Hard Ride (Clean Slate Ranch) Page 17

  The house was a squat, single-story box with three bedrooms, one bathroom and a big front porch. Dad had given it a new coat of paint recently, so it didn’t look as drab as other homes on the street that had all popped up during the cheap housing community phase of the fifties. Dad’s truck and Kim’s car were in the driveway, and a few other cars were parked on the street nearby. Slater had called yesterday and told Dad they’d be there around noon for lunch, but he hadn’t thought to ask if anyone else was planning to stop by before tonight’s ceremony.

  They were going to check in to the hotel post-lunch and pre-graduation, so they didn’t bother with the suitcase. Slater did crutch around to the trunk to fetch his gift, because he wanted to give it to Rachel quietly this afternoon, before the hubbub of a party. The front door swung open before he could knock. Kim flashed him a warm smile then wrapped him up in a familiar hug.

  “You look pretty great for someone who tumbled over a mountain two months ago,” she said as she released him. “Not a scar on your face.”

  “Good ointment,” Slater replied, then kissed her cheek. “You look fantastic.”

  “You flatter.” Her gaze went to his right. “Philip didn’t mention you were bringing a friend.”

  He felt more than saw Derrick tense. “Surprise.” His turn to do the introducing. “Kim, this is my boyfriend Derrick Massey. Derrick, my stepmom Kim Stamos.”

  “You’re kidding.” Kim slid right past him to embrace Derrick. “You must be someone special, because in all my years, this boy hasn’t brought anyone home to meet us since first taking up with Nina.”

  “Haven’t found anyone worth the trouble until now.” Slater smiled at Derrick’s bemused expression as he hugged the woman back. “This one’s pretty good.”

  “Jerk.” Derrick took a half-hearted swipe at him once Kim released her hold.

  “Come on inside,” Kim said. “We don’t have to stand out here like strangers. Rachel and your father are in the kitchen finishing lunch.”

  “What are they making?” Slater asked as he stepped inside a house that hadn’t changed since he was a kid. Same faded rug, same brown couch and love seat, same worn wooden end tables. The flat-screen TV was new, though, as were some of the accessories, thanks to Rachel’s good taste and keen eye for bargains.

  He followed the slightly spicy scent of seafood through the living room and into the kitchen. The island was littered with bowls containing all sorts of steaming ingredients that seemed vaguely Mexican. Dad and Rachel were both standing over the ancient gas range and staring into a skillet Rachel kept stirring.

  “Happy Graduation Day,” Slater said.

  Rachel looked up and smiled, and Slater’s heart panged with love for his little girl. Blonde like her mom, Rachel looked like both her parents—although Dad liked to tease she looked like Nina when she smiled and Slater when she was grumpy. “Hey, Dad.” She handed a pair of silver tongs to Slater’s father and walked over. Gave him a loose hug. “You look really good for someone who fell off a mountain.”

  Slater chuckled. “Kim already used that line, but thanks. I feel really good, considering. You look amazing.”

  “Thanks.” Blunt as always, she asked, “Who’s that?”

  “My boyfriend.” He introduced Derrick to both Dad and Rachel, and they each shook his hand. Dad was a little stiff but Rachel seemed completely charmed by the idea of Slater having a real boyfriend.

  “How long have you guys been dating?” Rachel asked as she returned to moving shrimp around in a hot skillet.

  “Two months, give or take. We met at the ranch where I work.”

  “Oh?”

  Slater and Derrick tag-teamed their origin story while Rachel scooped cooked shrimp into a serving bowl. Apparently, lunch was shrimp burrito bowls so they took turns loading their bowls with rice, beans, salsa, shrimp, corn, avocado and other fixings. Their quintet sat at the eat-in kitchen table with an additional folding chair to accommodate everyone.

  A few minutes into the meal and small talk, Dad said, “I’m really sorry we couldn’t get down to visit you in the hospital.”

  “It’s okay,” Slater said automatically. Dad was on disability from a hip injury and Kim only got part-time hours at a local grocery store while she applied for better full-time jobs. Slater sent money every month, but their small family had a fixed income and not a lot to spare for traveling. Today’s shrimp lunch was a luxury. “I had my ranch friends around me. And Derrick.”

