About the Boy (11 page)

“Yeah, sure.” Rusty hesitated. “And I’ll talk to Sean and a couple of the guys at school tomorrow about the job.”

“Okay, do that. Thanks.”

“Sure, and uh…Lucas?” Nervous now, Rusty was shifting from foot to foot, looking down at his tennis shoes.

Lucas turned back to Rusty and found himself smiling. “Yes, son.”

Rusty dared a glance at him. “Uh…Lucas, thanks. For…uh…everything today.”

“You’re welcome, Rusty. You’re very welcome,” Lucas said.

“So I’m…uh…gonna see you…tomorrow?” Rusty asked.

“Definitely. We’re going to practice some hoops, right? Work on your passing and blocking? And go over the clubhouse plans.”

Relieved, Rusty grinned. “Cool. If you don’t mind, after I get the steaks for you, I’m gonna go work on the clubhouse drawings.”

“Oh, and Rusty,” Lucas said, stopping the boy in his tracks as he turned on his heel to bolt toward the house. Rusty looked at Lucas over his shoulder.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you,” Lucas said softly and Rusty flashed him a big, crooked grin.

“No sweat.” Rusty bolted toward the house, leaving Lucas with a surprisingly warm feeling wrapped around his heart.

By the time Katie pulled into her driveway it was almost 9:00 p.m. and she was utterly exhausted and famished. But she’d gotten the blue lines done and sent to the printer, stopped at Mr. Hensen’s to pick up her meat, and gone to the market to get some bare necessities like potatoes, napkins and ketchup for dinner, before finally heading home.

After gathering her groceries and the pile of edits she’d brought home with her, she slid out of the car and locked it. She’d almost forgotten about Rusty’s surprise until she saw the soft flickering of lights in the backyard.

In spite of her fatigue, she smiled to herself. It was so strange to be coming home, knowing someone was waiting for her. It was a luxury she’d never had before and awakened something deep inside of her.

As she rounded the yard, her heart tumbled as she took everything in—the makeshift picnic table, the candles flickering on the set table, and Lucas, dressed casually in jeans and a shirt with the sleeves rolled up, standing over the grill. It was such a homey scene, one that was probably played out across thousands of households every evening, but never in
her
household.

Until now.

“Lucas?” She had a hard time talking around the lump in her throat. Seeing him here, in this homey atmosphere,
her
home specifically, did something to that yearning deep in her heart, the one that had been aching a little bit harder ever since she’d laid eyes on Lucas. She was just tired, she assured herself, trying to ignore the emotions clogging her throat.

“Hi, you finally made it,” he said, turning to her with a smile. “You look beat,” he added with concern, seeing the smudge lines of fatigue under her eyes and the weary slump of her shoulders.

She sniffed the air and almost swooned. “Is that food I smell?” Her empty stomach groaned. Grilled meat mixed with the crisp scent of fall had her mouth watering.

He grinned. “It is. Hope you don’t mind—”

“Mind?” She shook her head, pressed a hand to her ravenous stomach and quelled the urge to throw her arms around him in gratitude. “I haven’t eaten a morsel all day and I’m starving.” Guilt quickly set in and she moved closer. “Lucas, I’m sorry, I was supposed to make you dinner, remember?”

In spite of the guilt, she had to admit it was a relief to know she didn’t have to cook dinner right now. She was dead-tired and the idea of just being able to sit down and eat something someone else had cooked seemed like an incredibly indulgent luxury.

“After the day you’ve had, Rusty and I figured you could use a break. I’ve got potatoes baking and almost done.” Glancing at his watch, he said, “And the steak should be done by the time you get changed into something more comfortable.”

She laughed. “You know, I’ve heard that line a hundred times in the movies, but I never thought I’d actually have someone say it to me. Where’s Rusty?” she asked, glancing around.

“In his room working on the drawings for the clubhouse. He did his chores and his homework, and we went into town and got a pizza for him earlier.”

She laughed. “I’m sure that was a real hardship for him,” she said, knowing how much her son loved pizza. “Oh, I stopped by the butcher on my way home.” Her lips twitched. “Seems Lindsey was at Mr. Hensen’s. Said she’d brought Mr. Hensen a puppy. Said it was your idea. That you asked if she could take one over to him.” Her lips were twitching again, knowing Lucas was playing matchmaker at the behest of her Aunt Gracie. “The two of them, or rather the three of them including the puppy, seemed to be having a fine time.”

