger door, shouting, “Have no fear. Your coolest uncle is here.” He ran across the grass and did a flip in the air, holding his cowboy hat on his head as he did it.
“Whoa!” Lucas exclaimed.
“That’s Dare,” Doc said with amusement. “He’s the biggest daredevil and show-off you’ll ever meet.”
“ He’s the therapist? Look at all those tattoos.” As Cowboy climbed out of the truck, his tank top showing off his massive muscles and breadth, Lucas’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head. “There’s no way you saw that guy cry.”
“Don’t let his size fool you. He’s got a big heart behind all that muscle. And for the record, there are only two times when size matters. The first is if you run up against a guy Cowboy’s size, swing first and pray later.”
Lucas laughed. “And the second?”
Doc eyed him. “You’re not old enough to worry about that yet. Come on.” He strode toward his brothers. “Thanks for bringing the wood, guys.”
“Your wood always did come up short.” Dare laughed at his own joke. Lucas and Cowboy joined him.
“Very funny,” Doc said. “Which one of us produced an awesome kid? Oh yeah, that’d be me. Now stop talking crap and say hello to Lucas.”
“Hi, Lucas. I’m Dare.” He sidled up to Lucas and hiked a thumb at Doc. “He’s almost as bossy as Cowboy. Was he a pain in your butt all day?”
Lucas’s gaze flicked to Doc, then back to Dare. “ Nah . He’s been pretty cool.”
That surprised Doc, but damn, it sure felt good to hear it.
“That’s good, because I’d hate to have to kick his ass,” Dare teased.
Doc arched a brow. “You and what army?”
“He’s secretly terrified of me,” Dare said to Lucas.
“Of your smell, maybe,” Cowboy said.
Lucas laughed.
It was good to see him less on edge.
“How’s it going, Lucas? I’m Cowboy, and I’m really happy to meet you.”
“Hi.” Lucas fidgeted with his tool belt, his gaze flicking briefly to Doc.
Loving that he trusted him enough to look to him for reassurance, Doc gave a slight nod. I told you it’d be okay .
Cowboy motioned to the pasture. “Those your horses?”
“Yeah.”
“They’re beautiful,” Cowboy said.
“Thanks.” Lucas pushed his hands into his front pockets.
Knowing Lucas was a little uncomfortable, Doc said, “Thanks for bringing the supplies. Let’s get them unloaded. We’ve got a lot more work ahead of us, and Lucas has plans for tonight.”
“What’s left to do?” Dare asked.
“Patch the roof, fix the gutters, and repair the fence on the other pasture,” Doc said.
Dare and Cowboy exchanged a glance, and Dare said, “Why don’t we take the roof and gutters while you two fix the fence? Knock it out twice as fast?”
Lucas looked confused. “Don’t you have better things to do than work?”
“We’re never too busy to help family,” Cowboy said.
Lucas’s eyes narrowed, his gaze shifting between Cowboy and Doc. “Did he tell you to say that?”
Doc wasn’t surprised he was skeptical, and he was glad he wasn’t afraid to voice his concern directly to his brothers.
“No, sir. That’s how we were raised,” Cowboy answered. “Family first, then playtime.”
Dare nudged Lucas. “Plus, roof work has two things I love. Getting my hands dirty, and driving Cowboy batty by doing flips on the roof.”
As Dare headed for Cowboy’s truck, Lucas said, “Will he really do that?”
Doc said “Yes” at the same time Cowboy said “Over my dead body.”
LUCAS WAS FRIENDLIER as they worked on the fence, asking questions about Dare and Cowboy and the ranch. Doc was enjoying it. In no hurry to finish the work, he did everything he could to keep Lucas talking as they replaced and repaired the fencing.
By the time they finished, they were hot and sweaty, and still, Doc was sorry to be done. But it was getting late. Juliette had texted to say she’d be back soon, and Lucas was excited to see his friends.
“I really appreciate your help,” Doc said to Cowboy and Dare as they got ready to leave.
“Yeah, thanks a lot,” Lucas said. “The fence took a lot longer than I thought it would. We never would have gotten done in time for me to see my friends tonight if you guys hadn’t helped.”
Dare and Cowboy glanced at Doc, knowing he could have finished it in half the time had he wanted to.
“That’s ranch work for you,” Cowboy said.
“I’m glad we got a chance to meet you, Lucas,” Dare said. “You should come by the ranch sometime and hang out with the cool kids.”
“You have kids?” Lucas asked.
“Dude.” Dare held up his palms in disbelief. “I meant us .”
Lucas grimaced. “Aren’t you like thirtysomething?”
“Is he calling me old?” Dare didn’t wait for an answer. “Seriously, though, you should come to the ranch and hang out.”
“You can check out our horses and the paintball field,” Cowboy suggested.