  “Still. You’re my only child, and I wanted to be there.”

  He studied his father, whose broad frame had withered a bit in recent years, leaving him thinner and paler. “You were here for Rachel, Dad, exactly where I needed you. Please don’t second-guess that.”

  “So, what do you do, Derrick?” Rachel asked.

  Derrick grinned and launched into his standard speech about Open Hearts, Open Hands while everyone continued eating. He had a strong, deep voice that commanded you to listen, and even though Slater knew all this, he listened along while shoveling food into his mouth. Rachel engaged Derrick, asking questions about the company and Dream Boxes specifically. When Derrick mentioned setting up his coworker Sophie with his own brother and whipped out pictures of Mia, both women at the table melted.

  Slater adored Mia, but said, “Promise me you won’t have one of those until you’re at least thirty,” to Rachel.

  He’d only meant to tease but she cast him a withering, teenage glare. “I’ve had an IUD since I was fourteen, Dad, chill.”

  That bordered on the edge of good-to-know and TMI. At least they’d made sure Rachel wouldn’t be repeating the mistakes of her parents. He caught Kim’s sympathetic smile. Rachel was strong-willed and stubborn like Slater, but she was also a brilliant kid. A full ride to CSUS to study government in the fall. Almost eighteen and the world at her feet.

  To be that young and full of possibilities again.

  Rachel continued thumbing through photos of Mia, then paused. “Where was this taken?” She flashed the photo at both him and Derrick. It was a selfie Derrick had taken of himself and Slater at wedding number two when Slater was holding a sleeping Mia. Slater loved the picture and had demanded Derrick text it to him.

  “My cousin’s wedding two weeks ago,” Derrick replied. “Your dad was a very gracious plus-one for me. And he’s great with Mia.”

  Rachel met Slater’s gaze and smiled. “You look happy.”

  “It was a great day,” he said. It had been a wholly terrific day, his minor panic attack aside. “I’ve enjoyed getting to know Derrick’s family better.”

  “So are you two pretty serious?” Dad asked.

  “It’s complicated, so we’re taking things slow. I mean, I’ll be back on my feet and at work by the end of the summer, and long distance isn’t for everyone. Baby steps work for us. These shrimp are delicious by the way.”

  “Thank you. Rachel has been teaching me new things and staying within our grocery budget. All those food shows she watches are paying off in big ways.”

  “There’s the internet, too,” Rachel added. “Those two ministrokes you had back in April won’t happen again, Pop, you hear me?”

  “Ministrokes?” Slater went rigid. “You didn’t tell me you had a stroke, Dad.”

  Dad tossed Rachel an annoyed glare before looking at Slater. “I didn’t want to tell you, because you had your own medical crisis going on. But that’s the biggest reason we didn’t get down to see you after your accident. My doctor was doing all kinds of tests and warned me against the stress of seeing you like that.”

  “Shit, you could have told me sooner.”

  “Like he said,” Rachel interrupted, rising to her grandfather’s defense, “you had other things going on. He’s eating better, we’re watching his blood pressure, and he quit drinking. We’ve got this.”

  The blunt way Rachel said all th
at made Slater feel like a scolded child. And a little unwelcome in this house at all.

  “I’m glad you’re doing better, sir,” Derrick said.

  “Thank you, son,” Dad replied. “It was a wake-up call for sure. I’m only fifty-six and got a lot of years left to live with my girls.”

  Slater hid a flinch. Kim, ever the peacekeeper, reached over to squeeze Slater’s wrist. “We’re taking good care of him, I promise,” she said. “Just like it looks Derrick is taking good care of you.”

  “He is,” Slater replied. “We make a pretty good team.”

  “How do you keep yourself busy all day while you aren’t working?”

  “Well, that’s actually a great segue into something.” He glanced at Derrick, who excused himself to fetch the box Slater had left in the living room. Derrick handed it to Slater, who offered it to Rachel. “I’ve learned a few new tricks thanks to one of Derrick’s neighbors who’s a blogger and upcycler.”

