Junkyard Dog(15)

“Gussy,” he mumbles, petting the white cat on his lap. “Who’s the broad?”

“This is my assistant, Candy,” Hayes tells him. “I told you about her.”

“Yeah,” Balthazar says. “She’s a looker.”

“Yeah. She’ll come by and check on you when I’m busy.”

“Pawning me off on others again, huh, son?”

“Save the guilt, old man. I’m not interested.”

Balthazar smiles. “You woke me from my nap. Never could whisper.”

Hayes stretches, scraping his hands on the ceiling.

“Don’t break my shit, boy.”

“Well, this was fun.”

I look at the two men and enjoy their bickering. Hayes notices me smiling and shakes his head.

“Don’t.”

“What’s your cat’s name?” I ask Balthazar.

“Gladys the Cat.”

Hayes says, “My mother’s name was Gladys.”

“I didn’t want to learn a new name,” Balthazar explains.

The two men don’t share a single physical resemblance. Hayes is larger than life; Balthazar is tiny. My boss has an olive tint to his skin while his father looks like he’ll burst into flames if in the sun for too long. Hayes has darker than sin eyes; Balthazar possesses sparkling blue ones. Clearly, Gussy didn’t gain anything genetic from his old man.

I feel Hayes wanting to leave already. He doesn’t have to say anything or even gesture for me to get moving. I simply feel his tension amp up. We’re in sync already, and I can usually tell when he wants fresh coffee before he yells for a refill.

Now Hayes wants to leave. I don’t know if he’s worried I’ll embarrass him with his dad or if his father will be the one to do the embarrassing. I just know Hayes wants to get the hell out of the house.

I wave goodbye to Balthazar, who watches me while petting his cat. Hayes is already at his truck by the time I reach the porch.

“What’s the hurry?”

“He needs his nap.”

“He seems nice.”

“He is.”

Hayes climbs into his truck and then leans over to help pull me into the passenger seat.

“Are you embarrassed by me?” I ask.

“Yes.”

I grin at him. “You don’t look like your dad.”

“Don’t start shit with me, Candy.”

“Ah, the answers are falling into place,” I say, buckling myself into the seat. “What next?”

“I need to run by a few sites, and then we’ll go to lunch.”

“Is this the house you grew up in?”

“Yes.”

I look back at the house shrinking into the distance. “You must have ducked a lot.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Can we listen to music then?” I ask, already reaching for the radio buttons.

Hayes says nothing while I flip around until finding a song from George Strait.

After finishing at one construction site, we return to the truck.

“I’ll keep an eye out on your dad,” I promise.

“I know. You’re good at your job.”

“You’re acting weird.”

“He’s getting old, and he’ll die one day, and that makes me sad.”

“Wait, so this is what you’re like when emotional? Huh, it’s similar to a sad robot, I guess.”

“Don’t make me tell you to shut up again.”

“I never actually shut up when you say that. Not sure why you waste your time.”

Hayes smiles slightly and then honks at another car full of old ladies.

“Morons,” he grumbles.

“They’re old.”

“So they shouldn’t drive. I took away my dad’s license when he got dangerous.”

“You take good care of him. It makes me respect you more to see that side of you.”

“Don’t care.”

“I bet you do. In fact, I bet my compliment made you blush on the inside.”

Rolling his eyes, Hayes asks, “How is the rental place?”

“It’s really nice. Thank you.”

“Do the kids like having their own rooms?”

“Yeah, but they still share a bed. It’s habit.”

“Weak.”

“Said the man who nearly cried while visiting his dad.”

Hayes glares at me, but his evil expression only makes me laugh. He’s so sexy when he throws a fit.

“The kids want a pet. I’m leaning toward getting a goldfish, but they’re set on a cat.”

“Goldfish?” he asks, grinning. “You’re so f*cking lazy.”

“True, but pets take a lot of effort.”

“Not really.”

“You say that because someone else takes Nightmare to the vet and for walks. You’re f*cking lazy too, boss.”

“Yeah, but I’m not goldfish lazy.”

“Whatever. They want a cat, and if they keep asking for long enough, I’ll take them to the shelter to find one.”

“Don’t get a shitty shelter cat.”

“Where else am I going to get a cat? Please don’t say pet store because that’s just stupid.”