Cowboy Logic - B.A. Tortuga Page 0,45
were amazing.” He had the text from when she got to the house.
“Darcy was really cool too. She got colors out and made snacks. She’s a real momma type.”
He was proud of his boy, giving credit where it was due. “Do you need to go home and get your stuff?”
“Nah, I put my backpack in the truck.”
“Oh, good man.” Trav’s friend lived out toward Greenville, so maybe they’d get something fancier than Sonic or Whataburger for lunch. Depended on what Anderson wanted. “Are you eating with them?”
“Yeah. I don’t need to bring anything.”
“Good deal. Miss Bailey, can I steal a couple Cokes from you, please ma’am?”
“I’ll scream.” She handed him a Diet Dr Pepper and a Mexican Coke. “Thanks for running Anderson to the store.”
“Text him if you think of anything else. Any food requests?”
“For lunch? Bring Braum’s and get me two gallons of milk and a pint of cherry nut ice cream? Braum’s has the best milk.” She dug in a kitchen drawer, coming out with a twenty.
“You got it.” They would hit that last. He loved Braum’s.
“You rock. Thanks.”
Travis was already at the truck by the time Jericho headed out, the kid chewing Anderson’s ear off about arms and punching motions. Robots were violent things.
“You tell me when I can come over and work,” Anderson said.
“Oh dude. Dude. Seriously? Thank you, man. So much. You’re like, the coolest.”
“I am!” Logic leaned back to high-five his kid. “I’m open, though. Well, at some point I have to go to the high school.”
“Yeah? The robotics team?”
“Yes.”
“Whoa.”
“Are they scary?” Anderson asked. “I mean, you need to give me the lay of the land.”
“No. No, it’s only—that’s super cool.”
“It’s robots. Robots are really friggin’ cool, Trav.”
“They are! Dad, can you get fruit snacks from the Walmart? Ellie wants some.”
“Sure, buddy. Anything else?”
“Some grapes.”
Jericho laughed silently, both at the change of subject and at his mental list, which was growing by leaps and bounds.
Anderson had his phone out. “Fruit snacks, grapes, sandwich stuff, cookies, Coke.”
“Milk and cherry nut at Braum’s.” If Anderson was making a list…
“Aw, man! I’m gonna miss Braum’s?”
“I’ll get you a pint of peanut butter cup,” he told Travis.
“You’re a good dad. Thank you.”
“You’re a reasonably wonderful kid.”
“Dad!” Travis laughed, though.
They made it to Mike’s without another phone call, which shocked the shit out of him. “I’ll be here at nine in the morning. Call me if you need more time.”
“Yessir! Bye, Logic! I’ll see you later, man!”
Anderson looked over at him. “He’s a brilliant kid, Jericho.”
“He makes me proud every day, I swear.” He shook his head. “I have no idea where he gets it from, but he’s a helluva brain.”
“Both of your kids are smart cookies.”
“They are.” It was nice to have other folks notice, it really was. “So. What all do we need to get? Do I need to go somewhere besides Wally? Lowe’s or something?”
“She wants cameras. I vote we buy out Walmart and then go to the Home Depot if there’s not enough. I can get crazy lost in a Home Depot.” Anderson’s laugh was tickled as hell, and a little self-deprecating.
“There you go. Me too. I love to make shit. Furniture. Garden boxes. Wheelchair ramps.”
“Oh my God. We should have a Lowe’s date.”
“We so should.” A date. Like, a real one. Okay, yeah. He could… Breathe. “We could go eat first. Then work it off at the home improvement store.”
“I’m in. Maybe next Saturday, assuming the world doesn’t implode.”
“Yeah. We may be spending our Monday installing cameras.” He couldn’t help tomorrow. He had too much going with the kids and… “Oh God, Ellie’s Girl Scout thing.”
Anderson’s eyes went wide. “You need me to call Bailey? I can. Or you can just leave me here.”
“No. No, I’ll call her granny once we get there. She even offered to take her last week.” There. Ellie would love to show off her granny. Still, the immediate willingness to change everything, that was fucking sexy.
Anderson was dangerous. So very, very dangerous. He was kind, generous, and hot as the very hinges of hell.
“So, Walmart, Starbucks, Braum’s? Can we get ice cream cones? I haven’t had Braum’s in so long.”
“We’ll get cones to eat on the way so we can wait for lunch until we’re back with the kids. How’s that?” He’d hit the Starbucks first, actually. His head was telling him he hadn’t had enough caffeine this morning.
“Good deal.” Anderson stretched up, tall and strong. “God, I’m going to be sore tomorrow. If I was home, I’d book