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furrowed his brow. “That won’t be a problem, since I don’t smoke. Now my buddy Larry—he’s a different story. I’ve been telling him to stop since senior year, but he’s still a pack-a-day guy.”
    “In that case, maybe. I’ll just have to see.”
    Ty inserted the check in his wallet. He was getting closer, but he’d have to go to plan B to close the deal. He had no intention of leaving without committing Cat to a date. Dropping down on his haunches, he turned his attention to her son. “Hey, little man, do you want to go to dinner with me?”
    A big smile spread across the boy’s face. “Yeah!”
    “Good, I’ll pick you up on Friday at seven o’clock. Will you make sure you bring your mom?”
    Danny’s expression went from excited to thoughtful. “Okay, but how many days away is that?”
    Ty straightened up and tousled the boy’s blond hair. “Three days. I’ll be here in three days.” Tipping his hat, he winked at Cat. “See you Friday.”
    Seconds later, he turned the key in the ignition of the old Dodge and pumped the gas pedal to keep the engine from dying.
    “Boss, you like that señorita, no?” said Ricardo from the passenger side.
    Fighting to keep a straight face, Ty shrugged his shoulders and drove away. They swung by a fast-food drive-thru on the way back. He hoped to avoid going up to the house until he finished the thirty acres, or there’d be explaining to do.
    Ty and Ricardo combined until after dark. Afterward, as he walked across the porch, Ty could hear a basketball game on the TV in the family room. He pulled open the screen door to the kitchen and let it slam closed. He grabbed the nearly empty gallon of milk from the fridge. Glancing behind to ensure his mom hadn’t walked in, he held the jug to his open mouth and guzzled what was left. He stood with the fridge door open, reveling in the cool air. He missed the air conditioning in his apartment. He missed his car. And he missed the ocean. A cold shower would have to suffice. He’d clean up and then watch the last quarter of the game with his dad.
    Walking through the family room he said, “Hey, Dad, what’s the score?”
    “Lakers are up 56 to 48. Why you workin’ so late, Son? I thought you’d have that field done well before supper.”
    Ty paused. “We got a late start. The alfalfa took longer than I expected this morning.”
    “Was there a problem?”
    “Nope. How did your doctor appointment go?”
    “It went good. Doc said I’m healing up fine.”
    “That’s great. I’ll shower and come watch the game with you.”
    One cold shower later, Ty sat on the couch in his gym shorts. It was too hot for anything more. Half listening to the television, he checked emails from work on his smartphone. After he’d responded to the most urgent messages, he searched for restaurants in the area. He wanted something nice for Cat and her son, but not too nice. He wouldn’t want her feeling uncomfortable, especially with Danny there. It had to be a place that catered to kids.
    He shook his head in dismay. She was all he could think about. He hadn’t been this infatuated with a girl since high school. The monotony of combining all afternoon provided hours of Cat Lewis daydreaming time. And Ty had used every minute for just that. His list of curiosities regarding her had to be a mile long. He doubted one dinner date would be enough time to get them all answered, but it was a good place to start. Three more days—Danny wouldn’t be the only one counting down.
    Ty’s phone vibrated with the ringtone from one of his favorite songs. “Hello,” he said.
    “Hi, Ty.” He recognized Ashley’s voice. They had dated for the past eight months. “Do you miss me? I miss you like crazy, Ty. I fed your fish, watered your plants, and checked on your car. Everything’s fine here at your apartment. How’s your dad?” Thankfully she hadn’t paused for an answer to the “do you miss me” question. He would’ve had to lie. He had