Page 21 of Peach Tree Family

The drive didn't take too long. Parking in front of the nice, one story house, Seth waved as the kids spilled out of Wyatt's SUV. Then Wyatt opened the front door, and the kids were greeted by two dogs, a brown dachshund and a fuzzy, white dog that Ace was already petting.

Theo and Seth went to the door, and Wyatt invited then inside. "Come in if you can make your way through."

He wasn't kidding. There was a knot of kids in the doorway, and the dogs were demanding attention that Seth was more than happy to give them. Ace was petting the dogs too and laughing as they licked his face.

"I can give you a tour," Wyatt said to Theo as Seth stayed behind with the kids and the dogs.

Going through the living room, Theo noticed pictures of Wyatt with that other dad Ry had mentioned. Some of them were wedding pictures. Theo was happy he lucked into meeting a local gay couple.

"Those are from just this summer," Wyatt said smiling at a wedding photo that included the boys too. "Sam and I got married in the orchard up on the hill."

"That makes for some pretty wedding pictures. The light is amazing," Theo said.

"Sam is amazing," Wyatt said. "You'll get to meet him too one of these days. Actually he works at the cafe with your friend."

"Looking forward to meeting him."

Once the tour was done, Theo and Seth left after agreeing on a time for picking up Ace. Back outside, as Theo got behind the wheel, Seth told him, "I wasn't sure you were going to let Ace come over here."

"Are you kidding me? It was like being caught in a tornado. I had no choice," Theo told him. "And I still can't believe we ended up with this truck?"

"Like I said, I was talking to Mrs. Del Rio..."

"I'm starting to think that you have a big mouth," Theo said, not letting him finish.

"You haven't met that lady. I'd like to see you stay closed mouthed around her," Seth said. Then he told him the benefits of truck ownership. "This truck will come in real handy. Think about it. Shopping for furniture, bringing in supplies for fixing up the house."

"I already owe Mrs. Del Rio, and I haven't even thanked her yet for getting our water turned on," Theo pointed out.

"With this truck it will be easier to go over to the café and thank her. We can head that way and you can drop me off for the dinner shift, thank her if she's there, and then pick up Ace. After you had some driving practice, I mean."

"If I don't crash this thing first," Theo said. They were still parked in front of Wyatt Hayes's house and Theo turned the ignition. "So how do I get us back on the road?" He reached for the stick shift, ready to follow Seth's instructions.

All of a sudden Seth's hand was on top of his and Theo froze. At the unexpected contact, his skin heated and he was afraid to move.

"Sorry, I... I just wanted to show you. Sorry, it's...," Seth stammered.

"Just tell me what to do," Theo said getting over the shivers that had passed through him. The space in the cabin of the truck seemed too tight, and there wasn't enough air though the window was rolled down. Theo struggled to focus on what Seth was telling him to do.

"I like getting to teach you something, Mr. Research," Seth said as Theo practiced shifting.

"Well then, enjoy," Theo said as he screwed up a little.

"So you're not too mad at me for opening my big yap?" Seth prodded him.

"Not too mad," Theo said. "Not walking to work or taking Ace to school on foot is going to be so much better."

"It was good to see Ace making friends already. He won't be hating school so much now," Seth predicted.

"Yeah, he was over that. Did you hate school?"

"I did but I was never any good at it." Seth turned to stare at Theo. "I bet you were, but doesn't that mean you should be in college?"

"Not if I want to make money for me and Ace to live on. Maybe I'll do something online when I can afford it," Theo told him.

"Right. You'll figure it out, I'm sure," Seth said and faced forward again.

They were silent for a while. Theo drove, making sure to find reason to use the stick shift. After they passed the cemetery, he turned onto a dirt road that marked its perimeter on one side. There was a wide spot by some trees where be could turn so they could head back. There he practiced backing up.

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