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“Eddie,” he repeated. “Shit. I’m supposed to pick him up from my dad’s.”
“I love your dad. He’s fun.”
“Do you mind if we stop at his on the way? It’ll only take a minute.”
“Sure,” she agreed readily. “Let’s do it.”
Ryan Lewis still lived in Jackson’s childhood home, on the edge of Angel Sands. He’d bought the bungalow soon after he’d started working at Newton Pharmaceuticals. Back then, Jackson’s mom had been a homemaker, though his abiding memory of her was sitting out in the yard with a cigarette in her hand as she dangled her toes into their small swimming pool.
More often than not, it had been Ryan who cooked dinner when he got home from work. And Ryan who would sit with Jackson when he did his homework, or when they would watch sports together on the television.
Parking on the sidewalk outside of his dad’s bungalow, Jackson walked around to the passenger side, opening the door for Lydia. He took her hand in his, and walked with her up the pathway.
Before they even made it to the steps, Ryan opened the door, his brows lifting as he glanced at their clasped hands.
He opened his mouth to say something, but Eddie came bounding out, leaping at Lydia, his tail wagging with excitement.
“Eddie, come here,” Ryan shouted. Eddie ignored him completely, jumping up and down, and doing a little dance at Lydia’s knees.
“Eddie, sit,” Jackson said firmly. When Eddie went to jump again, Jackson repeated himself, and Eddie dropped his rear to the ground, his eyes rolling at Jackson.
“Can you talk to me like that later?” Lydia whispered to him. Jackson laughed.
“Did you two lovebirds have a good evening?” Ryan asked.
“It was perfect,” Lydia said, smiling warmly at Jackson’s dad. “Jackson taught me to drive, and then we went to Captain Burgers and up to the cliff at Silver Cove.”
“The hot and heavy make out spot?” Ryan’s eyes crinkled as he looked at Jackson. “Surely you have better moves than that, son?”
“It wasn’t a move,” Jackson told him. “It has a good view.”
“Sure.” Ryan nodded. “And people only watch porn for the storyline.”
“People?” Jackson snorted. “Or you?”
“Hey, I don’t watch that kind of thing.” Ryan held his hands up. “And I don’t take pretty ladies to the cliff to make out either.”
“Who said we made out?” Jackson asked.
“Oh, we definitely made out,” Lydia said, as though she was enjoying the banter between father and son. “I like it up there. I’d go again.”
Ryan chuckled. “Jackson, you gotta keep ahold of this one. I like her.”
Jackson swallowed hard, because there was no way to keep ahold of her.
“We should go,” he said to Lydia. “It’s getting late.”
“You sure you two don’t want to come inside?” Ryan asked.
“Maybe next time,” Jackson said, certain he didn’t want to be anywhere except at his own house. With her.
“I’d love that.” Lydia smiled at his dad, who grinned back at her. It was weird how them liking each other made his body feel warm.
“Well, you two kids have fun. And be good.”
Once they’d gotten Eddie into the backseat, Lydia and Jackson climbed into the car for the short drive up to his cliff-side home. The pleasure he’d felt from watching his dad and Lydia interact was still lingering, making his lips curl up into a permanent smile.
“Can I ask you something?” Lydia said, as they drove back up into the hills.
