“If you don’t have anything going on, you’re welcome to join us for dinner next Sunday. Harper and Asher usually come over, and we’d like to keep doing that. Caroline and I value the time we spend with them. Family is important to us.” He said, his gaze unwavering and austere.
“We’ll be there.” I accepted. Satisfied, he nodded, a hint of a smile softening his lips.
“See you all then.” He said, clapping his hand on my shoulder before turning and walking back down the street.
I watched him go for a moment before turning and walking back in through the mudroom. Asher was awake and standing in front of the refrigerator, looking inside. He’d dressed for the day, but his hair was an unruly mess. He’d combed it and done his best to tame it, but his hair was a lot like mine, thick and unpredictable.
He looked over his shoulder when he heard the door close behind me. “Hungry?” I asked, and he nodded. “What do you feel like?”
“Pancakes?” he replied hopefully. Nodding, I set to it, grabbing the ingredients and frying pan. It hadn’t taken me long at all to familiarize myself with where Harper kept things. Ten minutes later, Asher had a steaming tower of pancakes drenched in maple syrup in front of him, and I had almost a full cup of coffee in my system.
“Are we letting Mom sleep in again?” Asher asked, his voice muffled from the bite of pancakes he’d recently shoved inside.
“Why not?” I lifted my shoulder, my lips tugging up in a sideways smile. “I figured I could drive you to school.”
“Oh.” He seemed disappointed by the offer, and that stung a little, but I tried not to take it personally, reminding myself that the kid hardly knew me—even if he had started calling me dad.
“If you’d rather wake her up, we could do that,” I added.
“It’s just…” Asher shook his head, his frown intensifying. “I told Nik I’d be on the bus. He’ll be expecting me. He doesn’t really like going on the bus alone.”
“Why not?”
“There are some kids that pick on him when I’m not around,” Asher replied, his brows drawing together.
“We could pick him up on the way if you want.”
“Ok! I’ll call him and tell him.” As he jumped up from the stool, rushing over to the phone hanging on the wall by the living room entry, a sense of pride hit me. This kid—he was something special, and I’d had half a hand in making him. Harper had done the rest, and I would spend the rest of our lives thanking her for it. Asher dialed a number, waited a moment, and then frowned, hanging the receiver up.
“Everything okay?” I asked as he made his way back to the table. I didn’t like the concern in his eyes.
“Yeah. He didn’t answer. He might already be at the diner.”
“I could drive you,” I offered, knowing that’s close to where the bus stop was. His eyes brightened, and he nodded. “Finish your pancakes, get your things, and we’ll head over.”
Asher finished at breakneck speed, shoveling pancakes in his mouth faster than I could drink my coffee. He rushed his plate to the sink and paused to open the refrigerator, grabbing a bright blue lunch bag from the middle shelf and a water bottle. He shoved everything into his backpack before rushing to the mudroom to put on his boots and coat. He grabbed his hat and tugged it on before shoving a pair of mitts in his pocket.
I grabbed my phone, keys, and wallet, slipped my boots on and followed him out through the side door to my Jeep. While I walked, I texted Harper to let her know I’d be back after taking Asher.
He already had his seat belt on by the time I’d reached my door. Checking my blind spots before backing up, I watched Asher for a moment. His brow was still tightly drawn with worry, and he seemed a thousand miles away.
Double checking that the way was still clear, I backed out of the driveway and onto the road. “Are you okay?” Something was bothering him.
“I guess.” Asher was quiet for another moment, thinking. “Do you have a lot of money?”
“I suppose so,” I answered honestly. I’d worked hard over the years and spent way less than what I’d put away. My account grew every day from royalties and record sales. “I’m not the richest person out there, but my Gramps taught me how to invest my money, and my parents taught me how to save it.”
Celebrities tended to get a lot of crap for free, too. Endorsements and all that. Prior to buying the house—and the Jeep—I hadn’t gone big on expensive things. I chipped in on Connor’s university fees, paying for her books and parking passes and any equipment she needed. My parents could barely cover the tuition expenses, and none of us wanted her adult life to start out in debt when she didn’t have to.
He nodded, absorbing my answer. “I wish I had a lot of money. If I did, I’d help out people who need it.” I could tell, even without him saying it, that he was thinking about a specific person who needed it. I had an inkling on who.
“That’s a noble thing to do.” I agreed, my eyes cutting to his again in the rear view mirror. “Does…someone you know need help?”
He nodded, somewhat sadly, but it was clear he still warred with whether or not to tell me. I kept quiet, giving him a moment to work it out. “It’s Nik and his mom. He told me not to tell my mom, but he didn’t say anything about my dad.”
My throat felt tight as I pulled into a free spot between the bookstore and the diner, one with a clear view of the bus stop. Killing the ignition, I turned to look at him. “What’s happening?”
“I don’t really know,” Asher confessed. He frowned; his brow marred with concern. “Nik says the landlord keeps coming by, and that he’s always angry. Last week, the water and power went out. He didn’t want me saying anything to Mom, because he said his mom is really embarrassed about it. It’s only the two of them, like it was only Mom and me for so long. But Nik’s dad is dead, he’s not gonna come back, and Nik doesn’t have any grandparents either.”
