Tough Luck (A-List Security 1)

“We should do one of the projects Harley mentioned,” Danny said as we set the food on the outside table. He was full of big ideas like eating outdoors in hopes of catching another glimpse of some deer we’d seen earlier through the kitchen window.

“Yeah, I got him to give me a list before we left. You want to tackle the porch? The new boards are already cut to size and stacked in the shed.” I gestured toward the outbuildings. The sun was up, but the air was still invitingly cool. Perfect for working up a sweat. “And you might find the demolition part fun. Always a good day when we can use sledgehammers and crowbars.”

“You’d trust me with a sledgehammer?” Danny paused with his fork halfway to his mouth.

“Of course. Don’t direct it at me, and we’re all good.” I considered him more closely, not entirely sure what to make of how pleased he seemed. “You’re always so surprised when I let you try something. You get that you’re an adult now, right?”

I tried to keep my voice gentle, but he blushed anyway and glanced down at his plate. “Right. I mean, sometimes I forget that I’m twenty-five now, and I’m the one in charge of my day. I had so many years of not being allowed to do anything fun because I might get hurt or not having time because every spare second was either on set or with my homeschool tutor.”

“That sucks.” My hand tightened on my fork. I’d never met either of his parents, but I wouldn’t mind a word with them about the ways they’d messed with his head.

“And my mom had rather loud opinions on things like domestic tasks being beneath her, so I never learned basic stuff like how to do laundry.”

I laughed at that. “We can do a load later. Those sheets are probably toast.”

“Deal.” His little smile made my chest feel cracked open, thoughts I usually kept to myself escaping.

“And I get it. For me, it was the opposite. Too much unsupervised time. Time to run around and explore but also find trouble and forget basic shit like homework and clean clothes.”

“Guess we had to both figure out adulting on the fly.” Shaking his head, he grinned at me like we were part of some secret club. Maybe we were. I liked it more than I would have thought, having someone to talk with about these things.

“And you’re not doing as bad a job at it as you think.” I remained frustrated over my conversation with Duncan the night before.

“I’m trying.” He met my gaze with big eyes, and I reached across the table to pat his hand.

“I know.” I wished others could see how hard Danny was trying to get things right with so very little outside help. Maybe it said something about my own issues, but I wanted to be that help as long as he’d let me. A few cooking lessons were a small price to pay for how light he made me feel inside.

“It means a ton that you believe in me.” He squeezed my hand before releasing it so he could nibble at his toast.

“Yeah, well, you’re easy to believe in.” I took a big bite of eggs before I could get any sappier than that.

“For you. It sucks how Duncan and others seem to be counting down to my next bad decision. Like I burned through whatever trust they were ever going to have in me.” He sounded so resigned that I had to give him another quick pat.

“Duncan hasn’t given up on you. Trust me. I wouldn’t be here if that was the case. He cares.”

“Yeah.” The heaviness of his sigh made me wonder if I’d said something wrong.

“And I’m not sure there’s ever a point where you truly give up on someone you love,” I tried again, voice hesitating. He got more of my truth than almost anyone else, but some of my thoughts were almost too big. “Like my logical brain knows my folks aren’t changing, but my heart…”

“You still hope.” Danny understood like I’d known he would. My throat was so tight all I could was nod as he continued. “You know you shouldn’t, but you do. I understand that mood. I had to sue my mom, yet I continue to want her to be a better person. Can’t kill that last flicker of hope.”

“Yep.” I pushed my plate away. My shoulders ached, all my anger and hurt settling there. I hated how badly his mom had let him down, more so because I knew that pain. It was a sharp poke in a place I simply couldn’t dwell on too long. Standing up, I grabbed both of our empty plates. “Let’s do the dishes fast so we can go smash something.”