Page 74 of Love, Lies, and Whiskey

They climbed out of the truck, and as they headed down to the barn, Seeley said, “It probably belongs to one of his friends. As I recall from the night he took off, he has a few friends who live nearby.”

“I’m sure it is, but Lucas knows he’s not allowed to have friends over when I’m not home.”

As they neared the barn, she heard a girl giggling and froze. She grabbed Seeley’s arm, whispering, “Did you hear that? He’s in there with a girl.”

He chuckled.

“Don’t laugh,” she whispered harshly. “What if they’re messing around?”

“Then we should give them some warning so we don’t embarrass whoever he’s with.”

She rolled her eyes, earning another chuckle. Juliette cleared her throat loudly, then practically shouted, “Come on, Seeley. I’ll show you the horses.”

He shook his head, whispering, “Real subtle, babe.”

“You said to give them a warning,” she whispered, then loudly announced, “Let’s go into the barn.”

“Okay,” Seeley said loudly, playing along.

She mouthed, I hate this, and he laughed.

“Mom, why are you shouting?” Lucas called out from Warrior’s stall.

“I didn’t know I was,” she said as they made their way to the stall, where she was relieved to see Layla taking a selfie with Warrior. “Hi, Layla. How are you?”

“Hi, Dr. Chambers.” She tucked her long dark hair behind her ear, smiling sweetly. She looked cute in brown riding pants, black boots, and a white T-shirt with In my horse girl era in colorful seventies-style letters down the front. “Hi, Doc.”

“It’s nice to see you, Layla,” he said. “How’s it going, Lucas? What are you guys up to?”

“Layla was on a trail ride and stopped by,” Lucas explained a little nervously. “We were hanging out and talking while I did my chores.”

“I hope that’s okay,” Layla said. “I probably should have texted first.”

“It’s fine, honey,” Juliette said. “Although next time, Lucas, maybe you can text me and let me know.”

“Okay,” he said, visibly relieved. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

“Do your parents know you’re here, Layla?” Seeley asked, surprising Juliette with the fatherly question.

“Uh-huh,” Layla said cheerily. “I texted my mom when I got here, since I hadn’t planned on coming over. She said it’s fine if I stay awhile.”

“Mom, since Layla’s already here, can she stay for dinner? I was thinking we could order pizza.” He barely took a breath before adding, “Doc can stay, too, if he wants.”

That was the first time Juliette had heard him address Seeley by a name, and she liked that he chose Doc instead of Seeley. It sounded familiar. Friendlier. Though she wondered if Lucas had called him that because Layla had. In any case, she was elated that he suggested Seeley stay for dinner, even if she had a feeling it was his way of keeping her out of his and Layla’s hair.

“What do you think, Doc?” Juliette said teasingly.

“I’ve got church tonight, but I can’t think of a better way to spend my time until then.” The twinkle in his eyes told her how pleased he was by the invitation. “Dinner’s on me.”

“You don’t have to do that, but thank you,” Juliette said.

“You go to church at night?” Lucas asked with confusion.

“Not the kind of church you’re probably thinking of. Church is what we Dark Knights call our weekly club meetings.”

“Oh, cool.” Lucas turned a charming smile on Layla. “Do you want to ask your mom if you can stay? I can ride home with you before dark to make sure you get there safely.”