Page 21 of Bad Decisions & Back Roads

“The more noise there is?”I squeezed his shoulder and let go.“The more it means we’re still here.Still fighting for each other.”I glanced toward the driveway, where Erika had torn out like she meant it.“Josh needs tonight to remind her of that.”

“Eww.No…please erase the image of them…at night.”Vinny made a grossed-out face.

“Fact of life, kid.Where there’s passion, there’s fireworks.”

ChapterEight

GIA

The Butterand Rein Steakhouse on Main Street was loud for a Wednesday.It was the kind of loud that made me lean in like I was about to share secrets with someone I didn’t know well enough.

I hadn’t been on a date in years, but Deck qualified as what I’d generously call alow-effortexperience.He hadn’t opened the doors for me, hadn’t pulled out my chair, andhadchecked his phone three times before the waitress even brought water.

Maybe it was because he was younger than me by a few years.Or maybe this was on point for Deck.He had a slightly unkempt look, with overgrown hair that needed a cut weeks ago.His half-assed shave couldn’t decide what it was doing.And his clothes made me question if he knew how to fold laundry.

I was here out of curiosity.I almost canceled after I heard he worked for Timothy, but then a thought had slipped in—quiet, opportunistic, and a little unethical.I wanted to know more about Timothy’s life beyond the fact he was divorced and now a single parent.This wasn’t about my father’s stupid vendetta.

Across from me, Deck kept tapping the side of his water glass like he was trying to send a distress signal through condensation.His gaze flicked through his slightly too-long, dark bangs toward where the waitress had disappeared, lingering like she might return carrying emotional stability instead of a beer.

I was going to have to drive this.

“Did you grow up in Vision?”I asked.

His head snapped up like I’d called on him in class.“Nah.Moved here about five years ago from Boone.”

And…that was it.

I gave it a beat.Two beats.Three.Surely more words were coming.

They did not.

“So, you’re in construction?”I tried again.

“HVAC stuff.Installing A/C units, furnaces.That kind of thing.”He shrugged, like climate control was a casual hobby.“What about you?What do you do?”His eyes dropped to my chest.Not in a flattering way.More like he’d lost something down there and was hoping it might turn up.

I resisted the urge to check.

“I’m a veterinarian.”

“That’s fire,” he said, nodding like I’d told him I could juggle knives.“My boss’s sister-in-law and brother are vets.They own the big new complex out closer to the interstate.”

I know.

His gaze drifted south again, this time more committed to the view.“Your freckles are beautiful.”

I blinked.That was…technically a compliment.

“Uh, thanks?”The words came out like a question I hadn’t meant to ask.I took a sip of water I didn’t want.Could this get any more awkward?

His phone rang.Who the hell kept their ringer on during a date?

Deck glanced down, and the color drained from his face so fast it was almost impressive.“I’m sorry, I have to take this.Can you give me a few minutes?I’m going to step outside.”

“Okay.”

He was already halfway gone before I finished the word.But then he stopped.Just stopped in the middle of the restaurant like he’d run into a wall no one else could see.

A person.