Cerise nodded. “That’s good.”
“Yep, it is. How about it, Finn? Would you like to come to the ranch and ride a horse? Pat a cow. Or maybe hold a baby goat?”
If she thought Finn’s eyes were bugging out before, they looked like they were about to fall out of his head. “Really?” For the first time since she’d picked him up from the home, a huge smile broke out over his face. His grey eyes lightened from the stormy color they’d been. “Can we, Miss Cerise?”
“Of course we can, buddy, and you know it’s Cerise, none of this Miss business.”
The server returned with Finn’s milkshake, topped with whipped cream and a cherry. “Thank you, ma’am,” he immediately responded when she placed it in front of him.
“You’re welcome, young man.” She then turned to Cerise. “I love a boy with good manners. Nicely done, Mom.”
Heat rose up in her cheeks at the compliment as well as the reference to her being Finn’s mother. Her heart wished it was true, but maybe one day she would be a mom to the boy. “Thank you. Finn is my foster son and his parents are responsible for his good manners. I’m just a beneficiary of all the good work they did.”
“My mom and dad died in a boating accident,” Finn responded matter-of-factly. Yet the pain in his eyes was plain for Cerise to see. This boy needed all the hugs and love that he’d missed out on over the past two years, being shuffled to and from his aunt.
“Oh right, okay then.” The server looked like she’d rather be anywhere other than standing at the table. She folded their check in half and tucked it between the salt-and-pepper shakers. “No rush, whenever y’all are ready. Have a nice day.”
She rushed off and Cerise blew out a breath. “I kind of handled that all wrong,” she muttered.
“I think you did just fine. You’re in a unique situation. Don’t beat yourself up about it.” Brodie squeezed her hand. “That was a ‘yes’ for the ranch visit, right?”
She wasn’t sure why he was asking the question again, since she’d already agreed. But maybe it was for Finn’s benefit, letting him know that Brodie hadn’t changed his mind in the last two minutes.
“Yep. We’ll have to make a stop at home to drop off Finn’s stuff. We’ll head straight out there after that.” She bit her lip as a thought struck. “Finn doesn’t have any cowboy boots.”
“Not a problem. Mrs. Alexander has plenty out there for the guests if they bring their kids and they don’t have them. We’ll get him sorted out.”
“I’m going to get my own pair of cowboy boots?” Finn asked, excitement lighting up his features again, all shyness and worry disappearing.
“Well, I’m not sure that you can keep them, but you can sure borrow them.”
“Oh.” His face fell and Cerise wanted to kick herself for not tackling the issue a little better—again. She was doing a great job in saying the wrong thing today.
“Don’t worry, bud, you’re probably growing like a weed at the moment and growing out of your shoes faster than I can rope a calf.” Bless Brodie for trying to make the situation better.
Finn’s eyes widened again. “You can rope a calf?”
“I sure can. I’ll show you today.”
“I can’t wait.” Finn practically vibrated with energy and Cerise had to blink rapidly to stop the tears from falling. Brodie had known the boy less than an hour, but he’d treated him in a way she was sure Finn hadn’t been treated since his parents died.
“You ready to go, Finn?”
“Yep, but...” he dropped his eyes to his milkshake, which was still half full. “I haven’t finished my shake yet.”
“Is that all?” she said. “We’ll get a to-go cup and take it with us.”
“Awesome. I’m gonna go ask now.” He was out of the booth before she could stop him. The level of confidence he was displaying wasn’t a side to him she’d seen before. But it warmedher heart that he was blossoming and feeling more sure of himself after being with her for only a short time.
She was pretty sure it was related to the man sitting beside her. “Thanks, Brodie.”
“For what?”
“For not ignoring Finn. For including him and inviting us to the ranch.”
“He seems like a great kid who’s been dealt a rough hand. I’m more than happy to give him a little fun. Although, shouldn’t he be in school?”
Cerise sighed. “Yeah, he should. It’s Thursday so I’ll give him today to settle in, and then we’ll go to the school tomorrow and sort things out. They’re understanding that things like this happen with him and his aunt. Luckily, he’s smart as a whip, so he catches up on any missed classes quickly.”
