His mother seems to hesitate for a beat before she responds.
“Not right now.We have to get home so I can get started on dinner, but maybe another time this week?”
I can see the shutters slam shut on the boy’s face.
“Yeah, whatever,” he mumbles.
I side bump his shoulder.“You’re gonna have to come up with a whole lot more patience than that if you want to fix this truck, kid.I’ve got a couple of empty bins upstairs you can use to get you started.No need to give your mother a hard time, I think she’s put up with enough out of you for a while.Don’t you?”
His eyes dart from me to his mother.
“Sorry.”
It’s an obviously reluctant, half-assed apology, but I guess it’s better than nothing.Tessa seems accepting, as she gives his hair a lighthearted ruffle.
“Why don’t you wash up and grab your stuff?”
The moment he walks off, she turns to me, a serious expression on her face.
“Did I overstep again?”I wonder out loud.
“No,” she quickly answers, shaking her head.“I was about to thank you for diffusing what could’ve been a tense evening.It would’ve been a waste of the birthday dinner I have planned for him.”
“What are you cooking?”
“Nothing special, burgers, a quick potato salad, and carrot cake for dessert.All his favorites.”
“You baked a carrot cake?”
She throws her head back and laughs heartily.“Hell no.I don’t bake.I’m at best a passable cook.But I can grill like a pro, which is why my kids will always request some kind of barbecued meat.”
“Can’t argue that.”
She tilts her head, wearing a half-smile.
“Come.Come for dinner.”
“Tonight?”
“Yeah.”She suddenly turns around and yells at Remi, who is just exiting the bathroom.“Hey, Bud!I invited Clem over for dinner.”
His response is a dual thumbs-up.
Guess I’m having burgers and carrot cake tonight.
Chapter16
Tessa
“I’m hungry.”
Linc is waiting for me when I walk into the kitchen.
“Like I told you five minutes ago, I’m working on it.I can’t make those potatoes boil any faster than they are and I just lit the grill so that’ll need some time to heat up.”
“Then can we start with the cake?It doesn’t need any cooking.”
He’s already peeling the tape off the cake box Bess handed me earlier.
