Page 19 of Reaching Roland

“Why not?” Cameron asked. “The house has been paid off for years. So has your SUV, for that matter. Dad, you’ve helped so many people, I can’t imagine that it would be as hard as you think to really make a go of this with word of mouth alone.”

Miss Georgina smiled. “And I can promise you, Roland. Every one of my neighbors who’s offered to pay you in real money instead of treats, means it. They’d happily give you what you’re worth.” She smiled smugly. “Don’t get me wrong, you’re doing a good thing over there, but some of those old geezers are actually quite well off.”

Four sets of eyes stared at me imploringly, and I realized they weren’t going to drop it as easily as I’d hoped. Hell, I’d half thought Indie and Luca had just been messing around. “I’ll think about it.”

“Really?” Indie asked, bouncing in his seat.

I held up a hand. “Really, but let’s drop it for now.”

They all agreed, and Kenny launched into a funny story about one of his clients. Which Indie followed up with one of his own about a drunk guy in the tavern that had us all laughing. It was Miss Georgina, however, who stole the show. The goings-on ofthe seniors in her development would put reality TV to shame. By the time we cleaned up the dinner dishes and stored the strawberries in jars, I could tell Kenny was flagging. It had been a long day for both of us. “Let me get you home, shortcake.”

“I’ll take him, Dad,” Cameron volunteered quickly.

“You don’t have to do that,” I said, a little irked at my son but not sure why. He had to drive Miss Georgina to her place, too, and I was already home. It made sense and was polite for him to offer. Something I raised him to do.

“I don’t mind. Besides, it’ll give him and Indie a chance to keep gabbing.”

My gaze moved to Kenny, and I thought I saw a flash of disappointment, but I was probably projecting. It would be good for him and Indie to bond more. They were closer in age and had a lot of mutual friends. As good as today had been, I needed to remember that I was still just the old guy. I wouldn’t be the one at a dance club playing wingman so he could meet someone. Indie would not only do that but get a kick out of making Cameron come, too. Yeah, this was better.

“I don’t mind, Daddy. You’ve been hauling me around all day. Let your son do it.”

I forced a grin. This felt like cutting our day short somehow, but we’d been together for hours. If he hadn’t agreed to dinner, I wouldn’t have gotten this extra time that I did. “Okay. Let me grab a bag to pack your strawberry jars into.”

“Okay.” He followed me to the counter. “You don’t have to give me too many. It’s just me at home.”

“It’s just me here, too.”

He rolled his eyes. “But you get a lot of company, and I don’t, so you keep them. Just give me a jar.”

I frowned. “But they’ll last for a few weeks this way.”

“I know, but…” He shrugged. “It’s still just me.”

“I’ll tell you what,” I said, ignoring him and putting in two more jars. “You can give one to your landlady and take one to work to share.”

A slow smile filled his face. “They’ll probably all like that.”

“See?” I picked up the bag and carried it to the front door for him where the others were waiting. As I handed it over, he grabbed the handles next to my hand, and I had the overwhelming urge to insist that I drive him home myself. Thursday night and today had been a lot of fun. It was nice having someone to hang out with. The conversation had flowed, and I couldn't remember the last time I laughed so much.

He peeked up at me from under his eyelashes. “Daddy?”

“Right.” Smiling tightly, I let it go and shoved my hands into my pockets. “Thank you for letting me share in your adventure and coming over for dinner, shortcake. I had a great day.”

His cheeks pinkened. “Thank you, Daddy. Believe me, the pleasure was all mine.”

Our little interlude was broken up as Indie threw himself into my arms for an enthusiastic goodbye, and I hugged Miss Georgina and Cameron. When Kenny peeked back over his shoulder as they walked away, I lifted a hand in the air. He smiled widely, and my pulse fluttered. What if we never hung out again? Did he expect us to? Would it be weird if I invited him somewhere? I stood out on my front porch long after thetaillights of Cameron’s vehicle faded away, feeling more alone than I’d felt in a long, long time.

Chapter Seven

KENNY

Daddy Roland:How was your day, shortcake?

My breath caught in my throat reading the message from Roland. I’d been scared the next time I’d hear from him wouldn’t be until his appointment on Thursday. There was really no reason I should since he went with me out of pity. I considered texting him just to thank him for yesterday, but it felt like too much. Would I normally thanka friendfor hanging out with me?

Me:Good, Daddy. Thank you.

Daddy Roland:What did you do?

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