“Oh, we have plenty of those!” Russell chimes in with a wink. I learn about the stuffed bunny Chase slept with until secondgrade, the time in junior high when his first kiss led to two sets of stuck braces and the paramedics being called, and him inviting a homeless man to dinner who turned out to be a college kid off work from a construction job.
“Oh, and don’t forget Janet!” Christine says, clutching at her chest while she laughs. “When these three were young, I hired a housekeeper to help me keep up on things. One day, when Chase was about seven, I couldn’t find him anywhere. I finally asked Janet if she had seen him, and she told me he was in the laundry room. He had locked her out so he could fold the clothes and she could get some rest.”
Chase shrugs, smiling at his mom. “She was limping all over the house, and it looked like she could use a break.”
“Our little humanitarian over here demanded she get a raise and a break every hour to put her feet up. He made me cross my heart before he would open the door.”
“You’re forgetting the part where you actually met my demands.” Chase chuckles.
“Of course I did. She was limping and needed the breaks!”
We all laugh, and I turn to look at Chase, remembering how he swept up the mess hall while Bo rested his sore knee at camp.This guy’s been authentic all his life.
“Well, as much as I’velovedreliving all of my worst moments, it’s time for me to get you back home.” Chase squeezes my knee.
“Yeah, probably should. I have work in the morning.”
“Okay! Well, I’m sure we’ll see you around here more often.” Christine winks before clearing the rest of the dishes from the table.
Russell heads to the kitchen sink, rolls up his sleeves, and grabs a sponge. “Good night, Kayla!”
The moon inches higher in the sky as we drive through town to my neighborhood. Pulling into the driveway behind my car, Chase parks but doesn’t move to turn off the engine. He plays with my hand, slowly twirling his fingertips around mine like he’s memorizing each fingerprint. I lean toward him,drawing on his lips lightly with my own. The short hairs on his face tickle my palm as I run my hand down the muscle in his jaw.
His fingers trail up my arms, smoothing over my shoulders until they’re tangled in my hair. Right as I adjust in my seat to get closer, deeper, he pulls away. With a long sigh, hands still in my hair, he touches his head to mine and whispers, “You’re killing me, Kayla.” His thumb ghosts over my bottom lip, and he sighs again. “Let me walk you to the door before I get ahead of myself.”
Once we’re on the porch, I tip my head back, reaching up on my toes and looping my arms around his neck. He bends to meet me halfway, hands wrapped around my hips, pulling me flush against him. After another deep, slow, goodnight kiss, I look up into his eyes. “Are you coming into the diner tomorrow?”
“Of course I am.” He squints like the notion of not coming to see me is absurd.
“Then I’ll see you in the morning,” I say, smiling. I turn toward the door, and right as I touch the knob, he pulls me back to him. His thumb caresses the spot behind my ear as he nudges my lips open with his, the ebb and flow of our breathing working in tandem—rising and falling, giving and taking.
“Goodnight, baby,” he whispers breathlessly, nuzzling his nose with mine. Heat surges up my neck, and I bite my lip, heart leaping in my chest at him calling mebabyagain. I like it, and I really like him.
Stumbling through my front door, I close it quietly behind me in case Mom is asleep. My lips tingle as I lean against the smooth, patterned glass, and I find myself reaching up to soothe the buzzing, smiling like a fool.
I take a step toward the hallway, and that’s when I see her. Mom sits at the dining room table, still as stone. She stares at me, glasses in her hand, the remnants of tears and sniffles still present on her face. I haven’t seen her like this since her granny passed.
“Mom? Everything okay?”
“Kayla,” she says with a trembling breath, shaking her head and looking down at her hands. “I’m so sorry.” I take in the sceneat the table, trying to figure out what she could possibly be apologizing for when I notice there are two coffee mugs instead of one.
“Kayla,” a deep voice says from the darkened hallway. A voice I recognize, but one that’s entirely out of context in my house. I freeze, confused, as I hear him say, “You should probably sit down.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHASE
Despite the storm clouds outside, I whistle heading into Patti’s, hoping to catch a few stolen moments with Kayla before the coffee orders start rolling in. Last night, the afternoon, everything the last few days has been beyond what I could have imagined for us when I first laid eyes on her. I wouldn’t change how any of this played out if it all meant she and I ended up here. Prepared to see the girl of my dreams as I stroll into the diner, I hesitate at the sight of Patti.
“Hey there, Chase! Grabbing something for Kayla?” she asks with a smile, wiping up coffee rings from the countertop.
“No… She’s not here?”
“Oh. Nope, she called in sick last night. I figured she would have told you.”
Weeks of seeing Kayla work herself ragged gives me enough basis to know this is unlike her. Kayla doesn’t call into work sick, and she was fine when I dropped her off last night. “Uh, no, I haven’t heard anything…” I check my phone notifications. Empty. “Thanks, Patti,” I say, turning around and heading back to my car.
My mind reels with worry as I battle every intrusive possibility for why she wouldn’t tell me she was sick. Sure, she didn’t answerwhen I texted her goodnight before bed, but I figured she had already fallen asleep.
