arm through mine, dipped low to grab her heels, and passed them her way. “Right. Let’s make that a burger and some coffee, then.”
As if on cue, Jack reappeared beside us. “Dang it, all Grampa had was a hundred-dollar bill, and Mimi tried to give me her credit card.”
“I’ll take it!” Lex declared, thrusting her hand in his direction.
Jack rolled his eyes. “Can I give you an IOU for now? My mom still owes me, like, seven years of allowance. I’m sure I can get it to you by next week.”
Her green eyes lifted to mine. “I don’t know. What do you think, Hud? Is he good for it?”
“Considering I have no idea what he thinks he did to earn an allowance for the first three years of his life besides drool and poop in his pants, I’d advise against it.”
“Oh, come on, Dad!”
Lex shot him a wink. “It’s okay. I’m holding out for that kiss anyway.”
With Lex on one arm, her heels dangling from her fingers, and Jack on my other, a bubble lawn mower dragging behind him, the three of us said our goodbyes and then meandered to the valet.
It was no 1970 Chevelle like hers, but when my black Hud Construction pickup came into view, Lex called “Shotgun!” knowing good and damn well my son rode in a booster seat in the back.
Still, Jack mumbled, “Dang it.”
We got burgers, coffee, and then milkshakes even after I’d said no, but Lex snuck up to the counter with Jack while I threw the trash away. Such was my life wrangling two kids.
I didn’t complain though; some of the best nights of my life had been spent like that. Lex had this way about her that made the most mundane activities feel like special occasions. Plus, she’d bought a chocolate shake for me too.
By the time we pulled into Lex’s driveway, the eleven-p.m. sugar rush was in full force. They were laughing and discussing the finer things in life. Specifically, SpongeBob memes. I almost hated to ruin the moment.
“What in the holy hell is that?” I rumbled, slanting my head as if it would give me a better view through the windshield.
“What?” she asked, mirroring my position.
“That,” I said roughly, pointing at the giant tree branch I’d never noticed before hanging over her small, three-bedroom ranch. Additionally, I’d not noticed how ominous her front door was in the dark, hiding behind her overgrown bushes.
“Oh, yeah. I’ve been meaning to trim it back a little. I just have to get my ladder back from Cal first.”
It was my ladder. She had borrowed it. Then Cal had borrowed it from her. Now, she was borrowing it back from Cal. It was safe to say I was never getting that one back.
It was also safe to say Lex wielding a saw—on said ladder—was literally the very last thing I needed in my life. I wasn’t about to volunteer to put on another suit for her funeral when I was so damn close to taking this one off.
Over the years, I’d learned there were three different versions of Alexis Lawson.
Sweet and caring.
Sarcastic and mouthy.
Drunk and argumentative as fuck.
If I said anything about cutting those branches down on her own, she was going to plant both feet in the drunk-and-argumentative territory and I’d spend the rest of my night sitting in her driveway, listening to her go on and on.
Therefore, my response was, “Okay.”
It wasn’t okay. It would make me absolutely crazy until I knew that damn limb was gone and it wasn’t going to break free and fall through her roof at the slightest breeze.
I’d take care of it.
When I put the truck into park, she shot me a tight smile. “Thanks for the ride.”
“No problem.”
She extended the remnants of her milkshake. “Can you hold that for a second?”
I arched my brow but took it. No sooner than the cup had left her hand did she dive over the center console, leaving her legs in the front and her upper torso in the back, and pepper kisses all over Jack’s face.
“Dad, help!” He laughed, trying to fight her off.
I smiled, watching them in the rearview mirror. “You’re on your own, bud.”
“Mwah, mwah, mwah,” she chanted, kiss after kiss after kiss.
“Ew, ew, ew,” he complained, all the while laughing hysterically.
When she was finally done torturing him, she righted herself in her seat again, taking her milkshake as if nothing had happened. “You have until next week to pay up, Jackie Boy. After that? There’s more