Lucas grinned. “Is that so? Well, I’ll be.” He shook his head, realizing maybe there was something to Gracie’s psychic abilities. “But I can’t take credit for it. It was your Aunt Gracie’s idea, remember? I told Patience and Lindsey that they could have the puppies for a few hours, just to sort of get acquainted, but then they’d have to return them to their mom for a few more weeks until they’re ready to be weaned. The fire chief’s taking one and I’ve almost got the mayor convinced he needs a dog as well, so that means I only have one left to find a home for. And the mama, of course.” He frowned a bit. “Although I really hate to separate Bert and Ernie.”

“Bert and Ernie?” Katie repeated with a laugh and he nodded.

“I named the mama Bertrice, and the puppy Ernie, so they’re Bert and Ernie, get it?”

She laughed again. “Seems to me you’re rather attached to both of them.”

“I am,” Lucas admitted with a sigh. “Something about helping a lady in distress, I guess. I may have to keep both of them,” he decided, wondering what on earth he was going to do with two dogs. But he thought they would help keep the loneliness at bay, especially at night when his own personal demons seemed to create havoc with his mind and his memories.

Trying to put both out of his mind, Lucas checked the steak, closed the grill, then crossed to Katie, taking her things out of her arms, and reaching for her hand. “Would you like to see Rusty’s surprise?”

She laughed. “You mean dinner isn’t it?”

“Nah, not a chance.” He led her toward the back porch. She came to a halt, her vision swimming when she saw the swing. “Oh Lucas…” Her voice trailed off and she blinked away her tears, touched so deeply she could barely speak. “You… You…” She had to swallow before continuing. “You have no idea…”

He laughed. “Oh, yes, I do—Rusty told me all about it. Complete with a roll of the eyes, a shoulder shrug and the notion that maybe when he got old like you, maybe he’d want to just sit and swing and stare at nothing, too.”

She laughed, but wiped her eyes.

“Hey,” he suddenly said in alarm. “You’re not crying are you?” He studied her, trying not to panic.

“Me?” She scoffed, but wiped her eyes again and sniffled. “Not a chance.” But the lump that had clogged her throat had moved somewhere near her heart, making it ache.

“Lucas, thank you—”

“Oh, no, don’t thank me,” he said, giving her hand a squeeze. “Thank your mother and your aunt. It’s their housewarming gift to you. I was just the handyman who hung it.”

Her gaze met his. “So I take it this isn’t Rusty’s surprise, either?”

“Nope.”

She patted her heart as Lucas led her up the back stairs. “I don’t know if my
old
heart can take all this excitement at one time,” she teased.

When he led her inside the kitchen, her eyes widened when she saw that all the boxes that had been in the kitchen were gone. “Lucas, where is everything?” She looked up at him and he grinned.

“Where it’s supposed to be. I hope,” he added with a chuckle, leading her into the dining room and then the living room. “I can’t guarantee it, but we did our best.”

She stared, slowing turning around in a circle. When she left this morning, the entire house could have been declared a disaster area. Boxes, some half-full, some still full were scattered in every room of the entire house.

Now, there wasn’t a box in sight.

“You—”

“No,” Lucas said carefully. “Rusty unpacked the boxes and put everything away. Me, I just helped,” he said, refusing to take credit.

Katie whirled in a circle again. She knew her son. Knew he’d never have done anything like this without a little prodding. He was a good kid, and very thoughtful—when he thought about it—but he was still a
kid,
and the idea of unpacking the house for her wouldn’t have occurred to him without a little encouragement.

“Well.” Katie patted her thudding heart again. “I guess this entire evening has been a surprise. I…I don’t know what to say or how to thank you, Lucas.” Need less to say, her concerns about Lucas being involved with her son because she knew so little about him were quickly evaporating.

“You’re entirely welcome, but it’s really Rusty you should thank. And your mom and aunt.” He dumped all her stuff on the dining room table. “Why don’t you do that and then change into something comfortable while I go check on the steaks?”

Still too moved to speak, she merely nodded as he headed toward the back door and let himself out.

Katie stood there for a moment, glancing around in utter surprise before leaning against the door and saying a silent prayer for her yearning heart.

