Layne grinned. “Day’s lookin’ up.”

Rocky grinned back. “Definitely.” Then her grin faded and she stated, “He’ll make bail.”

Layne shook his head. “Don’t worry, Roc, Paige and Seth will stay where they are until they’re safe. They’ll be covered.”

She nodded and asked, “Did Jas call you during lunch?”

“Nope,” Layne answered. “Everything okay?”

She nodded again and said, “Yeah. Apparently Tripp negotiated a double date.”

“Come again?”

“He asked Giselle if she’d ask her parents if it was okay, after football practice but before Youth Group, if Giselle could go out with Jas, Keira and him for pizza and then Jasper could take her home and they said yes.”

Layne smiled. Jas was right. Religious or not, the parents had caved.

“Why are you smiling?” Rocky asked.

“Nothin’, sweetcheeks.”

She let it go and announced, “That means I’m heading home tonight.”

Layne’s smile died. “Why?”

“The boys won’t be at your place, you told me you have to work late and then you’re staking out Gaines’s car so you won’t be there and as much as I like Devin, without you and Jasper and Tripp running interference, I don’t know if I could take a night of mostly full on Vera while waiting for you to come home.”

It was definitely time to have another chat with his mother.

“Roc –”

“Anyway,” she interrupted him. “It feels like I haven’t been home in ages so it’ll be good to go through mail, make sure no lab experiments are fermenting in my fridge and watch something other than football and cop shows.”

“There’s something other than football and cop shows?” Layne asked and she smiled.

“Yes, celebrity dance contests,” she answered, Layne tipped his head back to look at the ceiling and tipped it down when he felt her press close. “I’m kidding, sweetheart. I hate those shows. I much prefer football.”

His hands gave her h*ps a squeeze, the bell rang and her head turned to the side.

“Key,” he said quickly and she looked back at him.

“Sorry?”

“Drop your extra key at my house or in the mail slot in the door to my office. Text me where you put it. I’ll come over when I’m done and spend the night at your place tonight.”

She looked to the side again as the noise the kids were making unsupervised got louder and then back to him.

“You sure?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

“What about Jasper and Tripp?”

“They’re not kids anymore, sweetcheeks, and anyway, Vera and Devin are there. Devin can have a bed. He’ll be f**kin’ thrilled.”

She looked to the side again and whispered, “I have to go.”

“Roc. Key,” he ordered on a squeeze of his hands at her h*ps and she looked at him.

“Mail slot at your office. Just in case Devin isn’t home when I stop by.”

Yep. He definitely needed another chat with his mother.

“Right,” he said.

She made to move away from him, repeating, “I have to go,” and Layne released her.

“Baby,” he called when she’d walked three feet away and she turned back. “You owe me a make out session.”

She grinned. Then she disappeared.

Layne found the backstage door and headed down the side hall to the corridor and then to the office where he signed out and made nice with all the office ladies, keeping them sweet because he figured, with Rocky working there, one day he’d need it.

Layne was headed out the front doors when he heard his name called and he turned to see Nick Fullerton jogging down the hall toward him.

“Heard you were in the school. Glad I caught you,” Nick said when he made it to Layne.

“Hey Nick, everything all right?” Layne asked and Nick grinned.

“Yeah, got promoted officially to head coach today,” Nick answered.

Layne shook his hand and clapped him on the shoulder. “Congratulations. Way you called the second half of the game Friday, they made the right choice.”

“Thanks, man,” Nick was still grinning. “Anyway, been spendin’ the last coupla days in Adrian’s office, goin’ through stuff. Just wondered if there’s a reason Jas isn’t talkin’ to the scouts. He decide he’s not goin’ to college or something?”

Layne felt the muscles in his neck contract. “What?”

“Scouts,” Nick said. “From Ohio State, Illinois and Ball State. They’re interested in Jasper. They know he’s got the goods even if he isn’t handling the ball. He’ll make all-county and, he performs under me, maybe all-state. He doesn’t have great grades but he’s scored high on the SATs and he’s a class officer.”

Layne felt a muscle jump in his cheek before he said low, “Nick, far’s I know, Jasper hasn’t heard word that any scouts have come forward and declared interest. We knew they were scoutin’ but nothin’ after that.”

Nick stared at him hard.

Then he said, “I’ll return some calls.”

“Obliged,” Layne murmured, Nick nodded and turned to jog back down the hall.

Layne watched him for three beats until his neck relaxed and his temper was under control.

Then he turned and walked out the door.

* * * * *

“Merry, you been dodgin’ me for three days. You get this, you call me. I don’t hear from you by tomorrow, I hunt you down,” Layne growled into his phone and snapped it shut.

No sooner had he closed it when it chimed in his hand and he looked to see he had a text from Rocky. He opened his phone and read it.

Going to bed early. Have a headache. You don’t need to come over. See you tomorrow?

Layne clenched his teeth and hit the reply button with his thumb.

I’ll be over.

He hit send, flipped the phone shut, tossed it on the seat beside him and looked out the windshield of his truck toward the side doors of the church.

Youth Group should be out any minute now.

He wanted to get this done. He wanted to shut Gaines down; find a way to make Adrian Cosgrove pay for beating his wife and son and f**king with Jasper’s future; rest in the knowledge his ex-wife was safe in her own home; take down Rutledge and whoever was pulling his strings; bring Jarrod Astley low so he’d be out of Roc’s life; talk his mother into getting her shit together or getting her ass back to Florida; and he wanted to talk to Merry so he could sort Rocky out.