“I’ll show you the obstacle course where I’ve spent a lifetime whipping their butts,” Dare offered.
Worried Lucas might get overwhelmed, Doc stepped in. “I already extended an invitation for Lucas to come to the ranch. I’m sure when he’s ready, he’ll let us know.”
“Right, of course,” Dare said. “No pressure.”
“We’d better get going. I want to take Sully to the movies tonight,” Cowboy said.
“Who’s Sully?” Lucas asked.
Cowboy grinned. “She’s my fiancée. You’ll like her. She’s a sweetheart, and a horse whisperer.”
“As opposed to my wife, Billie, who’s a badass and a Dare whisperer,” Dare said.
“Why is everything a competition with you?” Cowboy asked as he and Dare climbed into the truck.
“Are they always like that?” Lucas asked with amusement.
“Pretty much.” Doc watched them drive away.
“It’s freaking hot out here.”
Lucas pulled off his T-shirt, and Doc was struck speechless at the sight of the necklace he’d made with his grandfather hanging around his son’s neck. He hadn’t seen it in so long, he felt a tweak in his chest, remembering his grandfather’s strong hands helping him with the tools they’d used as they’d made it. There was a knot representing their strong family bond above two horse heads that faced each other, with silver bands protectively winding around them and through their manes, coming together in a point at the bottom. Doc had seen those bands as their family protecting the horses. But that night in the lake, Juliette had said the horses represented him and her, and the necklace formed a heart. That was the first time he’d noticed the heart shape. His grandfather had loved the horses as much as he’d loved his wife, and as the necklace shimmered in the sunlight, Doc wondered if his grandfather had seen that heart all along.
“Something wrong?” Lucas asked.
Doc broke his stare. “No. Where’d you get that necklace?”
Lucas touched the metal charm. “It was my mom’s good luck charm. She wore it every day for as long as I can remember.”
His thoughts stumbled again at the idea that she’d continued wearing it when she’d thought he wanted nothing to do with her and Lucas. “And she gave it to you?”
“Yeah. When I started bull riding, as my good luck charm. Why?”
“I’m not sure I should tell you. I don’t want anything happening to that necklace.”
Lucas’s jaw tightened. “You gave it to her, didn’t you?”
“Yes, I did. My grandfather and I made it when I was a little kid. I never took it off until I gave it to your mom. But that necklace is between you and her now. Please don’t let me ruin that for you.”
Lucas wrapped his fist around it, his brows pinched.
“Please don’t destroy it or throw it away. If you don’t want it, I get it. You can give it back to your mom or give it to me, but please . My grandfather is gone, and that necklace means more to me than you can imagine.”
His jaw ticked. “It can’t mean that much. You gave it away.”
“I gave it to the girl I thought I was going to spend my life with.”
“But you thought she dumped you. Why didn’t you ask for it back?” Before Doc could respond, Lucas said, “ Wait ,” remorsefully. “You couldn’t, right? Because of her stupid father?”
“Yeah, but even if I could have, I wouldn’t have asked for it back.”
“Why not if it’s so important to you?” he challenged.
Doc’s pulse ratcheted up, like it had the night he’d slipped the necklace over Juliette’s head and said, You and me forever, darlin’. “I made a promise when I gave it to her, and from that moment on, it was no longer mine.”
Lucas was silent for a beat, still clutching the charm. “Well, do you want it back?”
“No. I’m glad she gave it to you, but it’s okay if you don’t want it.”
“I’m keeping it,” he said sharply, and let go of the charm. “Like you said, it’s between me and my mom now.”
Doc breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay.”
Lucas’s shoulders relaxed, and he looked relieved, too. “Thanks for helping me today.”
“Anytime.”
Lucas touched the charm again as Juliette came down the driveway. “I won’t do anything bad to the necklace. It’s not your fault I didn’t know about you.”
“It’s not your mom’s fault either. She really thought she was protecting you.”
He looked down at the ground. “Whatever.”
“She loves you, Lucas. Don’t ever doubt that.”
Juliette climbed out of her truck, eyeing them with concern. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah,” Doc said.
“We got everything done,” Lucas said anxiously. “Can I still go to Robert’s?”
She looked toward the shed. “Wow, the barn looks brand-new. I thought you were going to patch it, not redo the whole thing.”
“We’d just have to do it all over again after a few good rains,” Lucas said, parroting what Doc had said earlier. “The fence is done, too. Doc said the gate was too rickety, so we rebuilt it. Can I go?”
She looked at Doc incredulously. “That’s amazing, and yes, you can go, Lucas, but we need to talk about your curfew.”
“Midnight,” Lucas suggested.
“ No . Ten thirty,” Juliette offered.
“ Mom . Nobody goes home that early. Eleven thirty.”
“Eleven,” she countered.
“Eleven fifteen,” Lucas pushed.