Because she was terribly afraid that in spite of her very best efforts, her feelings for Lucas were suddenly strong, real and not at all brotherly.

Chapter Seven

A
s September raced along and fall settled in, the days grew shorter and cooler, and Katie’s life seemed to take on a familiar and comfortable pattern.

With Lucas and Rusty totally involved in building the clubhouse, most nights when she got home Lucas was still there, and invariably, the three of them would have dinner together. Either she cooked when she got home, or Lucas had something wonderful sizzling on the grill, or they walked into town for pizza or went to the diner for dinner, but whatever they did, they seemed to do together.

If Katie worried about her growing feelings, she continually told herself Lucas’s interest was primarily in her son, and she had to admit, Rusty seemed to be blossoming under Lucas’s patient, tender care. She wasn’t going to ruin something so wonderful for her son simply because she couldn’t keep a firm grip on her own feelings.

She was finally getting a handle on her duties at the paper, and gaining a measure of true confidence, but there were still days when an emergency cropped up, or an ad was late, or something else unexpected popped up and she didn’t get home until late, and Lucas always volunteered to stay with Rusty until she did get home.

It seemed as if her mom and aunt were unusually busy—although Katie could have sworn her mother was deliberately avoiding her—since talk of her mother’s mayoral candidacy was still being whispered about all over town, much to Katie’s chagrin.

Katie had a feeling her mother didn’t want to discuss her sudden political ambitions with her, and she couldn’t figure out why. Something was definitely up with her mother, but she hadn’t had enough time to actually sit down with her mom and get to the bottom of what her aunt described as “a woman’s thing.” And every time she’d tried, her mother had made some excuse or canceled at the last minute, leaving Katie with lots of questions and no answers. Certain nothing was seriously wrong, Katie realized if it had waited this long, a little bit longer wouldn’t hurt anything.

Traditionally in the Midwest, the last weekend in October marked a distinct change in the weather from balmy fall to chilly, wet pre-winter weather. But this year, the change came early, catching Katie off guard. By the end of the first week in October, the weather had already turned, dropping temperatures into the midforties and bringing buckets of rain that seemed to make the days dark, damp and dreary.

Trees shed their leaves completely, blowing barren limbs in the brisk wind as the town became totally involved in planning the Halloween festival, which would take place the last weekend of the month.

With all the extra newspaper coverage for the festival, Katie found herself working longer hours once again. Normally, Lindsey would be helping her, but this year Lindsey seemed unusually busy with her own activities and Katie found herself taking on more and more of the work. But she didn’t mind.

Lindsey had put in her fair share of overtime over the years, getting out annual special editions without ever complaining about the extra hours or work, so Katie figured the woman was due a break.

Although Lucas and Rusty still talked about going up to Lucas’s cabin for a weekend, Katie knew she wasn’t going to be able to get away for a whole weekend until after the Halloween festival, not with so much work facing her.

As the colder weather set in, Lucas and Rusty raced to finish the clubhouse, wanting to get most of the work done before the worst of winter and snow set in.

On a Thursday evening near the end of the second week in October, Katie was just packing up her stuff to leave the office when the phone rang.

“
Cooper’s Cove Carrier,
Katie speaking.”

“Ma, when you coming home?”

She laughed. “Well, hi, honey, it’s nice to talk to you, too.”

“Ma,” Rusty complained on a whine. “Come on.”

“I was just leaving, honey,” she said, shoving the sheaf of ads for the Halloween issue into her briefcase. “Why?” she asked, suddenly alarmed. “Is something wrong?”

He giggled. “Lucas said you would say that. You were right, Lucas,” she heard her son yell. Hearing how easily the camaraderie had developed between Rusty and Lucas always made her smile.

“Okay, smart guy, what’s up?” she asked with a laugh.

“We got a surprise for you. When you get home. So when are you coming home?”

“As soon as I hang up I’m heading out the door.” She hesitated. “Does this surprise involve anything gross?” she asked, always wanting to be on the safe side. With an adolescent boy, she never knew.

Rusty giggled. “Nah, Ma, nothing gross. So hurry up and come home, will you?”

She could hear the excitement in his voice and smiled. “I’m on my way, sweetheart.”

“Oh, and Ma, Lucas said not to worry about dinner. We’re going out to celebrate and then is it okay if Lucas comes back here so we can watch the Bulls game tonight? They’re playing the Cavs and we wanna see Le-Bron James.”

