“…then Parker showed up.”
My mouth dries over.
“Has anyone told you his dad was a drug boss?” Bobby asks.
I nod, my throat clacking.
“Parker was getting out of the game at that stage, trying to break into tech, but he heard about Orchard and set up a meeting with Doc. He wanted the formula. Offered a lot of money for it.”
“And Doc didn’t want to sell?”
“We’re getting to parts of the story that aren’t mine to tell, but no. Doc didn’t want to sell.”
“Wasn’t he offering enough?”
“He was offering a ton.”
“Then why—”
Bobby’s brow pinches. “I can’t, JJ.”
I’m disappointed but I don’t want to be a brat. “Okay.”
Bobby slows the car, and we turn off the main road. I see something in the distance. “Is that a football field?”
“Baseball.”
“Of course.” I smile. “Are we going to watch a game?”
“I thought maybe we’d play. I’ve got a bat and a couple of gloves in the back.”
My smile grows wider. “That sounds fun. As long as you don’t mind I’ll probably be terrible.”
“I don’t mind.”
We pull into a dirt track behind the stadium. There are no other cars around, but that doesn’t surprise me. Bobby would have figured all this out, tried to make it as romantic as possible. He parks the truck and undoes his seat belt. “Ready for our first date?”
I shift in my seat. “Your story… Isn’t there more?”
“There is, but we’ve had a lot of heavy stuff. How about we go outside and have some fun?”
Part of me wants to say yes but I know I’ll be distracted if I don’t hear the rest. “I think I’d like to know now, if that’s okay?”
Bobby exhales. “Alright.”
He stares into nothing for a moment and then closes his eyes. “For me, it was my dad. Parker sent guys to our farm and shot him through the head while he was on his tractor.”
My heart sinks, and all at once I can smell that rest stop bathroom smell again. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“Why would he do that? How did he think you’d sell him Orchard after he killed your family?”
A humorless smile curves Bobby’s mouth. “Parker wants compensation for any inconvenience he goes through. Even when it doesn’t make sense.”
I think of Zia Teresa lying unconscious in her hospital bed. “I know. Do you… Do you miss your dad?”
It’s a stupid question but it gets Bobby to open his eyes. “I do. He was a great guy. Quiet and smart and nice.”