  Rachel unwrapped the flat box and took off the lid. Both eyebrows went up as she lifted the framed sampler from its nest of tissue paper. “You made this?” she asked.

  “Yup. I cribbed some of the pattern from a book and designed the edge myself.” Slater had cross-stitched the phrase “She Believed She Could, So She Did” in the center and surrounded it with colorful swirls and shooting stars. “I never thought I’d take up arts and crafts, but it’s good for dexterity and brain cognition, which was super helpful after my head injury. Plus, it keeps me busy.”

  “Thank you, Dad, I love it.” She came around the table to give him another rare, precious hug. “You’re really good at this.”

  “It is amazing,” Kim agreed. “I never had the patience to learn needlepoint of any kind. Have you done any others?”

  “Definitely.” Slater had taken pictures of every finished product, from the first frog rug to this particular piece, and he proudly showed them off on his phone.

  Some of the cussing on the designs made Rachel laugh. “These are really cool,” she said. “A neighbor taught you this? Can you text me a link to her blog?”

  “Definitely.” He couldn’t remember the last time his daughter asked him to text her anything, not even a “Happy Birthday.” Maybe, just maybe, they could fix their relationship and find a way to peacefully coexist.

  * * *

  Derrick loved every moment he witnessed between Slater and his daughter, because even when she was being snarky, Slater’s love for her glowed in his eyes and face. In the way he watched her and smiled at her, and Derrick adored that she’d accepted Slater’s gift and loved it.

  He was also silently sad, because he didn’t know if he’d ever witness it again. Slater’s earlier comments about them going slow and trying long distance only reminded Derrick how temporary this was and how much he was going to miss Slater when he returned to Clean Slate. Derrick never realized he had a hole in his life until Slater fit neatly inside and filled it with his charm and humor. He didn’t want to lose Slater, but Derrick was terrified of long-distance relationships.

  His freshman year of college, he’d fallen in love with a woman named Eugenie and he’d been smitten. When she transferred out of state the following year, they promised to remain exclusive. Derrick had wanted to surprise her with a visit a few days before her birthday that December, and she’d opened her dorm door in her robe and had a guy in her bed. His senior year, he met and fell for Antoine, and they burned hot and heavy for about six months, until Antoine admitted he was also fucking other guys.

  Derrick had been done with relationships after that, and now he’d fallen for Slater almost against his will. Maybe Slater would agree to date long-distance once his ankle was healed, but what if Derrick wasn’t enough for him? His heart would never heal again if Slater cheated on him.

  He doesn’t seem the type, though. He’s too loyal to cheat.

  Then again, he’d thought Eugenie was loyal, too.

  Not appropriate thoughts for lunch with his fake boyfriend’s family, so Derrick tried to pay attention to the conversation. Everyone had finished eating. Rachel was looking at something on her phone, while Slater helped Kim clean up the kitchen. Philip remained at the table and sipped his glass of water. “You seem a very decent fellow,” Philip said to him. “You looking to settle down with my boy?”

  Derrick wasn’t sure how to answer that. “Like Slater said earlier, we’re taking things slow. Finding our way. He’s a terrific guy, and I’m lucky to have him in my life.”

  Rachel muttered something he didn’t catch.

  “Time changes people,” Derrick continued now that he knew she was listening. He’d enjoyed engaging with the teenager, and he wanted her to give her dad a chance. “From what I’ve heard from my friends, Clean Slate Ranch is a place that gives extra chances to folks who’ve maybe messed up their first or second chance at life. Plus, it’s a really fun vacation spot. I spent a week there two years ago and loved it.”

  Philip laughed. “Don’t bother selling me a vacation package, I can’t afford it.” But he smiled as he spoke, and Philip glanced over his shoulder to where Slater was helping Kim with the dishes. “I take it he told you about his stint in prison?”

  Derrick’s chest went cold and tight.

  “Dad!” Slater whirled around, both hands dripping with soapy water, his face red and pinched. “Jesus Christ, really?”