Doc tried to keep a straight face. The kid had game.
“Fine, but that means you’re ready to leave at eleven fifteen, not twenty minutes after I get there.”
“Okay. Can we go as soon as I shower and change? Everyone’s going to be there soon.”
“I’d like to shower first.”
“Come on , Mom. You take forever,” Lucas complained.
“I can drop him off on my way home,” Doc offered. “I mean, if that’s okay with you and Lucas.”
“Lucas?” she asked.
“Fine, whatever. Give me fifteen minutes.” He ran into the house.
“You sure you don’t mind driving him?”
“Not at all.” Doc took in the dried blood and dirt on Juliette’s jeans. “That must have been quite an emergency. Are the animals okay?”
“They’re going to be fine, but it was awful,” she said. “Three horses got out last night, and they found them right before Jade called this morning. Two were tangled in barbed wire, and the third had a fractured leg.”
He drew her into his arms and kissed her. “Damn, darlin’. You should’ve told me. I would’ve come help.”
“The owners were there. I called a service we use sometimes, and they sent a tech out. We were fine. Besides, I thought you and Lucas could use the time together. How did it go?”
“Up and down, but overall I think we made some headway. He’s struggling with liking me and the fact that we have things in common.”
“I wondered if that was going to be a problem because you and Lucas are so alike, and he and Josh were not alike at all. But Josh loved him. I’ll talk with him.”
“We talked about it, and you should know that he doesn’t remember Josh or the things they did together. He only pretends to. I think that’s mostly what scares him about being around me. Josh is the only dad he’s ever known, and Lucas feels like he’s betraying him.”
“Our poor boy.” Her words were drenched in worry. “This is all so hard. I really hate my father for what he’s done.”
“I know, darlin’.” He hugged her again. “Lucas and I talked about it, and I reassured him that I don’t want to replace Josh. I also suggested that you tell him stories about him and Josh and the things they did together. We can all help keep those memories alive for him.”
“That’s a great idea,” she said softly. “My heart breaks for Lucas. This is so much for him to deal with.”
“It’s a lot for all of us, but we’ll get through it. It’s going to take time, and a lot of talking, which he doesn’t love. But like I said, we made some headway today, and that’s a good thing. He also met Cowboy and Dare today.”
“ Really? I love your brothers, but how did that happen?”
“I called them when we ran out of wood. They brought some over, along with a few other things, and stayed to help. Lucas got a kick out of Dare’s antics.”
“He was okay with meeting them?” she asked with surprise. “It looked like things were tense when I drove up.”
“That wasn’t because of them. My brothers helped Lucas open up this afternoon. Things were tense because I saw him wearing the necklace I gave you, and I asked about it.”
“Oh my gosh. I’m sorry. I should’ve told you—I should’ve told him —but he’s had it for so long, I didn’t even think about it.”
“It’s okay. We talked about it, and I told him if he didn’t want to keep it, I’d understand. But he wanted to keep it.”
Her brows shot up. “That’s a good sign, right?”
“I hope so, but who knows with a teenager.”
“Tell me about it.” She sighed.
“I have a better idea. How about we set our worries aside for a few hours, and you let me wine and dine you tonight while Lucas is with his friends?”
A smile bloomed across her beautiful face. “Seeley Whiskey, are you asking me on a real date?”
“Yes, darlin’, I believe I am.”
“Then I believe I’m accepting.”
Lucas flew out the front door, looking sharp in jeans and a short-sleeved button-down shirt, his damp hair curling around his ears. “Ready to go?”
“Look at you,” Juliette said. “Is Layla Braden going to be there?”
“Mom.”
“Hugh and Brianna’s daughter?” Doc asked.
“Yes. Can we go, please?” Lucas asked.
“The Bradens are friends of mine. You’d better be good to her,” Doc said.
“Have you seen her uncle Rex?” Lucas asked. “He’s as big as Cowboy. I know better than to do anything to piss him off.”
“That’s smart, but it’d be smarter if you mind your manners regardless of who’s watching out for her.”
“Yeah, I know,” he said exasperatedly. “Be the guy who sets the standard.”
“What does that mean?” Juliette asked.
“Nothing,” Lucas said.
“Got your learner’s permit with you?” Doc asked.
“Uh-huh. Why?”
“Because you’re driving.” Doc tossed him the keys.
He caught them, his eyes wide with excitement. “Really? I get to drive your truck?”
“Yup. But if you’re not ready to leave that party at eleven fifteen like your mom said, you’ll never drive it again.” He winked at Juliette. “See you later.”
As he and Lucas climbed into the truck, Lucas said, “You’re seeing my mom later?”
“I asked her to dinner. Is that okay with you?”
“I guess.” He put the key in the ignition and cracked a mischievous grin. “Just remember to mind your manners or it’ll never be okay again.”