“I’m glad you came, Ms. Honey.”
I chuckled. “I’m glad I get to cross two things off the bucket list.”
As we walked side by side, Austin’s fingers moved slightly, like he was adjusting his grip on nothing. I kept catching little glimpses, my eyes drawn to the subtle motion. At one point, I swore he almost reached for my hand. But that was in my head.I was searching for something that wasn’t there because this definitely wasn’t a date. No, this was a casual, friendly outing.
We made our way to his car, a large SUV that fit the image of him—big, sturdy, and taking up space. He held the door open for me, his eyes catching mine for a second, and I felt a warmth that I quickly brushed off. He then helped Evie into her booster.
“When will I be able to see this infamous list?” He closed the door, and I got into the passenger side.
Never.He’s never going to see it.He couldn’t know the last item on my bucket list.
I laughed it off, and he started the car and headed down the road in the direction of the lake.
“Never have I ever eaten ice cream,” I admitted.
We’d spent the short drive playing what I learned was Evie’s favorite game.
“Never?” Evie shrieked from the back seat. “How do you live?”
“No, really,” Austin’s eyes were on the road, but he was laughing. “Never?”
“Nope,” I confessed. “Okay, that’s a lie. I tried it once, but I hated it, so I never ate it again.”
“Wow. That sucks.”
“Evie,” Austin reprimanded.
“It does stink, but I like sorbet, so that’s something.”
“We’re here,” Evie shouted from the back as Austin pulled up to a brick house in the middle of the street.
“This is where you live?” I asked, taking in the cozy, well-kept home.
“Yeah,” Evie said proudly as she unclicked her seat belt. “My mom and dad live here.”
Austin turned to me, looking almost embarrassed. “I’ve got to walk her in. Would you mind wait?—”
Before he could finish, a short, curly-haired blonde woman came rushing down the steps, waving her hands frantically in the air. “Austin. I’ve come up with a solution.”
“Oh, fuck,” Austin groaned, his face scrunching in frustration. He quickly turned to me, his expression almost pleading. “I’m really sorry about this. She usually never comes out.”
Panic crept into my chest. This wasn’t a date; we were friends.
I forced a smile, pushing down the rising wave of panic.
It’s okay. I’ve met my friends’ family members before. It’s no big deal.
“Absolutely no problem. Really. No big deal. It’s fine.” I waved and got out of the passenger side.
I tried to keep my voice light, like I wasn’t secretly freaking out inside.
This is casual. Just two people hanging out, and sometimes, that means running into their mom. It’s fine. Nothing weird about it.
I repeated it over and over in my head. Yet despite all my internal convincing, the knot tightened in my stomach.
“I know how you can keep your health insurance. See, I was talking to Kit at the café, and she said the same thing happened to her and that she got married and?—”
“Mom . . .”