“Who?” she asked with a frown, then shook her head. “Never mind. Of course it’s okay, honey.” Lucas had seamlessly fit into their lives as if he belonged there. It had happened too quickly and too easily for her to have given it a moment of concern. “So we’re celebrating, huh? I suppose you don’t want to give me a hint what we’re celebrating, do you?”

“Nah, it’s a surprise. It’ll be better if you see for yourself.”

“Okay, sweetheart. I’m on my way.” Katie hung up the phone, finished packing her gear and headed out to her car, shivering as the brisk and slightly bitter wind gleefully whipped around her, wondering what kind of surprise Rusty and Lucas had conjured up for her this time.

“Rusty, if you don’t stop tugging on your mother’s arm like that, you’re going to tug it right out of the socket,” Lucas said with a laugh, rescuing Katie’s hand from her son to enfold it in his own.

“But she’s walking so slow,” Rusty complained, dancing backward down the sidewalk that led around his house as Lucas and his mother followed.

“That’s because I’m old, remember?” Katie quipped, making her son grin.

“Yeah, that’s right. I forgot.” Rusty sighed impatiently, sneaking a glance at his mother and Lucas holding hands. It was nice, he thought. Real nice. He was pretty sure Lucas liked him, but he really wanted Lucas to like his ma, too.

He caught them kissing once, when they thought he was in bed. He
had
been in bed, but he’d gotten thirsty and got up to get a drink. Lucas was leaving and Katie was standing in the doorway, talking to him. Then Rusty saw Lucas slip his arms around his ma’s waist and pull her close. Then Lucas pressed his lips against his mother’s. Rusty had never seen a man kiss his ma before, and for a minute he was shocked. Then he realized that other kids’ moms and dads probably kissed a lot.

It was then he decided that maybe Lucas liked him
and
his mom. He sure hoped so. Thinking about it had given him that funny feeling in his stomach again.

He’d slipped back to bed before they saw him, but then he couldn’t go to sleep because he just kept thinking again what it would be like to have Lucas for a dad.

And he realized then if that was ever gonna happen, Lucas had to like both
him and his ma.

The thought scared him since he didn’t even know if his ma liked Lucas, or any other man, since they’d never had a man around them. Not when they lived with his grandmother, not even when they lived in Madison. Never.

In a way, Lucas was kind of like a dad, he’d reasoned, since they did a lot of things together. And Lucas taught him things, helped him with his homework, especially his math and science, which he hated, and Lucas also taught him about sports.

But Rusty wanted a
real
dad, like Sean’s and Kevin’s, and Bobby’s. Their dads lived in the same house, and ate dinner with them every night and were there every morning when they got up and were even there on weekends and holidays, too.

He wanted that, too, he realized. A lot. A
real
lot. More than anything. But had no idea how to make it happen.

Yet.

“Hey Ma, stop there,” Rusty said, holding out his hands to make sure she did. They’d turned on the garage lights and the backyard lights so that they were all highlighted against the dark night.

“Can I open my eyes now?”

“Yeah, you can open your eyes,” Rusty said proudly.

Katie blinked. “Oh, my goodness, you finished the clubhouse.” She took a step closer to get a better look. It was almost a perfect square built out of wood that had been stained a beautiful oak color, with a tall, narrow front door, windows cut out of the wood on either side of the door, and a rope ladder leading up the front of the structure.

“It’s beautiful,” she murmured, glancing at Lucas, who seemed to be grinning as proudly as her son.

“Me and Lucas finished it this afternoon,” Rusty said, all but dancing in place he was so excited. “And look at this,” he said, bounding over to the rope stairs that unfolded from the clubhouse and giving them a shake. “See these stairs? Once me and the guys are up there and inside, we can pull the stairs up so no girls can bother us.”

“Girls? Or mothers?” Katie asked with a lift of her brow, earning a roll of her son’s eyes.

“Ma, come on. You wanna come up and see inside? It’s really cool. Lucas and I put in a real floor. We had to measure the boards so they’d be exact and I think I screwed up a few, but Lucas said it wasn’t that important, that we’d make it work.” His grin flashed. “And we did. Lucas has some old pillows and cushions he said we could have so we’d have something to sit on. And I’m gonna put some of my stuff up there, too. So what do you think, huh?”

