“Hey, Officer E!” he called out. “Glad you came along. I’m getting tired of seeing just Dad’s ugly face.”
“Look in the mirror, bud,” his father teased.
Yeah. The two men were anything but ugly.
Lucas stepped into the kitchen, gave his son a side hug, and snatched a pickle from a side dish. “I’m going to go see if I can rescue any of myself from the paint and papier-mâché. Ez, get her something to drink.” He glanced at Elyxandre as he jogged up the stairs. “Make yourself at home. We’ll eat out on the deck.” He disappeared into a room to the right, and she heard a door close.
“What would you like? We’ve got soda, water, orange juice, or I can make you some coffee.”
“Soda’s fine. Whatever you have.”
Ezra did a quick wash of his hands and dried them as he went to the refrigerator. “Diet or regular?”
“Regular. I’m going to need the sugar tonight, I think.”
“I bet. I’m headed to the senior float-building after dinner. It’ll probably be a late night since flag football is tomorrow night. Do you want a glass with ice, or do you want to be a heathen, as Dad calls it, and drink out of the can?”
She laughed. “Can is fine. No extra dishes that way.”
“Oh, no worries there. Plastic cups for grilling night. Cleanup is enough of a disaster when we grill. All that charring tastes great, but it’s a beast to clean up.” He handed Elyxandre the soda, then grabbed the platter of burgers covered in plastic wrap. “C’mon outside.”
He led her through the patio door to a spacious deck underneath a pergola, placing the platter on the sideboard of the grill. Then, he threw himself into one of the comfortable chairs at the table. She sat next to him and looked out at the yard.
“It’s nice out here,” she commented.
“Yeah. Quiet too. I love doing my homework out here when it’s not sweltering. And the neighbors are far enough away that we’re not bothering each other.”
They sat quietly for a bit. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ezra fidgeting a bit. Finally, his voice broke the silence.
“Do you like my dad?”
She turned and saw that he was looking at her, his gaze as intent as his father’s. Must be a characteristic he learned from Lucas over the years.
She knew what he meant, but she decided to deflect. “Have I given any reason to suggest I don’t like him?”
He rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean, Officer Hookstead. Are you attracted to him? Would you go out with him?”
Now it was her turn to fidget. “That’s rather personal. Besides that, we’re co-workers.”
“So?”
“That’s usually frowned upon.”
“I call bullshit. Mom and Dad worked together before they divorced, and there are two married couples on staff already. Might be more if they didn’t change their names or tell anyone.”
Shoot. He had her there.
“Even if I were attracted to him, I’m not looking to date anyone where I work. My ex-husband and I worked together, and it was nothing but a disaster. It’s just better to avoid it.”
“You still didn’t answer the questions.”
She chuckled. “Are you normally so…?”
“Forthright? Most of the time. Don’t really see the point in trying to be subtle. Wastes time. So. Attracted? Dating?”
Should she refuse to answer or be honest? It seemed weird to be talking to a teenager about this, but she also didn’t believe in treating kids like they were incapable of adult conversations.And this was his dad he was asking about, so he had a right to be concerned about whatever might be brewing between them.
Hedging, she replied, “Your father is a great guy, and I’m sure he’ll make someone very happy someday.”
