“That’s kind of the point of an introduction, no?” Calum retorted. One brow arched in angry protest.
“You need to be prepared for what that means,” I said, my eyes narrowing, conveying exactly how serious I was. “He’s going to want to spend time with you, and he will probably have a lot of questions for you.”
And me, I thought.
He nodded slowly as he considered my words. “Okay,” he swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing with the motion.
“It just…it might be a lot for him to handle all at once,” I said as diplomatically as I could. “Right now, I mean.”
“Tell me about it,” he said dryly. Still, I knew he understood, and I relaxed.
“Why don’t you come over for dinner Saturday night?” I suggested. It’d give me a couple of days to talk to Asher, prepare him a little bit, and prepare myself.
“Ya?” The corner of his lip tugged up in the boyish half grin that first drew me to him. My afflicted heart thudded frantically in my chest; the beat as familiar as it was old.
“Yes,” I repeated, trying to keep my expression neutral, fighting against the hope that bloomed suddenly and unwelcomely in my chest. It was completely maddening, how he still made me want to smile.
“Okay, I’ll be there.” I watched as his hand reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone.
“My number is still the same,” I told him before he could ask, my forced smile slipping a little at the stricken look in his eyes when he glanced back at me. “I need to get back to work,” I added, chewing on my bottom lip.
Calum nodded, sliding his phone back into his pocket and following me as I walked briskly to the door, holding it open for the both of us. We walked silently through the store.
In the time we’d been gone, a small crowd had gathered in the bookstore, made up of mostly local teenage girls.
Asher still sat in the café with Nik, his unwavering gaze locked on the both of us, tracing our movements as I nervously walked Calum toward the doors.
He hesitated, his steps faltering when Asher’s inquisitive eyes focused solely on him. Giving him a slight nod, Calum turned to me, his expression impassive but his eyes swirling with emotion.
“Saturdaynight. Okay?” I reminded him, sending a pointed look to the crowd of teenagers that had gathered in the science fiction section—conveniently close to where we were standing.
Calum briefly acknowledged the gathering crowd and nodded, his jaw ticking with restraint. Glancing once more at our son, he returned his focus to me. His gaze lingered for a touch longer than polite before he strolled out the door.
|
Harper
The entire drive home, my eyes kept going to the rear-view mirror to look at Asher. He’d been unusually quiet ever since I’d emerged from the back room with Calum. Although he’d scarcely said a word, I could almost hear the wheels turning in his head.
“Who was that, Mom?”
“Hmm?” I asked distractedly, my eyes locking on his through the mirror.
“The man with the tattoos...the one you were talking to earlier.”
I drew in a slow breath, putting my indicator on to turn onto our street. “It was an old friend of mine.”
“Oh.” Asher was silent for a beat. “What’s his name?”
I paused, drawing out the silence until I’d pulled into the driveway of our house. My tires crunched against the gravel as I parked near the back porch. “Calum Jacobs.”
Asher nodded, his lips pursing thoughtfully. “How come I’ve never met him before?” When my son tilted his head, I knew he’d figured it out for himself—or at least suspected it.
“I haven’t seen him in a very long time,” I replied, pulling my key out of the ignition. I reached over to grab my purse and laptop bag from the passenger seat while he unbuckled his seat belt and opened his door, waiting in the gravel driveway.
I stepped out, closing my door behind me. “How long?” he asked.
“Almost nine years,” I answered.
