“At first everything was great. I liked the guys, Doc and Adriano. We got along well. Like we’d known each other our whole lives.”
All these years later, he still sounds surprised.
“…Soon we had big plans. We were making street money, but Eli was setting up meetings with Provalite and Osember, these huge drug companies. He kept saying we had the female Viagra and if we could take Orchard mainstream, we could make millions, maybe billions. I didn’t know about that, but I figured I didn’t need to know. I was getting ready for UCLA and Adriano was talking about the Marines and Doc was thinking about going back to school and getting his GED and everything looked good…”
I so badly want to believe everything worked out. That Doc went back to school and Adriano joined the military and Bobby played baseball in California.
“…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.”
