He all but ran to the men’s room.
***
Despite Lucky’s best intentions, a party raged inside his house, a combination welcome for Charlotte and kids, birthday party for Bo, and a going to college party for Todd.
Bo had to go invite most of the department too, which meant Lucky spent half his time running interference between Charlotte and Jimmy from Virginia, or running from the pack of brats he’d been assigned to train.
He’d yet to talk to Johnson about Phillip.
Oh, how he’d love to escape to the back deck, but Bo would only drag him back inside, lecturing him on being a bad host.
Twenty more minutes and Lucky would scream and run from his own home. So many colognes! Plus, the ribs, burgers, mushrooms and hotdogs they’d grilled.
Oh, crap. Ty had a huge grin on his face, talking to a teenaged girl with big blue eyes, blonde hair, and an equally wide grin.
“Hey, what do you know? Ty’s making a new friend.” Bo wrapped an arm around Lucky’s shoulders.
“Ty is not allowed to date Keith’s daughter. Why the hell did Keith even come anyway?” Lucky groused.
“Um… because I invited him?” Bo wandered off to mingle some more. Better him than Lucky.
The nephew in question caught Lucky’s eye and pantomimed a right hook.
Lucky mocked Ty’s pose and lifted his elbow, driving home the “keep your arm up” lesson he’d been trying to instill in their forays to the gym.
Ty nodded, smiled, and turned his attention back to the girl. Given his hand gestures, bobbing and weaving, he’d started bragging about learning to box to impress his audience.
Judging by the wide smile on Keith’s daughter’s face, Ty succeeded.
Dear lord. What if he wound up having to deal with Keith over holidays? Lucky shuddered. Then again, hating the in-laws was a time-honored tradition. Lucky had a head start.
And Ty was young yet. He’d smile and try to impress many girls before he chose one to settle down with—at about age forty.
Walter made his way over to the spot on the wall Lucky had claimed for his own. “Lucky, could I speak to you in private?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” He put on a good show of heading out to the deck with the boss, in case Bo decided to come looking for him, and breathed easier once they’d stepped outside.
Fresh air! Less noise! Yes!
But…
What could the boss want? Lucky hadn’t fucked up lately, well, not much, but if he had, at least he could be reasonably sure Keith hadn’t installed any cameras to gloat over a reaming out Lucky might have coming.
Moose nearly knocked him over getting out the door. Wherever Walter went, the danged critter wanted to be.
A few late summer crickets chirped in the grass, though fireflies had come and gone for the year. Music, chatter, and laughter from inside the house muffled when Lucky closed the door.
At least talking privately gave him a valid excuse to get away from the crowd. The people in the living room weren’t bad, most of them, anyway, but so many at one time, who collectively knew too many of his secrets? Not a good thing. If anyone started talking…
Lucky dropped down into one of the two Adirondack chairs Bo had bought. Soon he’d need to add more for Charlotte and her brood. While Atlanta wasn’t known for cold weather, for better or worse, sooner or later summer would give way to fall.
Walter eyed the chair next to Lucky’s but remained standing. Lucky stood and joined him, resting his elbows on the badly-in-need-of-a-good-power-washing railing. “This reminds me of the time right after you attempted to leave the SNB. Remember? I came down to Pensacola to deliver your paycheck and order you back to work.”
Seemed like ages ago. Lucky’d spent that weekend with Bo in his arms—and his bed. The first time he’d admitted his feelings.
Bo hadn’t laughed and run.
No way would Lucky let Walter know how much the visit had meant to him. The personal invite back to SNB. Also, the .38 he’d found giftwrapped on his desk, once he’d served out his sentence. When no one else believed in him, Walter Smith had. “Yeah, pushy bastard. If not for you I’d be enjoying retirement or out driving a truck somewhere.” Even trying to be gruff, Lucky failed. The level of affection he had for this man couldn’t be hidden. Someone who’d once put guys like Lucky in prison but had taken a chance on a two-bit felon and herded, no,shovedLucky headfirst in the right direction.
