Page 118 of Jackrabbit

“Now.”

“Fine,” Colt grumbled, already walking toward the door.

Beau turned back to his customer, a seventy-five-year-old woman who had been seeing him for all her maintenance since he’d opened. She was staring at Colt’s retreating back. When Beau cleared his throat, she turned back to him with a smile like she’d just witnessed a work of art.

“My, they do make them pretty these days, don’t they?” She sighed and handed him her card. “To be young again.”

“You’re married.” Beau ran her card and handed her the receipt. “And he’s in his twenties.”

“Don’t ruin my fun, Mercer,” she chastised. “I’m allowed to use my eyes, you know.”

“Mhmm.” Beau tapped his fingers on the desk. “Be about an hour today. Got someone in front of you. But Joyce put out a new special this morning. Some banana bread French toast thing. She’ll wanna see you.”

“Thanks, sugar.”

She left, and Beau waited exactly one second after the door had closed before he followed Colt into his office and shut the door. The boy was chugging an electrolyte drink he’d taken out of Beau’s mini fridge, a shop towel around his neck. He’d been gone before Beau woke up that morning—left him coffee but hadn’t answered his texts.

“You been in the gym all morning?” Beau went to his desk drawer and pulled out a protein bar, which he handed over.

“Gym doesn’t open until five,” Colt said as he ripped the bar open and took a chomp. “Ran around the building for a while until it did. Hey, can we try to book the track tonight? I know it’s late, but—”

“Got the track booked every night this week,” Beau informed him. He grabbed another clean shop towel out of the box on top of his filing cabinet and threw it at Colt’s face. “Get cleaned up and get to work.”

Colt grinned and hooked the towel around Beau’s neck. He used it to pull him in for a kiss, all salt and tongue with the faint aftertaste of grapefruit. Then he let go and took the towel with him to the bathroom. Beau shook his head and ran a hand over his own hair.

Chapter 49

Eleven Days Until Charlotte

“Beau, I’m fine,”Colt insisted as he tied his sneakers and batted Toast away from the laces.

Beau crossed his arms. “Boy, you’re taking the day off.”

“I can’t.” Colt shook his head, and Toast leaped on his hand to snatch a lace between his teeth. “Testing is so soon. I have to be ready.”

“You’ll be useless if you run yourself into the ground before that.” Toast yowled when Beau reached down to pick him up, squirming in his arms for a beat before he realized there was no point and settling with a huff. “You’ve barely slept. You only eat when I make you. You’re working too hard.”

“Good thing I have you to keep me in check.” Colt grinned at him, and Beau sighed.

“Fine. But you’re doing exactly the workout I lay out for you, and nothing more.” Beau set Toast down on the back of the couch and grabbed his keys. “And then you’re having an ice bath—don’t whine at me—and sleeping until we go to the track. Y’hear me?”

“Yes, sir,” Colt teased, and Beau rolled his eyes.

“Let’s go.”

By the time they were done at the track that night, Colt could barely keep his eyes open. He’d never napped like Beau wanted him to, had spent the time in bed watching his own races on repeat and trying to find every flaw. Now he was sitting on Beau’s couch with one of his arms folded over the back, his eyesdrifting closed every few seconds while he drank the smoothie Beau had made him.

He was asleep the next time Beau turned around, the straw still stuck in his mouth, Toast sniffing at the drip he’d left on the couch. Beau shook his head and set aside the food he’d made. The battle between food and sleep was going to be a tough one. Sleep could win for now.

Colt half-woke as Beau picked him up and carried him to the bedroom. Like a cat, he pushed his face against Beau’s chest and rubbed his cheek on his shirt. “Hey, Beau?”

“Yeah?” Beau set Colt in bed and fished his phone out of the pocket of his sweats.

“What if I’m not good enough?” Colt blinked at him, slow and sleepy. “What If I get there and I—”

“You are good enough, Colt.” Beau pushed his hair back from his forehead. “I wouldn’t let you go if you weren’t.”

Colt blinked at him again, slower this time, before his eyes closed and he was out. The bed dipped with Toast’s weight when hopped up onto it and settled himself against Colt’s back. He stared at Beau for a long moment before giving him a silent meow and rubbing his head against Colt’s shirt.