“I don’t know why he calls me that,” I mumble, and then climb off Cade, straightening my hat. “But I can’t let you just run rampant. You disappear for days on end, you’ve missed multiple jobs, and I can’t have this happening anymore. I can’t have you spotted.”
“I’m not going to get spotted,” Cade grunts, pushing himself up to a seated position. “I just got a lot of shit running through my head, and I gotta get a release or I can’t… I can’t fucking function.”
“What kind of release?” Turner’s caution is evident as he eyes him, keeping a couple feet of space between them.
Cade shrugs. “I don’t know. It just depends on the day, I guess. I have…urges.”
“Same,” Turner huffs, running a hand over his face. “And they fucking suck.”
“I happen to like them,” Cade gives him a crooked grin. “But to each their own.”
Not everyone wants to get better. And that’s Cade’s problem.He’s only here because he has to be. Because I’m the last fucking resource he’s got.
Ben should’ve just gotten rid of him.
But I get it. He couldn’t. It was too central to him, and he’s the last guy that needs anyone poking around him. The corrupted CO makes me look like a saint.
And Cade turned into his very failed protégé.
“We have work that needs to be done,” I clear my head and stay on task as Cade tries to wipe the mud from the back of his jeans. “Let’s go to the office and sort it. Turner, you drive him. I’ll meet you there.”
“Got it.”
Cade gives me a dirty look. “Guess I’ve lost driving privileges now, too?”
“Just go,” I snap at him, shaking my head. I watch the two of them head for Turner’s truck, and my phone buzzes in my pocket. I fish it out, seeing an email from one of my top clients. Just as I’m about to open it, my phone starts to ring.
Molly.
“Hey hon,” I clear my throat. “What’s up?”
“You’ve been so busy,” she starts, letting out a sigh. “And you were still sleeping when I left this morning for class.”
I can’t help but grin. “And so, what? You’re calling me to complain right now?”
“No,” Molly laughs, and I feel a blast of relief flood my system. “I was calling because I told you that Mom’s new boyfriend issoweird, and they invited me to go to dinner with them tonight.”
“So don’t go, if you don’t want to.” I start the engine of my truck. “You’re a grown woman now, you can make thosedecisions for yourself. Just,” I pause, “Be nice to your mom about it. It’s not her fault she doesn’t have the best taste in men.”
“She was married to you for almost a decade,” Molly deadpans.
“Again, my point remains.”
“Ugh,” Molly’s voice echoes through the cab of my truck as the Bluetooth connects. I back out of the driveway, keeping a close watch on Turner and Cade in front of me. “She really wants me to go.”
“Okay, what do you want to do?” I don’t take my eyes off the road, my stomach knotting up as my brain starts to picture all the things that could go wrong on the drive to the farm.
“I want you to go with us.”
I nearly choke on air. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Come with me to dinner, Dad.Please.”
“With your mom and her new boyfriend?”
“Yes, she always says that you can come, and you came to that one family dinner once. You guys have always been cool with each other. Just show me some support.”
“You’re putting a lot of pressure on me,” I mutter, as I lean out and punch in the numbers to the gate. It swings open and Turner pulls through ahead of me. I follow them to the main office, my daughter still working on me.
