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Blake chose not to answer, and instead he enjoyed the sun on his back and the wind in his hair as he walked this beautiful beach with the world’s most beautiful woman. They walked for several long minutes, and then Lauren wanted to turn back.
He happily obliged, and by the time they got back to their section of the beach, he expected to see Kathy and Luke’s mom. After all, he and Lauren had been gone for at least a half-hour, and it didn’t take that long to get fried chicken.
She wasn’t there. In fact, the spikeball had been left out, and none of the kids were there. Blake’s heartbeat picked up speed, and he immediately turned toward the water. His adrenaline cooled when he found Tommy there, laughing and splashing with the other teens.
They shouted to one another, and he frowned at the crude and foul language they used. “I don’t like this,” he murmured, his dad-radar going off strongly now.
“What?” Lauren asked.
He turned toward her. “These new friends of Tommy’s. They don’t seem like…him.” He watched his son for another few moments, and he never heard him curse. But the kids he was hanging out with did, and Blake had never known his friends to do that.
He’s growing up, he thought, but something inside him told him it was more than that. What, though, Blake didn’t know.
* * *
“I’m just asking,”Blake said. “I’m not accusing you of anything.” He really didn’t want to be having this conversation with Jacinda at all. He, Lauren, and Tommy had been back from the beach for a couple of hours now.
He’d ordered pizza while Tommy had showered and then said he was going to “run down to Ryan’s for a minute,” and Lauren currently sat on his couch on her phone, talking to Joy. He’d stepped into his bedroom to call his ex and ask her about Tommy.
“He didn’t say anything about the bins bothering him,” she said. “They’re under his bed, Blake. How can they bother him?”
“I think he feels like he doesn’t have a space,” Blake said. He sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed the stubble on his face. He needed to shave before his meeting on Monday morning, and he couldn’t believe he was thinking about this right now. “I think he’s feeling like he’s in your way.”
Jacinda sighed; she didn’t deny it. Blake didn’t know what to make of that, and his mind shouted at him to ask about Tommy’s friends.
“We got all of his clothes,” he said instead.
“Great,” Jacinda said. “Thanks for doing that. My orders have been insane.”
“I’m glad it’s going well,” Blake said. “Has he said anything about a girlfriend?”
“No.” Jacinda drew out the word. “He has a girlfriend?”
“Yes,” Blake said. “She…she lied to me today. She said her mother was coming, and she never came.” He looked up and watched the door, though it was closed, and no one would come in without knocking. “He’s got these new friends here, and I’m not sure about them.”
“He hasn’t said anything about new friends or a girlfriend.” She paused for a moment. “He hasn’t been hanging out with Gwen very much either…” She sounded like she was just now connecting the dots.
“Blake,” she said next.
“Yeah?”
“What do you think about having him come to live with you?”
He blinked, not sure how this conversation had gotten there so quickly. “I’ve been thinking the same thing,” he said. “He’ll likely want to stay at one high school.” That didn’t start until next year, so the decision didn’t have to be made right now. “I don’t know, Jace. School starts in three days. He’s registered for his classes already. He’s not going to want to move in a week or two.”
“It’s something we need to perhaps start talking to him about.” She sighed. “I’m sorry about the bins. I’ll move them out and make sure he knows he has a space here.”
“He’ll be mad I mentioned it to you,” he said.
“I won’t make it a big deal.”
“Thanks,” Blake said. His doorbell rang, and he wasn’t sure Lauren would answer it. Knowing her, she would. The woman wasn’t afraid of anything, and Blake sure did like her nerve and her strength. “I have to go. Dinner’s here.”
“Yep, we’ll talk soon.”
The call ended as Blake opened the door and went into the hall. He rounded the corner and found Lauren standing there. “I’ll check,” she said, turning back to him.
He thought he’d find the pizza boy standing there, holding their dinner. It wasn’t anyone like that, but Ryan Shaffer from down the street. Lauren wore concern in her eyes. “Is Tommy here? I thought he…”
