She nods but now a smile tugs at one corner of her mouth.
“Come on,” the guy behind me mutters. I ignore him.
To make sure I get more than a second with her, I grab everything my hands can carry and dump it onto the counter. Her shoulders shake with her laughter as she scans the candy and various last-minute items. Chapstick. A pair of nail clippers. I don’t know what else.
“Let’s try it again, okay?” I say. “Tomorrow? Same place and time?” My heart does a ridiculous dance when I see her lips sayyes.I slip my mom’s credit card through the machine so Ember can get back to her job.
She flashes me a shy smile as I turn to go.
I’m happy the whole way home. I don’t think she’ll stand me up again. Maybe if I’d told her about Kelsey when I saw her yesterday at the library, she would have met me today. The more I think about it, the more I like the fact that Ember didn't show. She thought I was still in a relationship. Like any decent person, she wasn’t going to pursue something with someone who wasn’t available. It’s makes me like her even more.
I park in the garage and head into the house, feeling more prepared to face my parents than I have in weeks. The bag with the medicine smacks my thigh as I walk to my mom’s office to give her the Tylenol.
The bag is far heavier than it should be, but I’m feeling lighter than air.
5
Noah
“What are you doing home,Noah? No practice today?” My mom pulls open the pantry door and steps in. It’s good to see that medicine worked for her yesterday. When I went to her office last night to hand her the pills she had her head down on her desk, and one arm draped over her head.
“It’s Friday.” I lean a forearm against the counter and wait for her to come back out.
“Noah?” she calls, her voice muffled. “Come help me.”
I walk in behind her, and she loads me up with ingredients. “What are you doing?” I ask, bewildered. I’m holding flour, salt, and three bottles of seasonings I can’t read the name of because they’re facing away from me.
“Cooking. What does it look like I’m doing?”
I bite back my response. When was the last time I saw my mother cook anything?
“Do you want help?” I have some time before I leave to meet Ember. She promised not to show me up today, and I’m really hoping she keeps that promise.
She leans a hand on the marble countertop and pushes her hair from her eyes with her other one. “I’d like to say no to that, but unfortunately I think I do need some help. My talents don’t lie in the kitchen.”
Leaning over, I glance over the recipe she has printed out.Shepherd’s Pie.We divide and conquer. She tells me my job is to brown the ground beef, while she focuses on the dough.
“How are you, Noah?” she asks.
It’s an odd question to be asking your son, isn’t it? She sees me every day. Shouldn’t she have an idea of how I’m doing?
“Fine. Why?”
“I talked to Laurel today.” Hesitant eyes meet mine.
She thinks I’m heartbroken.
Now I understand her question.
“She told you about Kelsey and me?” I pick up the bag of frozen mixed vegetables and pour them into a different pan.
Kelsey’s mom and my mom are close friends. They meet for spin every morning. It’s a form of exercise I don’t understand. Why ride a bike to nowhere? I like to run, to kick the ball. I want every individual pass, kick, and dribble to be focused on that one thing—scoring a goal.
“She said Kelsey was upset this whole past week. I looked like a fool asking her why.” She gives me a reproachful look.
“Sorry,” I mutter, stirring the meat.
“Why haven’t you told me before now?”