“Rusty, it’s a beautiful clubhouse and I’m very, very proud of you.” She reached out to ruffle his hair, knowing he’d flinch and moan if she tried to kiss him in front of Lucas.

“So do you want to come up now, huh?” He was all but bouncing out of his tennis shoes as he held out the rope stairs to her.

“Uh…honey, there’s something I’ve been meaning to…uh…tell you,” Katie stammered, glancing helplessly from her son to Lucas.

“Jeez,” Rusty complained. “Do you have to tell me
now?
Can’t you just tell me…like after we go up and see the clubhouse.”

Lucas was watching Katie and immediately something struck him. He gave her hand an affectionate squeeze. “Now, Rusty, forgive me for bringing this up, but I seem to recall the first day we talked about building the clubhouse, you specifically stated no girls allowed, remember?”

“Yeah, but, she’s not a girl,” Rusty protested, with a frown. “She’s just my mom.”

Katie laughed. “Yeah, I am,
just your mom,
kid, and I hate to break this to you, but I’m also one of those dreaded girls,” she said, making a face at him with the last two words, which made him grin. She had a feeling his attitude toward girls would change in about a year or two. She wasn’t quite certain how she felt about that, and preferred not to think about it until the time came.

“And you did say no girls,” Lucas reminded him.

“Yeah, but then how’s she gonna see inside?” Rusty asked with a scowl, scratching his cheek.

“Pictures,” Katie said, inspired. “You and Lucas can take some pictures of the inside and that way I won’t be breaking your clubhouse code.”

“A clubhouse code,” Rusty repeated, his face brightening as he decided he liked the idea. “Cool.” He was back to bouncing on his heels again. “Hey, Lucas, could we maybe make a sign and list the clubhouse code, too? We could put all the rules on it and stuff.”

“Sure thing,” Lucas agreed easily, earning a grateful smile from Katie.

“Uh…Ma? There’s something else,” Rusty said. “Tomorrow’s Friday, and we don’t got school on Saturday.”

“No school? I’ll have to speak to someone about that,” she said, shaking her head.

He grinned, as she’d expected. “Well, do you…uh…remember what you promised? That when we finished the clubhouse I could have the guys over for a sleepover. In the clubhouse? Do you remember, huh? And since tomorrow’s Friday—”

“And you don’t have school on Saturday,” she finished for him with a nod, getting the picture.

“Yeah, right, so I was kinda wondering, could I maybe have my sleepover tomorrow night?” Eyes wide and hopeful, he stood there holding his breath, trying not to fidget.

“Well, Rusty, you know what I always say.”

His face fell. “Aw, Ma, come on, you don’t expect me to remember everything you always say, do you?” he asked.

She laughed. “This time I do. I’ve always told you a promise is a promise, and since I promised, well…” She shrugged and smiled at him. “I guess we’re having a sleepover tomorrow.”

Excitement trumped worrying about looking cool and he yelled and jumped, high-fiving the air. “Awesome. And could we have pizza and soda, and would you maybe make some popcorn? Not the microwave kind, but the kind grandma makes in a skillet with real butter and salt and stuff?” The words were spilling out of his mouth faster than fizz in a shaken soda.

“Yes, pizza and soda and popcorn and stuff. As much stuff as you can eat,” she promised with a laugh, her fatigue fading under her son’s joy.

Enjoying himself, Lucas decided to enter the fray. “Rusty, if you want, I’ve got a battery-operated television with a VCR. If you want to rent some movies, you guys can watch the movies tomorrow night up in the clubhouse.”

“Really?” Bursting with excitement, Rusty all but danced around Lucas and his mother. “Awesome.” He grinned. “Can we get real spooky movies since it’s almost Halloween?”

“You know the rules, kid,” Katie cautioned. “No slasher movies. No movies with knives, guns or decapitation.”

His face fell, but brightened suddenly. “What about some of those really old Creature Features we used to watch together. You know, the ones that don’t got any color, and have that funny looking guy who wore that black cape all the time and thought he was a bat or something?”

“You mean Count Dracula with Boris Karloff?”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s the one. Can we get some of those, Ma, huh? They’re kinda cool.”

Considering they were more campy than scary, Katie nodded her head. “Fine, but I get final approval on all movies. Deal?”