  Philip frowned. “You’re living with the man and didn’t tell him? He has a right to know.” Next to Philip, Rachel went stiff all over.

  “Can we not do this in front of Rachel, please?” Slater asked, his pleading eyes fixed firmly on Derrick. Derrick wasn’t sure what to say, do or think, so he just nodded his consent. They were definitely talking about this when they got to the hotel.

  Someone banged on the front door, and then a chirpy female voice said, “Yoohoo! Anyone home?”

  Slater groaned, and Rachel didn’t look any happier about the new visitor. Before Derrick could ask, Slater mouthed, “My ex.”

  Uh oh.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Slater resisted the very real urge to raid his dad’s cupboards for the bottle of whiskey that was always on hand for “medicinal” purposes. Rachel said he’d stopped drinking but Dad kept the whiskey well hidden. Well, except from his bullheaded, rebellious teenage son, because Slater had gotten good at taking nips and refilling it with water.

  The last thing he needed to navigate after Dad accidentally dropped the prison bomb on Derrick was his ex-wife, Nina. As much as it pissed Slater off that Derrick found out about prison this way, Dad thought their relationship was real, and he’d probably assumed Slater wouldn’t move in with someone without revealing he was a felon. Now that was a conversation he needed to have with Derrick.

  Later. Right now, he had Nina to deal with. He’d loved her once, a long time ago, but time, resentment and her own string of bad choices had left her limited to one weekend a month with their daughter. She was also the harpy who’d gotten Slater’s time with Rachel reduced to supervised visits.

  His only saving grace was that his father or Kim could act as the supervising person, rather than a social worker. And they kindly gave him access whenever he got vacation time to come up here and hang out.

  “This is going to be fun,” Rachel said softly as she rose to answer the door.

  Slater grabbed a towel and wiped off his dripping hands. He couldn’t stoop to mop up the floor because of the crutch, so Kim did it for him. In the other room, Nina let out excited squeals that hurt Slater’s ears. He couldn’t bring himself to look at Derrick as their entire quartet braced for the new arrival.

  Nina was still slender and pretty, her blond hair cut short in a way that suited her round face, and she had one arm looped around Rachel’s waist. She stopped short when she spotted Slater. He didn’t give her the satisfaction of doing more than blinking at her.

 
“I just got into town,” Nina said, “and I couldn’t wait to see my graduating baby. When did she get so old?”

  While you were off chasing the wrong men up and down the west coast?

  “Time flies when you’re out of town,” Slater deadpanned. The comment was meant as much for Nina as himself.

  “Yeah, well, you should know,” Nina fired back.

  “No way,” Rachel said. “If you guys are going to snipe, I’m out of here.”

  “I’m sorry, baby.” Nina tried to kiss her cheek, but Rachel expertly twisted out of the loose hold and moved to stand by Derrick. Someone Nina finally noticed. “And who’s this? One of your teachers?”

  Derrick snorted loudly.

  “That’s Dad’s boyfriend, Mom. His name is Derrick.”

  Nina’s confused gaze shifted from Slater to Derrick and back again. “He’s your what?”

  “My boyfriend,” Slater snapped, his temper sizzling hot and hard below the surface. “He’s been a godsend since I busted my ankle, and he was gracious enough to come with me for Rachel’s graduation. Derrick, this is my ex-wife, Nina...what’s your last name right now?”

  The dig worked because her eyes narrowed. “Austin. Nina Austin. And since when are you gay?”

  “When did I ever tell you I was straight?”

  “Nina, dear,” Kim said, “can I get you something to drink? I have fresh iced tea.”

  “Yes, thank you,” Nina said. She turned a familiar smile onto Derrick that made all of Slater’s senses go on high alert. “So, how did you meet Ken?”

  Derrick looked confused for a few seconds before he made the connection to Slater’s legal name. “His place of work. We hit it off. Stayed in touch. Things progressed from there. And it’s nice to meet you, Ms. Austin.”

  “Miss.”

  Slater knew this move. Flirt and tease and try to take away anything good in his life. But today, he didn’t care. Derrick displayed no signs of being remotely interested in Nina; he was simply being polite in the presence of a new person.