“Is it loud?”
“Very.”
Her eyes widen with clear approval.Lucy sets a plate in front of her daughter and one in front of me after it—eggs, toast, and bacon.
“You don’t have to feed me too,” I explain.
“I know.”
“Then why are you?”
She finally looks at me.“Because you slept on my porch.”
Like that explains everything.Maybe it does.
Quinn starts on her toast.“Mama, can Tucker come to school with me?Jolie’s dad is coming for the career day.I don’t know what that means, but Jolie says her dad is coming and bringing a fire truck for all the kids to climb in and see.Mr.Tucker has a motorcycle and I think I like that better than a dumb fire truck.Only the boys will like the fire truck.”
Lucy nearly drops the coffee mug in her hand.
I cough into my fist to hide a laugh.“Career day, huh?”I repeat.
Quinn nods seriously.“You can talk about motorcycles.”
“Pretty sure your teachers want real jobs.”
“You have a real job.”
Lucy mutters, “That depends who you ask.”Then she looks to me.“Do you have a real job, Tucker?”She’s teasing me.
I catch it and my mouth twitches.I actually like this casual side to her.
Breakfast settles into an almost normal rhythm after that.Quinn asks me whether I know how to fight ninjas, whether my bike can go faster than a cheetah, and whether I’ve ever met anyone famous.I answer just enough to keep her talking.Lucy doesn’t say much.She’s watching me instead.
Not suspicious exactly.More like she’s trying to figure out where I fit in her kitchen at seven-thirty in the morning.
Fair question.
Once Quinn is finished eating, Lucy hustles her down the hall to finish getting ready.I hear the soft murmur of mother-daughter chaos—brush your hair, where are your shoes, yes you need socks, no you can’t take the rabbit to school today.
The sounds hit me in some place I don’t examine too closely.
When they come back out, Lucy’s in jeans and a fitted diner T-shirt with a cardigan over it, apron folded over one arm for later.Quinn has a backpack on and a banana in hand.
Lucy grabs her keys.“I have to drop her off and then head straight to work.”
I stand, collecting my cut from the back of the chair.“Then I’ll get out of your way.”
She hesitates.Like maybe she wants to say something else.Instead she nods.
At the door, Quinn looks up at me.“Bye, porch man.You can crash here tonight if you want to.”
I bark out a laugh.“Bye, kid.”
Lucy makes a helpless face like she’s given up apologizing for anything her daughter says.Then she opens the door and they head out.
I follow them to the porch, pick up my duffle, and wait while she buckles Quinn into the back seat of the sedan.She glances at me once over the roof of the car.
“You don’t have to wait.”
