Decoy disappeared again. Orla was busy with customers and I didn’t mind the quiet. Gave me a chance to catch up on the messages building up on my phone. It was half-term. No college, no school. Every kid I’d ever met was blowing up my phone, even my hermit son.
Keeping a sharp eye on the car park, I glanced through the texts.
Willow:Is it tomorrow or today Jam Jar is ready? Dad, I’m so excited. I’m going to drive you EVERYWHERE so you don’t have to borrow cars anymore. I can’t wait to go see Uncle Logan too XXXXXXX
Nicky:can i have a tenner for fortnite
Twin1:going rock climbing luv billy
Twin1:can I have a picture of your bike for school, from sam xxx
Mateo:can me and ivy take your dog swimming?
Folk:locke has a doggggg
The last two were from Liliana and Ivy. Wasn’t sure where they were getting their information. Last time I checked, the dog that had been with the club for less than twelve hours should definitely have been defined as Nash’s.
I fired off replies, leaving my own kids till last.
Dad:it’s tomorrow, if nash isn’t too busy. And you need to talk to mum about where you’re allowed to drive, remember? there’s gonna b rulezzz.
Dad:no money for gaming shit until you do one solid week at school without detention
I slipped the phone in my pocket, avoiding Nicky’s outrage, bracing myself for more hysteria from Willow. “Why does everyone think this dog is mine?”
Orla glanced up from her computer screen, amusement already lighting her beautiful face. “She has to be yours. Nash is never home.”
“Why can’t she beyours?”
“Please. That hound is a man’s dog. She didn’t look twice at me this morning.”
Orla hadn’t looked twice at Lida either. As if it was perfectly fuckin’ normal to wake up to an unfamiliar animal kipping in her kitchen. “I don’t need more things to be responsible for.”
“Then maybe she’ll be responsible for you.”
I frowned.
Orla laughed that throaty laugh that went straight to my dick. “Oh, honey. Take the good shit as fate and roll with it. It’s all we have.”
My reply was cut off by a familiar car pulling into the yard. Decoy’s SUV, but the man himself was out back. That left Folk and the two sides of my tired brain belatedly caught up with each other.
Parent vs biker.
Of course, Folk wasn’t on the roof. It was half-term and Decoy was working. That meant Folk was living his best life with Ivy,andthe dog that was apparently mine.
Also, that he was parenting like a boss on zero hours of sleep.
Not that I’d know it to look at him. Folk had one of those faces that looked exactly the same one hundred per cent of the time unless he was literally dying. I’d only seen that once, and he wasn’t dying now. My friend washappy, a fact that warmed my heart as he slipped into the sales building with Ivy and Lida either side of him.
The dog came straight to me.
I scratched her ears. “Nice walk?”
Folk answered for her. “She’s good as gold. Did everything I told her in English, Russian, and Levantine Arabic.”
“All right. Don’t show off.”
Folk grinned. “Still in a mood?”
