Chapter 19
Tanner would have liked to follow after Callie. He’d kiss that annoyance right off her mouth, buy her dinner, and then take any and all crumbs of affection she was willing to throw his way.
But he couldn’t. He needed to pick Troy up and grill him. The day before he’d come home with the obvious markings from a fight, and no amount of badgering had gotten him to spill his guts.
Today Tanner was trying a different tactic. He had an afternoon free from work and planned to take Troy out on the boat.
And yes, he was reduced to flat-out bribing the kid.
He pulled up to Lucille’s, and Troy slunk out, walking toward the truck like he was heading toward his own execution. He shut the door, seat-belted up, and then slouched, staring straight ahead.
“Hey,” Tanner said.
Troy grunted.
“You have an okay day?” Tanner asked. Jesus. Listen to him. Ward Cleaver. Not that it mattered, all he got was another grunt. “Troy, look at me.”
Troy huffed out a put-upon breath and looked at him. “What?”
“Just checking to see if you had any other new bruises,” Tanner said.
“Funny.”
“Not being funny,” Tanner said. “I really wanted to see.” He drove them to the harbor and parked. “Come on.”
Troy followed without question. This was more out of sullenness than any sort of blind obedience. The kid didn’t speak until they were on the boat and Tanner was pushing off and steering them away.
It was one of those startlingly gorgeous blue days. Skies so blue it hurt to look at them. White cotton-ball clouds scattered to the east. Choppy seas dotted with whitecaps, slapping against each other in a constant beat. Tanner felt at home here, maybe more than any other place. He wanted that for Troy.
The teen had come out of himself a little bit and was taking in his surroundings as well. Calm. Alert.
Which wasn’t to say he was happy. He wasn’t.
And Christ, Tanner hated that. He wanted to make it better more than he’d ever wanted anything else in his life. Out in the middle of the harbor, he handed over the wheel to Troy.
“Me?” Troy asked, straightening up.
“You,” Tanner said. “You think you’re ready to get us out of the harbor?”
“Yeah.” Troy paused. “Why?”
“Why what? Why are you sometimes a butt-munch?” Tanner shrugged. “No idea.”
Troy bit his lower lip, looking nervous.
“What?” Tanner said.
“Nothing.”
“It’s something. Just say it.”
Troy sighed. “I’m not doing football.”
“I know that.”
“You know?” Troy asked. “Callie told you?”
Tanner blinked. “No, the coach told me. You told Callie?”
“Yeah.”
Tanner stared at him, stuck between being grateful his son had been able to confide in Callie and jealous as hell that it hadn’t been him.
And why hadn’t Callie told him herself?
“It’s not because of the stupid coach’s kid,” Troy said defensively. “It’s because I don’t want to.”
“That’s a relief,” Tanner said.
Troy stared at him. “It’s a relief? You were the football star. I thought you wanted me to follow in your footsteps.”
“Hell no,” Tanner said. “In fact, please don’t follow in my footsteps. You going to tell me about the bruises?”
Troy looked out at the water, his stance natural, easily balancing himself on the choppy water like he’d been born to it. “You wouldn’t get it.”
Tanner let out a low laugh. “Right. Because I’ve never been fifteen.”
“Because you owned that school.” Troy looked at him. “I’m not that kid. I didn’t grow up here. I’m not a star athlete. I’m the new kid. And I’m a little different.”
“Different is good,” Tanner said. “So is standing up for yourself.”
“It’s not like I’m alone,” Troy said. “I have friends.” He met Tanner’s eyes, his own shadowed.
Tanner tried to read them but the kid was good. “You’ve been standing up for your friends.”
Troy nodded once.
“Good,” Tanner said. “One more thing.”
Troy tensed. “Yeah?”
Tanner put his hand on the kid’s shoulder. “The way you’ve got your friends’ back? I want you to know that I have yours in the same way. And I expect you to let me know when you need me to do something more.”
Troy seemed to grapple with that a moment and then nodded again.
Tanner helped him guide the boat out of the harbor. They then took the water exhilaratingly fast and hard, and both were grinning like fools when they finally returned to the docks two hours later.