Page 97 of Making It Up

I tried to act surprised. “Why would you say that? Don’t you want good men to become cops?”

“I do. But they need to do it for the right reasons. I think everyone should get into a career they can be passionate about. His passion for being a cop was misplaced. And look at him. The passion he has for what he does now is perfect.” He looks down at the table. “I’ve often wondered if I handled that the right way. If maybe I was too blunt. But I…” He trails off, then surprises me by saying, “I thought I was protecting him, too.”

I lean in a little. “How?”

“The way he lost his mom was traumatic. Then losing his dad not long after…he—they—just went through so much. I guess I didn’t want him to get into a job where there was more pain and trauma. I wanted him to find a way to make the world better, healthier, more…beautiful.” Dad gives a soft chuckle and shakes his head. “That’s cheesy maybe, and yes, law enforcement can do good things, but to get to the good, you have to also see the crime, see people hurting each other…what he does now directly makes the earth better and he can see people doing happy things—camping, fishing, hiking—and teach them how to appreciate animals, plants, nature. He was so happy outside. I wanted him to have that.” Dad takes a deep breath. “But maybe I should have said that instead of telling him he’d be a bad cop.”

I sit stunned.

That’s all…so my dad. This is the man I know and love. This is why it’s so hard for me to reconcile that David doesn’t like him.

My mom walks over and wraps her arms around my dad from behind him. She squeezes him hard. “I love you, Officer Hansen,” she says against his cheek.

He covers her hands with his and squeezes back. “Thank God for that.”

She kisses him, then straightens and turns back to the stove. “Is the pavilion still a go?”

“Yeah. David’s gonna do his thing and I’m sure it’s going to all work out. We’ll get extra people out to help and make up some time.”

My mom glances over her shoulder. “And are you going to apologize for not looping him in sooner? Because I know you didn’t do that today.”

I meet her gaze, and she winks.

“Stubborn as hell, super protective, great guys,” she says. “But they have a really hard time admitting they don’t know everything and that sometimes they get it wrong.”

Yeah, I can see that about David, too.

My dad stands from his seat. “Yes, probably. Eventually. And now I am going to go take a shower and remove myself from this room where I’m getting no sympathy.”

My mom laughs as he leaves the room. “Poor baby.” After he’s gone, she looks at me. “Stubborn men can be amazing. Because they’re stubborn about loving hard, they’re stubborn about protecting their families, they’re stubborn about doing the right thing. But they can also be stubborn about apologizing and getting over things.”

“Okay.” I believe all of that. “Why are you telling me that?” I ask suspiciously.

She shrugs and turns back to the stove. “Oh, no reason. Just sharing a little motherly advice.”

I narrow my eyes. Does my mother know something she shouldn’t? And if she does, how does she know it?

But I’m not going to ask. Because then I might have to confess something.

Instead, I pull my phone out and text David.

Because if my dad is frustrated after spending time together this afternoon, I am sure David is even more so.

And I cannot have my dad scaring David off. I know that this is David’s biggest issue with the two of us being together, and I’m going to need to remind him that there are reasons worth putting up with Scott Hansen.

But before I’ve even typed two words, an idea hits me.

And instead of texting David, I dial Judy Turner’s number.

I get up from the table and head for my childhood bedroom. My mom doesn’t need to hear this either. I shut the door just as Judy answers.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Judy, it’s Mia Hansen.”

“Hi, honey. What’s going on?”

“Oh, just that in a couple of hours, someone is going to be riding a four-wheeler around your east pasture, and lighting some fireworks. You’re probably gonna want to call someone about that. Specifically, David Bennett. He is the perfect one to go out and check on that for you.”