He’d never seen Jason Scott with a beard.
Coke poked him, and he jumped. “I am. I can do a lot foryou, Jase. Run interference with the media, with the guys. I can deal with your sponsors. I have a good head for that.”
Andy was nodding thoughtfully. “I never thought once about you doing the sponsor thing, Dillon.”
“Yeah, they’ve started calling again. I… It’s cool, that we’re here, huh, Coke?”
Coke smiled, eyes wrinkling right up. “Don’t be an idiot, son. Y’all can have your blue room, just like always. It’s got the private bath and all. You want in the pool?”
Andy grinned and slapped Jason on the knee. “As long as there ain’t Dillon cooties.”
“Y’all be nice, now, or I’ll beat you both to death.” Coke winked at Dillon, swigged at his beer.
“You and what army, Gramps?” Jason’s eyes rolled, moving toward the sky, the pool, Andy.
Dillon bit back his instinctive snarl that Coke was no grandpa. Jason didn’t need someone sniping at him.
“Shit, son. I got Dillon at my back. Y’all want steaks or sausages for supper?”
“Oh, God. I told you, Bax. Coke is the man. Steaks, please.” Jason’s eyes crinkled up at the corners and that smile was honest, happy. “AJ got a case of Elgin sausages on the way home.”
“That cool with you, Dillon?” Coke brushed one hand over his shoulder, giving him a quick, apologetic glance.
“Sure. I can help out.” He smiled up at Coke, letting the man know it was okay. God knew he wouldn’t put Jason out just because he was a greedy bastard.
“I’ll just pull the meat out to defrost and get a suit, so’s as not to offend the kids.” Coke nodded, headed toward the house.
The kids. Dillon frowned. Andy Baxter frowned back, the expression complete with wildly exaggerated eyebrow movements.
“Coke’s not old, you know,” Dillon said, as casually as he could.
“Huh?” Jason’s head tilted, the expression comically confused.
“I said, he’s not old. He’s not that much older than me.” Listen to him, growling on Coke’s behalf. “You guys want another beer? Some pop?”
“Some whut?”
“A Coke, dumbass.” Andy whacked Jason playfully.
“Ah. Nah. We’ll grab our stuff. We brought a cooler full of stuff for Coke—Cokes, beer, milk. Oh! Hamburger meat! Coke, we brought you hamburger fixin’s. For lunch, huh?”
Andy nodded. “We brought a bunch of grapefruits and cantaloupe, too.”
“Cool. Grab your swim trunks, huh? We spend most of our time out here.” Jason could use the sun, too.
“Yeah, I know. I was here when he built it. He had my ass hauling rocks for days.”
Coke stood at the doorway, looking over at Jason, the weirdest expression in Coke’s eyes. “Yep. Now you get to enjoy your labors. Get moving, son.”
Andy and Jason headed back out to the truck, giving them a minute, and Dillon grabbed at it, going to wrap his arms around Coke’s waist. “You okay?”
Coke leaned into him, nodding. “Yeah. Yeah, I was just enjoying this, with only you. I wasn’t ready to get back to work yet.”
He hugged Coke tight, smiling a little. He got that. He so did. “I hear you. It’s been amazing. Can’t tell Jase no, though, huh?”
“No. Never have been able to. Shit, his daddy was my goddamn hero.”
“Yeah?” Tilting his head back, he blinked a little. “I never knew that.”
