“Go for it, kid.”
There’s a pregnant pause. “Do you remember when you had dinner with my grandma and I, and you told her about your best friend’s ranch and how you think they’d be open to showing me around and stuff?”
“I sure do.”
He meets my gaze, and I can read the apprehension all over his face. “D-Did you mean that? You really think they would?”
“Abso-freaking-lutely, kid. Is that somethin’ you’d be interested in?”
Lukas nods enthusiastically. “One hundred percent. I’d love that.”
A smile pulls at my lips. “Well then, let’s make it happen.”
The thought of Hollis and the ranch makes me think of Gentry. After that first pottery class, he never came back. Not that I’m surprised. But I was hoping to see more of him, especially in a setting like that. Shocked doesn’t even begin to describe how it felt watching him walk into that class. Pottery is something I’ve been passionate about for years now, but it’s never been anything I’ve shared with many people.
I don’t know why.
It’s something just for me, I guess. I give so much of myself on a daily basis at work that having something just mine is kind of…nice. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t get a kick out of being Gentry’s instructor, even if it was only for one class. I still don’t know what brought him there—it’s so out of character for him—but I’m dying to know. Not that he’d ever tell me. That man is like Fort Knox. No matter how hard I’ve tried over the years, he never opens up.
Probably for the best. Crushing on my best friend’s dad has messy and irresponsible written all over it. Not to mention, I know Hollis would have an aneurysm if anything were to ever happen. But a man can dream. Being with a man as rugged as Gentry would blow my mind. The fantasy alone does it for me more times than I care to admit.
Back in the room, I run the rolling sleeve through the paint. Glancing at Lukas, I ask, “So, what do you like to do for fun?”
“Uh…” He pauses, looking like a deer in headlights for a moment. “I don’t know. I like to listen to music. And I like to collect cards.”
“Oh, cool. Like baseball cards?”
He shakes his head. “Like Pokémon cards.”
“Right on.” I nod. “Still pretty cool. When did you start collectin’?”
“It’s been a long time. It’s somethin’ my, uh—” His voice cracks. “It’s somethin’ my dad and I used to do together.”
Way to go, Remi.
Leave it to me to ask something that makes him emotional.
“I love that,” I say. “My dad and I used to watch wrestling together.”
Lukas’s face screws up before he corrects it. “Oh, that’s…nice.”
“I hate wrestling,” I say with a chuckle.
“Then why did you watch it?”
“Because he enjoyed it, and I liked doin’ stuff he liked.”
“Well, what did you like doin’?”
I shrug. “Typical rowdy boy shit. Dirt bikes, gettin’ dirty in the mud, nurf guns.”
Lukas regards me for a moment. “Did he do rowdy boy shit with you?”
“Whoa.” A laugh bubbles out of me. “Don’t think you’re supposed to say that.”
He rolls his eyes, but I don’t miss the twitch of his mouth. “Well, did he?”
I think for a moment, trying to remember a time when he might’ve. “Actually, no,” I finally offer. “He didn’t. Was usually too busy with work, or too busy relaxing after work. I either played by myself or with my best friend, Hollis.”
