Waiting On You (Blue Heron #3)(62)

Lucas waited until his cousin had killed another innocent person on-screen, then said, “Hey, Bryce.”

“Dude! Good to see you,” Bryce said, grinning up at him.

“How’s it going?”

“Excellent. Want to play?”

“Another time, maybe.”

“Sure. What can I do you for?” Bryce turned off the game.

“So how are things jobwise these days?” he asked.

Bryce nodded. “Yeah. Well, I do a little work at the shelter and the gym, you know?”

“You ever think about getting certified as a trainer?”

“Maybe. Sure, I guess. I don’t know, though. Might not be fun anymore if I had to do it for a living.”

“What would you like to do for a living, Bryce? You’re past thirty now. Maybe living at home is getting old?”

“Are you kidding? It’s great.”

Technically, they were the same age. It never felt like that.

“I guess I want to see you moving forward, buddy,” Lucas said. “You know. Have a career, your own place...you mentioned wanting a family someday.”

“Definitely. I love kids.”

“But you have to take some steps, Bryce. Those things don’t just happen.”

“Right, right.” He nodded sagely.

“So maybe we could work on that while I’m around.” He paused. “I think it’d mean a lot to your dad if he could see you a little more settled, Bryce.”

“Yeah. Uh...what do you mean?”

Lucas paused. There was a touching, if somewhat pathetic, innocence in Bryce’s eyes. “Bryce, your dad’s not doing well. He won’t be around much longer.”

Bryce stiffened. “Actually, he’s doing great. I mean, the dialysis is just as good as a regular liver.”

“Kidney.”

“That’s what I meant. Besides, he’ll get a new kidney any day.” Bryce started picking at a hole in his jeans.

“He’s not on the transplant list, buddy. The cancer ruled that out.”

“I’ll give him my kidney.” Bryce’s eyes filled with tears.

“And I’d give him mine, if it would help.” Lucas put a hand on Bryce’s shoulder. “His biggest concern is you. He wants you to have a great life—”

“I do have a great life. And my dad...I’ll talk to him. But he’s not going anywhere. I won’t let him. Anyway, why are you talking about the job stuff?”

“I have some construction work to do while I’m here. Maybe you could help.” Bryce looked unconvinced. “We could hang out, you know? And you could learn some construction skills, and who knows? You might like it.”

Bryce mulled that over. “Okay,” he said, grinning. “Sure! Swing some hammers, then grab a few beers at O’Rourke’s, go down to the lake, maybe pick up some girls.”

Lucas closed his eyes briefly. “Sure. Sounds good. Pick you up tomorrow morning, okay?”

At that moment, the window shattered with a crash, causing them both to jump.

“What the heck?” Bryce said. He ran up the stairs and out the front door, slamming it behind him hard enough to make the house shake.

But the window was on the side of the house, not the front. Lucas went over to it, his feet crunching on the broken glass, and looked outside.

Colleen O’Rourke was standing in Didi’s lilacs, staring at the street, talking on the phone.

He opened the door that led to the backyard and, his feet silent on the grass, went up behind her.

Ah. Paulie Petrosinsky was standing in front of her little Porsche, wiping her hands on her thighs. Bryce stood with her, talking amiably.

“Okay, Paulie,” Colleen muttered, “I want you to—”

“What are you doing, Colleen?”

She jumped, hitting her head on a branch. “Jesus! You scared me!” she hissed.

“Jesus, you scared me!” Paulie barked, her voice clearly heard from the phone.

“What?” Bryce asked, his voice audible, as well.

“Nothing,” Colleen said.

“Nothing!” Paulie said.

For the love of God. “Give that to me,” Lucas said.

“No,” Colleen said.

“No,” Paulie echoed.

Colleen tapped the mute button on her iPhone. “Still good at sneaking around, I see,” she grumbled.

He felt a smile start in his chest. Yep. Once or twice (four times, actually), he’d sneaked into her own yard, climbed the trellis to her bedroom and spent a happy night wrapped around her. They’d drawn the line at actual sex, but just barely.

Happy times.

Colleen seemed to be thinking the same things, because her face got pink.

“What are you doing here?” he asked softly.

“I’m trying to help Paulie make Bryce feel manly.”

“How?”

“By having her act feminine and helpless,” she said.

“Ah. So she has engine trouble?”

“I slashed her front tire. Think Bryce can change a flat?”

“No.”

She grinned, and Lucas felt it like an electric shock.

Once, Colleen had been the prettiest girl around.

Now, she was beautiful.