She turned her head enough to make sure he saw the stern expression in her eyes. “I should have. Don’t make me regret bending the rules for those baby blues.”
He let out a weak chuckle. “I won’t, I swear. I won’t even mess with the radio.”
Somehow, his statement tossed Lynnette back in time, to the days when she’d had to drive herself an hour-plus to work while the sun was still yawning into the sky and she’d never been able to find a good station on the radio. She didn’t miss that hospital, or that drive. She missed that obnoxious talk show host evenless. But it was still surprising how much could change in a few short years.
“All ready to go, ma’am,” one of their staffers said as he met them in the parking lot. “I can take him from here.” The guy was in his late twenties, and though he couldn’t go on the harder excursions due to his prosthetic leg, he worked his ass off getting things done on-site. Lance had even occasionally carpooled with him to group counseling sessions.
Lynnette nodded and returned her focus to the over-adventurous teen who’d ignored the literal warning signs and gotten himself pinned by a rockslide three days prior. “Kyle’s going to take care of you from here,” she said. “And he’s going to help you all the way inside and flag you a nurse, but then it’s up to you. We aren’t authorized to speak for you. Now, promise me one more time. You’re going to cooperate with the hospital staff and let them treat your leg because you want to keep it, and you’ve learned your lesson about disregarding warnings or thinking yourself untouchable?”
The boy bobbed his head. “Yeah. Yes. I promise. I’ll play nice, do what they tell me to. I’ll even call home once I get the chance. And I swear I did learn. I’m definitely not untouchable.”
Kyle snickered. “Lucky you, you learned it without losing that leg. C’mon, kid.” He slipped in where Lynnette was as she stepped back, and with another set of nods, they hobbled to the waiting truck.
Lynnette blew out a breath.
“I can’t tell if you liked that kid,” Lance said, settling at her side, “or if you’re pissed at him.”
“That’s because the answer is both.” She turned to face her husband. “I know teenage boys are idiots, but I’m still allowed to be mad about it. He could have died!”
Lance smiled and tugged her closer. “But he didn’t. Me and Jon found him, and he was lucky enough that that boulder didn’tcrush anything vital.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I think you need to clock off and blow off steam with me.”
Lynnette rolled her eyes. “It’s hardly noon, babe.” She trailed her fingers up his chest, letting herself pause to trace the stylized PCR logo emblazoned into the fabric. “You can wait until we get home.”
“I really can’t.” Lance angled his head and kissed along her jaw. “It’s been too long.”
She fought not to laugh. “I’m very sorry I was asleep when you got home last night.”
He groaned and his lips hovered over hers. “A full overnighter. I missed you. Why do you work again?”
Lynnette pushed lightly at his chest, still smiling. “Because two incomes are better than one, and we like expensive things.”
A high-pitched squeal interrupted the next surely indecent thing Lance was planning to say, simultaneously reminding Lynnette that not only did she still have work, but she was standing in the front courtyard. And while they weren’t exactly a bustling downtown, standing there and making out was not a professional look, regardless.
Lance sighed and loosened his grip as if reading her mind, and they both turned in time for a blur of bright, spindly blonde to crash into his legs.
“Uncle Lance!” Jessica could pronounce all her words nowadays, but when she got too worked up, the toddler tended to slur them still. Her Ls in particular still came out wrong. No one ever pointed it out to her.
Lynnette lifted a smile over to Jenna, whose eyes were laughing, too. “Hey, babe. What’s with the drop-in?” Even as she asked, she noted the pastry box Jenna was perfectly balancing on what had probably been her free arm.
Lance had scooped the two-year-old up and reduced her to a laughing fit, so Lynnette moved forward to help with Jenna’s armload.
Jenna, being Jenna, handed over her purse. “Thanks.” She turned a smile toward her carefree toddler. “Jessreallywanted to surprise her dad for his birthday. So, we baked his favorite cake—meaning I baked it and she helped with the decorating—and here we are. Eric’s got the bakery under control, anyway.”
Lynnette smiled. Jenna’s little bakery had rebounded like a champ after the fiasco with the shooting and being held in purgatory by the Parkers. Sweet Stop was on the not-so-proverbial map, drawing customers from all over the west coast. Their small town had developed a tourist industry and grown by something like twelve percent, and Lynnette was well aware not all the locals were thrilled about that. But growth was inevitable, and good. And she was so damn proud of her best friend.
Jenna bumped Lynnette’s arm gently as the group of them turned to walk into the large, always gleaming search-and-rescue building. “Jon let slip that you’re thinking about going for a full license. Why did I have to hear that from my husband?”
Lynnette winced swiftly made shushing motions as she leaned down to urgently whisper, “Because I haven’t fully decided! And your husband’s got smalltown gossip syndrome.”
Jenna snorted a laugh, which of course drew the attention of the forward pair.
“What’s the joke, Mommy?” Jessica asked, leaning over Lance’s shoulder as if he were a piece of furniture.
Lance arched a brow and looked between them. He’d learned to read her too well and could likely already tell the ‘joke’ had nothing to do with Jenna.
Lynnette glanced away and felt an ironic surge of glee when she spotted her boss rounding the corner into his office. “Oh, there’s Jon!”
On cue, Jessica began wiggling until Lance was forced to let the child-worm down, at which point she spun and bolted straight for her father’s space with another squeal. “Daddy!”
