If there was one thing she didn’t like about Kevin, it was that he was too perfect for a twelve-year-old boy. Too polite. Too grateful. Too quiet and accommodating.
She wanted him to be comfortable enough to be himself. To maybe complain now and then, make a few demands.
Be a kid.
But she had no idea how to reach him, how to reassure him enough that he’d let loose and just accept his changed circumstances, so she returned Jesse’s smile instead. “Thank you both.” Hoping for some confirmation on their relationship, she said, “I could get used to this, getting compliments from my two favorite guys.”
Jesse gave her a quick glance, then winked at Kevin and said, “Anytime you want to cook for me, believe me, I’ll pour on the compliments. All of them sincere. Right, Kevin?”
“Heck, yeah.”
But Jesse went one further. “Long as you know Kevin and I don’t take your hard work for granted. Whenever you don’t feel like cooking, we’re fine with takeout.” And he said again, “Right, Kevin?”
Tonya loved how Jesse always included him.
Scooping up his last bite of mashed potatoes, Kevin nodded. “Sure.”
Watching him, Tonya could tell he had something else on his mind. She put her fork aside. “Everything okay?”
Startled, he looked up at her, blanched, glanced at the paper he’d put beside his plate, then nodded. “Yeah.”
“What do you have there?”
He smoothed out the paper, taking an inordinate amount of time to get a fold out of the corner.
Done eating, Jesse pushed his plate back and crossed his arms on the table. “What’s up?”
Loudly clearing his throat, twice, Kevin handed Tonya the paper. “I was thinking about, maybe, well...”
“Sports?” Tonya prompted, after glancing at the activity details. “Football or soccer?”
Jesse leaned around to see the athletic sign-up form. “You’d be terrific at either one.”
Appearing anxious and somewhat embarrassed, Kevin said, “I’ve never played.”
“No one could tell,” Jesse assured him. “You’re naturally athletic.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely. You can learn the rules, piece of cake. But you’re already fast and strong, and you have good moves. No one can teach you that.”
His ears turned red, but he fought a grin over the praise. “Thanks.”
“If you want, I can go over some of the basics with you.”
“For football or soccer?” Tonya asked him.
Jesse shrugged. “Whichever he wants. I played just about every sport through high school.”
That didn’t surprise Tonya. Jesse was definitely a guy’s guy, very physical and macho. But he was also incredibly intuitive and, at all the right times, exceedingly gentle.
Toying with his fork, Kevin avoided eye contact. “It’s kind of expensive.”
Tonya went back to the paper. Indeed. The sign-up fee, the cost of the uniform, did add up.
“Uh-oh,” Jesse said. “I think this qualifies as another one of those times for talking.”
Tonya elbowed him but said, “He’s right.” She tipped her head, giving Kevin a direct look. “We’re in this together, right?”
Kevin halfheartedly lifted one shoulder.
“We’re a family, and families have expenses. Like the school clothes, there will be dentist and doctor bills, school photos, sports, birthdays—”
Scowling, Kevin hunched his shoulders—his self-defense mechanism.
Jesse recognized it too, because he gave her a quick look. Tonya kept her attention on Kevin.
“There will be times when I need to budget things out. All families do that, Kevin.”
“My mom didn’t.”
“Your mom wasn’t well.”
His shoulders went tighter.
“I’m not her. I have a good job, and while we’re far from wealthy, I don’t ever want you to hesitate to bring things like this to me. Okay?”
He picked up a kitten and cuddled it close. “I was thinking I could try to get a job cutting grass or something.”
“Kevin,” Tonya said, wanting—needing—him to accept her in all the important ways.
Jesse grinned, drawing not only Tonya’s attention but Kevin’s too.
“What?” Kevin asked, shifting in his seat.
“I’m just proud of you, that’s all.”
Suspicion brought his brows together. “Proud? Why?”
“And you,” he said to Tonya. “Damn, but you’re both pretty special.”
Tonya and Kevin shared a look, prompting Jesse to laugh.
He wrapped a hand around Tonya’s neck and pulled her in for a loud smooch. “I know you want to do everything you can for him.”
“Of course I do. We’re—”
“Family. I get it.” Next he clasped Kevin’s shoulder. “You get it too, right?”
Still frowning, Kevin nodded.
“Great.” Jesse squeezed his shoulder and then sat back in his seat. “I was sixteen before I got my first job, so I’d say you have a little time for anything too consuming, but cutting grass is a great idea. I remember how terrific I felt earning a little money of my own.”
Tonya started to protest, but he cut her off.
“He knows you love him, honey. That doesn’t mean he can’t lift a finger. Look at him. He’s healthy as a horse. Cutting grass won’t hurt him.”
Kevin straightened his shoulders. “I was going to make some fliers and hand them out on our street.”
Pride swelled inside her. “I think that’d be pretty awesome.” She braced herself and said, “I’ll need to walk with you when you do.”
Kevin went still, his gaze darting helplessly to Jesse. “When I do what?”
“Hand them out.”
Brows going high, he asked, “Why?”
“Because you’re only twelve, and while I know the people right next door to me, I don’t really know anyone else and—”
“I’ll be careful.”
“And so will I.”
Flummoxed, he again looked at Jesse.
Jesse shrugged. “When I was sixteen—sixteen, Kevin—I started working at the grocery story. I remember my mom came up every day to buy something, just to make sure I was okay.”
That only left Kevin more horrified.
“One night,” Jesse said, “I had to bring in carts from the parking lot. It was raining.”
Tonya grinned, just knowing where this story might be headed.
“Yeah,” Jesse said with a shake of his head. “She and my dad came with raincoats and insisted on helping.” He laughed. “Back then, it embarrassed me. Now, I just appreciate how much they cared.”
Like a bottle of cola that someone shook up, Kevin looked ready to explode. But he still had the lid screwed on tight.
Too tight, Tonya decided.
Keeping her tone soft, she told him, “You can get mad, you know.”
Showing just a hint of mad, he glared at her. “You want me to be mad?”
“No, of course not.”
Jesse took his shoulder again. “She’s just saying it’s okay if you are. I got mad at my mom and dad, but it didn’t change anything. They still loved me, and still insisted on doing what they thought was right.”
The pressure built. Kevin worked his jaw. “She’s not my mom.”
Tonya was about to address that—she had no idea how—when a knock sounded on the kitchen door. She twisted to look behind her and found Brick and Merrily standing there, both smiling hugely. Knowing it was dinnertime, they’d crossed the backyard rather than walk around to the front door.
“Are we interrupting?” Merrily asked through the screen.