He finally broke up with his girlfriend.
“Um, well… Ford always puts on this persona,” Andrew said. “All suave with smooth drawls like nothing can shake him. I was curious if anything could. He never drops his mask around me though. Makes me wonder what the real Isaac Ford might be like.”
“Exactly the same,” Isaac affirmed.
“Bullshit,” Dalton said. “He only talks big and lofty like that when he’s putting on a show. He’s a huge dork deep down. He likes jazz and sci-fi movies—”
“Dalton—”
“—and has this crazy old comic he keeps under glass.The Shadow?”
“You likeThe Shadow?” Andrew brightened. “I used to listen to the radio show when I was a kid!”
Of course, he had, but as much as Isaac enjoyed seeing this boyish excitement in Andrew, that didn’t change the current disaster.
He couldn’t keep Dalton safe if everyone learned about him.
“No wonder you broke up if you didn’t get to know each other,” Dalton said. “You have a scary amount in common, if I think about it. Must have only been in it for the sex.”
Isaac choked on a swallow of water, and Andrew managed to choke on nothing at all.
“Kidding! Geez. Please don’t tell me about your sex life, Dad, but you are allowed to have one.”
“I think Andrew would prefer to have one elsewhere.” Isaac raised his eyebrows to get Andrew to realize that now was the time to dash.
“Right, um… it’s been really good seeing both of you.” Andrew started to get up.
“Wait,” Dalton stopped him, “was the reason you two broke up really only because Dad got arrested? I mean, I get it, but you’re not a detective anymore, Andrew, and Dad has completely turned his life around.”
“I know that.” Andrew froze halfway out of his seat. “But there’s, um… the age difference, and uhh… we run competing businesses now, and…”
“And what?”
“Um…” Dark eyes flashed to Isaac in panic.
“Andrew’s father was a detective, his brother still is one, andhecarries a gun.”
“That’s not a fair reason.” Dalton frowned.
“It’s a smart one.”
“What about what you two want?”
“Dalton…”
“I just think it’s sad if that’s why you broke up when you never even learned who each other is.”
“Trust me,” Andrew said, “we know who each other is. I even knew about the jazz!”
“But does Dad know how much you kill at karaoke? Or does Andrew know how much you’ve donated to abuse shelters over the years?”
“Wait, really?”
“See!”
“Wellesley!” the person behind the counter called.
“Don’t go anywhere,” Dalton said and climbed over Andrew to zip away as if only too eager to leave them alone.
