“You can go home tomorrow to get your stuff,” Grayson said, sitting back in his chair. “You don’t have to start right away.”
“No, no,” she told him quickly. “I can do that on a day off. But would it be okay for me to take a bit of time in the morning to just get a cab into town and do a little shopping?”
She didn’t want to use her phone, and honestly didn’t know if Uber was even a thing out here, and there certainly wasn’t much chance that a bus ran past this remote location, so she figured a cab was her best bet.
“I’ll take you,” he told her. “Leo and I have some errands to run anyway.”
“Are you sure?” she asked. “I don’t want to be any trouble, and I’m sure you have work to do.”
Though suddenly she wasn’t so sure. What exactlydid he do, if he’d been taking care of Leo by himself since Thanksgiving?
“You’re not any trouble,” he told her, wincing slightly. “It’s my pleasure.”
“Okay,” she said, wondering why he had winced. “Thanks.”
Silence fell over them again.
“Hey,” he said softly after a moment.
“Yeah?” she asked, turning to him.
“Are you going to finish that?” he asked, nodding to her sandwich.
She looked down and realized that she had wrapped it back up on instinct. Years of stretching the budget as far as possible had gotten her into the habit of saving half her meals as leftovers. It didn’t matter that there was already an extra one in the fridge.
“No,” she said, smiling. “Did you want it?”
“Only if you’re sure,” he said.
“I’m sure,” she told him, sliding it across the table.
“Excellent,” he said, opening it back up. “So let me tell you a bit about how Leo’s day normally goes.”
As he talked about the boy, Grayson’s expression relaxed, his shoulders went down, and his voice deepened. It was clear to Evangeline that she’d been right before—Grayson was at his best when he was focused on his son. And the way he spoke about Leo’s routines, down to the smallest details, told her all she needed to know about what kind of parent he was.
“I guess that’s it,” he said at last. “Though I’m sure I’ll think of more as we go. And if you have any ideas of things I should be doing, just let me know.”
“If I think of anything I’ll let you know,” she said. “But you know him better than anyone, and it really sounds like you’ve got everything under control. He’s a very lucky baby.”
Grayson smiled, and for just a moment she saw a light in his eyes that was so beautiful it made her heart skip a beat.
What is wrong with me?
“I, uh, guess I’d better head to bed,” she said, leaping up from the table.
“Of course,” he said, his eyes back on his extra sandwich. “You’re tired. I’ll see you in the morning.”
She scurried off toward the hallway.
“Evangeline,” he called after her.
“Yeah?” she said, turning back.
“Thank you for helping us,” he said. “I’m glad you’re here.”
She nodded, feeling too pleased to even reply, and headed toward her new room.
The day had been surreal and terrifying. But somehow she felt safe and calm now.
