Tobias had met a lot of men in prison. Those who acted like Carl were seldom good news. They often tried to pick on everyone else, but Tobias wasn’t the type of person to let them get away with it. Carl was Uriah’s son, however, and Tobias respected his landlord—who had become his friend—so he maintained a pleasant expression. “Sorry to bother you,” he said. “I was just hoping you could move your car.”

Carl’s eyebrows jerked together. “What for?”

“So he can get through,” Uriah explained. “He lives in the back house. I was about to tell you I rented it out.”

“This guy lives on the property? In my house?”

Tobias felt his back and shoulder muscles tense. It’d been a long time since he’d taken such an instant dislike to someone. But Uriah seemed determined to defuse the situation, although Tobias could tell he was embarrassed by his son’s behavior.

“Carl, this is Tobias Richardson,” he said, speaking with almost exaggerated calm. “He’s lived here for four or five months. Helps out around the place, in addition to working at New Horizons. I’ve come to rely on him a great deal.”

Even Tobias could feel Uriah’s desire for Carl to behave, but he was willing to bet that if Carl did behave, it wouldn’t be for long.

“Why’s he wearing tights?” Carl asked, looking him up and down.

Tobias gritted his teeth. “They’re not tights. They’re for hiking or jogging.”

Carl ignored him. “So this is the son you never had?” he said to his father.

“I didn’t say that,” Uriah protested.

From what I’ve heard, it wouldn’t take much to be a better son than you. Those words rose to the tip of Tobias’s tongue. But he held back. “I’m just the renter,” he said as though he and Uriah weren’t as close as they’d become. “And if you’re not going anywhere, I’ll leave my truck where it is.” He started to walk away. He didn’t want any part of Carl. If Uriah was excited to have his son home, if he thought they might be able to patch things up, Tobias wasn’t going to get in the way. He understood how much that relationship had to mean to the old guy. The fact that Uriah never talked about Carl served as the biggest indicator. His inability to get along with his own son had created a deep wound, one he tried to keep hidden. But, other than Maddox, Uriah was the best man Tobias had ever known. As far as Tobias was concerned, Carl didn’t deserve a father like him.

“Wait,” Carl said. “I don’t want to be blocked in.”

Keeping his fingers outstretched so they didn’t automatically curl into fists, Tobias waited while Carl went in search of his keys.