Poppy's Picnic (Poppy's Place Short) Read Online Free PDF Page B

head back to see the stars. “Honest, pretty fucking shitty.”
    Silence met his curses, but he didn’t care. This was the kind of epic failure moment he hadn’t endured since he quit the police force in California. There’d been reasons, plenty of them, but he’d still left, abandoning his commitments. He’d walked away from a woman he wanted to love, a job he genuinely enjoyed, and headed home with his tail between his legs. Failure.
    “You’re going to have to elaborate,” Duane said.
    “My advisor e-mailed me. I won’t be eligible to apply for the Bar exam until next winter—a year and a fucking half from now instead of in a few months like we planned There was an administration change last year…. Fuck, I couldn’t even read the rest. I knew I might need to take some stupid remedial classes, but Admissions swore the paperwork went through, that I was in the clear. These classes are not even law related—bullshit they should have had me do at the start but said I had qualified transfers.”
    He wanted to throw something. He’d busted his balls for months on end to finish before Christmas. It had been his ultimate goal, to start the new year as a lawyer. Now, he could only retake courses he’d already mastered once. More money. More time. More…bullshit.
    “That is a pisser, son,” his father said. “I’m not even sure I know anyone who we could talk to in order to straighten it out.”
    “I’m not a fucking teenager who needs your help.”
    Duane whistled. “You sure sound like one.”
    Michael tore his fingers through his hair. “I’m nearly forty, and I haven’t started my career. This is crap. I’m supposed to have my shit together and support my family.”
    “So do it. Keep helping Cody on the ranch and Thomas at his office until you can take your test. Once you can, ace the damn thing and quit your bitching.”
    Michael snorted, but the short burst of laughter didn’t feel at all jovial. “Right. I’ll get on that. No bitching.”
    “Listen, bud, it’s not the end of the world. We all run into unfair setbacks. You’re ready for that test. Thomas swears to it all the time. You’re ready, you know what you’re doing, and you could be practicing law tomorrow. Doesn’t mean shit if you still need credits. Sucks. I know. I’ve been there.”
    Michael was complaining to the wrong one of his fathers. Duane had served as a nurse in Vietnam, a position rife with many added tasks during wartime. He’d returned home and, according to Mary, spent the next three years swearing through med school.
    “I’ll just get over it,” Michael muttered.
    “You’re damn right you will. It’s a hard blow, though. You deserve to be angry. Give those administrators hell. Use that law crap you already know to make sure you don’t pay a cent for those extra classes they said were already yours.”
    “I don’t know how you handled it. Mom told me you were ready to open your own practice within a few months, but you still had to deal with bullshit. It kills me knowing I’m not doing a hell of a lot for Poppy and the kids. Even if Cody and Trev do fine, I still want to be adding to our household”
    “I understand. When I came back, I was about as helpful as a third nipple on Paul.”
    “I shouldn’t have compared, Dad. I know you had your reasons,” Michael said.
    “We all have our reasons. I’m glad you don’t have mine.” Duane tossed a log into the fire. “Mine left me coming into a new relationship with bindings on my mind, keeping me from seeing the good in front of me. Hell, my hands were even literally tied for a while. It shakes a man not to be the one his woman needs. You don’t have to worry about Poppy. That girl—she’s gold, just like Mary.”
    “Yeah, we’re lucky guys,” The reassurance and camaraderie eased some of his irritation. It would take time before he felt back on track, but the desire to throw things had passed. He picked up the beer bottle he’d set next to