I had some blankets and a winter coat I’d taken from my house before they changed the locks. I think they realized I’d come in and taken things like that, and a couple hundred dollars from my mom’s purse.”
“I’m sorry,” Vince whispered.
Dustin shook his head. “I’m pretty sure I owe you my life, so don’t be. In fact, thank you. Thank you, a lot .”
Vince smiled a little. “You’re welcome.”
Chapter Nine
W HEN THEY had their traditional party for the Preakness Stakes race, Vince made sure he stayed well away from the beer. Not that he had much more personal information to divulge in a moment of drunkenness, at least not to Dustin. The last thing he needed was to spill his guts to someone else.
Dustin picked the same horse to win as he had before, and got lucky enough to win again. This time, though, he wasn’t the only winner.
“Don’t pick that horse to win the Belmont,” Mia warned him. “There hasn’t been a Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978. Won’t happen this year, either. Never does.”
Vince rolled his eyes. “Pick whoever you want to pick. Mia is going to pick him. She always does. She just wants less people to share the possible winnings with.”
“I can’t even plot my victory without you ruining it, can I?” Mia grumbled.
“Is this when I learn not to trust Mia?” Dustin questioned.
“Yes,” Vince answered at the same time that Mia said, “No.”
Dustin smiled. “Guess I’ll have to choose wisely.”
“H EY V INCE ?” Dustin asked one afternoon as Vince was standing at the arena fence watching Mia ride one of the horses in training.
“Yeah?” he replied, turning to look at Dustin as he took a spot at the fence beside him.
“If you’re free sometime, would you mind taking me to get a haircut?”
Vince smiled. “Sure. Actually, we can go once Mia is done here. Tired of the ponytail?”
Dustin nodded. “I hate having long hair. Can’t really cut your own hair very well, though.”
“I’ve never tried, so I’ll take your word on that,” Vince replied. “You want to try driving?”
Dustin looked slightly terrified. “Your truck?”
Vince shrugged. “Why not? I mean, you don’t have to, but I thought I would at least offer. I wouldn’t make you start off on the road. It’s Wednesday, I’m sure most church parking lots are empty.”
“Can I think about it?” Dustin asked.
“Yeah, we can get your hair cut first,” Vince agreed.
They were heading for the mall an hour later when Dustin looked over from the passenger seat and asked, “How hard is it to get a bank account?”
Vince shrugged. “You’re over eighteen, so I doubt it’s very hard.”
“I think it would be a good idea to get one,” Dustin told him, looking back out the windshield. “I feel bad that your dad pays me under the table because he knows I don’t have a bank account to deposit my paycheck into.”
Vince stopped for a red light and glanced over at him. “He actually suggested I take you to get one back when we got your ID and birth certificate. I didn’t want to overwhelm you then, and with everything in my own life, it slipped my mind. I’m sorry.”
Dustin shrugged. “Doesn’t matter to me. I can still get one now, though.”
The light turned green, and they started moving again. “We can do that. There’s a bank at the mall. It’s the same one my whole family uses, so I know it’s pretty good.”
“Thanks,” Dustin replied with a smile.
Vince thought the afternoon was quite successful. They got Dustin’s hair cut first, and it made him look totally different and more attractive. Vince tried not to think about the second observation—it wouldn’t be a good idea to start down that path. After that, they got him a checking account at the bank, bought some coffee for the road, and headed home. On the way, Dustin decided to try driving. So, in the parking lot of a local church, Vince parked the truck and traded seats with
“I’m sorry,” Vince whispered.
Dustin shook his head. “I’m pretty sure I owe you my life, so don’t be. In fact, thank you. Thank you, a lot .”
Vince smiled a little. “You’re welcome.”
Chapter Nine
W HEN THEY had their traditional party for the Preakness Stakes race, Vince made sure he stayed well away from the beer. Not that he had much more personal information to divulge in a moment of drunkenness, at least not to Dustin. The last thing he needed was to spill his guts to someone else.
Dustin picked the same horse to win as he had before, and got lucky enough to win again. This time, though, he wasn’t the only winner.
“Don’t pick that horse to win the Belmont,” Mia warned him. “There hasn’t been a Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978. Won’t happen this year, either. Never does.”
Vince rolled his eyes. “Pick whoever you want to pick. Mia is going to pick him. She always does. She just wants less people to share the possible winnings with.”
“I can’t even plot my victory without you ruining it, can I?” Mia grumbled.
“Is this when I learn not to trust Mia?” Dustin questioned.
“Yes,” Vince answered at the same time that Mia said, “No.”
Dustin smiled. “Guess I’ll have to choose wisely.”
“H EY V INCE ?” Dustin asked one afternoon as Vince was standing at the arena fence watching Mia ride one of the horses in training.
“Yeah?” he replied, turning to look at Dustin as he took a spot at the fence beside him.
“If you’re free sometime, would you mind taking me to get a haircut?”
Vince smiled. “Sure. Actually, we can go once Mia is done here. Tired of the ponytail?”
Dustin nodded. “I hate having long hair. Can’t really cut your own hair very well, though.”
“I’ve never tried, so I’ll take your word on that,” Vince replied. “You want to try driving?”
Dustin looked slightly terrified. “Your truck?”
Vince shrugged. “Why not? I mean, you don’t have to, but I thought I would at least offer. I wouldn’t make you start off on the road. It’s Wednesday, I’m sure most church parking lots are empty.”
“Can I think about it?” Dustin asked.
“Yeah, we can get your hair cut first,” Vince agreed.
They were heading for the mall an hour later when Dustin looked over from the passenger seat and asked, “How hard is it to get a bank account?”
Vince shrugged. “You’re over eighteen, so I doubt it’s very hard.”
“I think it would be a good idea to get one,” Dustin told him, looking back out the windshield. “I feel bad that your dad pays me under the table because he knows I don’t have a bank account to deposit my paycheck into.”
Vince stopped for a red light and glanced over at him. “He actually suggested I take you to get one back when we got your ID and birth certificate. I didn’t want to overwhelm you then, and with everything in my own life, it slipped my mind. I’m sorry.”
Dustin shrugged. “Doesn’t matter to me. I can still get one now, though.”
The light turned green, and they started moving again. “We can do that. There’s a bank at the mall. It’s the same one my whole family uses, so I know it’s pretty good.”
“Thanks,” Dustin replied with a smile.
Vince thought the afternoon was quite successful. They got Dustin’s hair cut first, and it made him look totally different and more attractive. Vince tried not to think about the second observation—it wouldn’t be a good idea to start down that path. After that, they got him a checking account at the bank, bought some coffee for the road, and headed home. On the way, Dustin decided to try driving. So, in the parking lot of a local church, Vince parked the truck and traded seats with
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