He was chewing when he asked Dev, “How was your day?”
Devin looked in his eyes and pointedly didn’t look at Rocky. “Good.”
“How good?” Layne pressed.
“Real good.”
Layne swallowed, grinned and tagged another carrot he threw in his mouth before he asked Dev, “Oxygen gettin’ thin?”
“I already hear someone chokin’,” Dev replied.
Layne grabbed another slice of carrot and Rocky said, “As fascinating as you and Devin talking in code is, Layne, you take another carrot, you’ll find your hand stuck to the counter with my knife.”
Devin chuckled and Layne tossed the carrot into his mouth before he put that hand back to her belly, her body, which had relaxed, went stiff again and his mouth went back to her ear. “Baby, I’ve had four cups of coffee and a breaded tenderloin sandwich today. Aren’t you concerned for my nutrition?”
Her head turned, his came up and she looked him in the eyes. “I’m thinking you’re healthy enough.”
He dipped his face close to hers and whispered, “You have no idea, but, you want, later I can show you.”
The fire died out of her eyes, the intensity went into them, she stared up at him, totally off-balance and he knew this because she swallowed.
He fought the urge to kiss her as the boys, with dog, re-entered the room carrying new weapons to attack their filthy house and Layne decided to give Raquel a break, moved away from her and toward the bags.
“Tripp, do a good job but do it fast. We gotta have a conversation before Keira gets here,” he announced as he emptied the bottles from the bags and he felt all eyes turn to him.
“Jesus, boy, you havin’ a teenager over for dinner or you hostin’ a rave?” Devin asked as the bottles were unveiled.
“Rocky likes red wine,” Layne replied and he felt Rocky’s body, already on alert, jerk to solid beside him.
“Yeah, I’m seein’ that and then some,” Dev muttered.
“What do we have to talk about, Dad?” Tripp called Layne’s attention to him.
“Finish in the bathroom, Pal then we’ll talk.”
Tripp and Jasper both eyed him then Tripp disappeared and Jasper plugged in the thing that electronically sucked shit up from tile and wood floors.
While his boys did this, Dev caught Rocky’s attention and they started chatting as Layne put away the bottles of booze and opened one of the reds. He poured her a glass, got himself a beer and then walked back to her to set her glass beside her workspace on the island, workspace she was clearing now that the gargantuan salad was done.
When her eyes went to the glass then lifted to him, he muttered, “Sorry, sweetcheeks, we don’t have any fancy glasses in the house.”
“That’s okay, they drink it like that in Italy,” she replied, reaching out to grab the small glass, she turned to Dev. “I’ve never been to Italy, of course, but that’s the way they drink it in movies set in Italy and I always thought that was cool.” She lifted her glass and reached toward Dev, finishing, “Welcome to the ‘burg, Devin.”
He clinked his bottle of beer against her glass, sucked back a pull and, after swallowing, said, “Dev, darlin’. Pretty girls get to call me Dev.”
She smiled at him. “Dev, then.”
“You got time tomorrow, you can give me a tour of the ‘burg,” Dev invited as if he already hadn’t scouted out the lay of the land.
“I’d love that but I’ve got to work,” Rocky replied. “But I’ll tell you that it’ll be worth your while to get up early, go to Hilligoss Bakery and get yourself a donut. I’ve never been to Italy, or anywhere else really, but I’d put down money on any donut from Hilligoss going up against anything in the world and winning.”
“I haven’t been to Italy either but I’ve been around and Roc isn’t lyin’,” Layne added.
“Your treat tomorrow then, boy,” Dev told him.
“Done in the bathroom!” Trip shouted, rounding the corner and running toward the utility room at the same time juggling an armload of bathroom cleaning stuff.
Layne looked to Jas to see he was also done and winding the cord up. He turned to the back counter, saw Rocky’s purse sitting by the coffeemaker, walked to it and dug through it until he found her keys.
Then he turned to Jasper as he heard Rocky start to say, “What are you –?”
“Jas,” he called over her, Jasper’s head came up and Layne tossed his son the keys which Jasper nabbed one-handed. “You pull the Charger out then pull Rocky’s Merc in the garage.”
“Layne –” Rocky began.
Layne talked over her. “Get Dev’s keys too, pull the Calais into the drive behind the Merc.”
“But –” Rocky tried again.
“You get Keira, you park behind the Suburban. Drop the door after you pull in the Merc,” Layne finished.
“Right Dad,” Jasper said, carried the sweeper to the utility room and disappeared as Tripp reappeared.
“Layne, you can’t –” Rocky started and Layne looked at her.
“HOA isn’t big on cars parked on the street overnight.”
“Over –” she began again, this time in a whisper.
“HOA?” Dev cut in, sounding disgusted. “Tanner Layne, the boy I proudly watched dodge bullets to enter a house filled with hostiles in order to grab a hostage, a rescue during which he took two boys out with only a half-filled clip in his gun, and he ran out without a nick on him carrying that hostage, is livin’ in a place with a home owners association?”
Layne heard Rocky suck in breath at the same time he heard Tripp shout, “You did that Dad?”
“Damn straight he did it, boy,” Devin growled at Tripp then his eyes cut to Layne. “A dog, an HOA and domestication, three things I did not think I’d ever see attached to you.”
“Things change, Dev,” Layne replied, acutely aware that, for some reason, Rocky was staring at him and she was not doing it the same way Tripp was.