“Good. I think I’ll be able to open my store next year.”
“Congratulations,” Luke slapped him on the shoulder. “I’ll have to come check it out between assignments.”
“How’s agent life?”
Luke let out a breath. “Classified.” They both chuckled. “No, no, it’s all good. I love that I’m making a difference. It feels … significant. You know what I mean?”
Felix nodded. “It’s satisfying for you. I’m not surprised. You always played Lawful Good characters.”
Luke shook his head and gestured for Felix to sit across from them in the booth, as they’d done so many times in high school while Mom was working. After a few bites of their sandwiches, Felix continued.
“Grace sends her condolences. She wasn’t able to get away from the restaurant on such short notice.”
“When did they open?”
“About a week ago.” Felix gazed down at the meal.
Luke squinted at his best friend. They might not talk much after Luke moved away, but he knew his friend was keeping something from him. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s not important today.”
“The fu—fudge it isn’t.” He glanced at Aaron to see if he’d caught his almost-slip. Mom didn’t approve of swearing in front of her baby, but Aaron was in his own little world so Luke was in the clear.
Felix sighed and pushed his glasses up his nose. “She’s getting married.”
“Dude.” Luke’s heart sank. He’d thought for sure once Grace finished culinary school, he’d come home and see what had been in front of her their whole lives. But Felix was out of luck.
His best friend shook his head. “I don’t want to talk about it today.”
Luke sighed. “Well, I’ll be undercover for a while, but I can call you once the assignment is done.”
Felix shrugged. “There’s nothing to really discuss.”
“Are you going to the wedding?”
He grimaced. “I don’t know.”
“Luke? What’s undercover?” Aaron’s tiny voice piped up from next to him. About half his chicken fingers were gone, and the fries were cold, so Luke dumped ketchup onto his plate to make them palatable. Aaron wouldn’t eat ketchup or cold fries, so they were all Luke’s.
“Undercover means I’m pretending to be someone else. That way the bad guys let me in and get evidence on what they’re doing.”
“And then you catch them?”
“Me or my fellow agents, yeah.” There was no distraction quite like explaining the nuances of FBI work to an eight-year-old.
Thenextday,Lukepacked up his SUV and got ready to hit the road bright and early. Mom made him breakfast so she could see him off.
“Be safe, you.” She wrapped him in a hug on the porch.
“I will, Mom.” He lingered more than he probably should have if he wanted to get on the road.
“I can’t lose you, too,” she said with a shaky voice.
“I’ll do my best, Mom. I’m careful and I’m well-trained.”
She dabbed at her eyes and nodded as she pulled away.
Just as Luke said, “I wish I could say goodbye to Aaron,” the front door creaked open. A barefoot Aaron stepped out in his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pajamas, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
