“But will you actually sleep in there anytime soon?” he asks, setting his mug down.
She lowers her head at her father. “I will … eventually.” She takes a big bite out of her bagel like it’s no big deal she didn’t sleep in the bed she’s excited about.
“If you didn’t sleep there, then where did you sleep?” I ask before I take my own bite.
“In my daddy’s bed, of course!”
Adam lets out a sharp laugh. “Yes, and this little girl can throw some massive kicks in the middle of the night.” He stands up straight, placing his hand on his back like he’s hurt.
“Oh, stop. You’re the wild sleeper, not me. And the way your breath smells in the morning.” She makes a face, and I have to cover my mouth to keep from laughing.
“Really, Cailin?” Adam lowers his head to her.
She puts her hand on her hip and gives him the same expression. “Really,Dad?”
The two of them together are adorable. Who would have ever thought Adam Jacobson—master of the scream, mosh pits, and wild parties—sleeps side by side with his five-year-old daughter?
I grin as I glance his direction. When our eyes meet, he winks, sending a shiver down my spine.
Damn shiver.
* * *
We pull up after school to see Adam’s lifted black truck already in my parking lot. Trucks are a way of life in our small farming town, and pretty much every teenage boy drives one. Adam’s is just a little newer and not covered in mud.
Cailin hops out of the car and into Adam’s arms.
As I make my way to them, he turns to me. “Thank you again, Sarah. We’ll see you in a few? Say, five?”
I inhale a sharp breath and nod. “Yes, I’ll be there.”
He nods back and helps Cailin get secured in the backseat.
“See you later, Miss Russo,” Cailin says.
I wave at her, and as soon as I’m in my apartment, I drop my back against the door and take a deep breath. I’ve been a nervous wreck all day. Fighting an internal battle. My mind is screaming stay away, but two seconds later, it’s dying to go tonight. I’ve never felt so torn.
I call Maggie. She denies my FaceTime call but calls right back as a normal phone call, so I bring the phone up to my ear.
“What’s up, girl?” she says after I answer
“He invited me over for dinner tonight.”
“Who’s he?” She snaps her gum in my ear, and I wish I could see her face for what I’m about to say.
“Adam Jacobson.” I pull the phone away from my ear, awaiting the impending scream.
“What?”
Yep, there it is.
I laugh, knowing she’d have this reaction.
“Are you going to his house? Will his daughter be there too?”
I breathe in, thankful for the reminder. I’m going because of Cailin, my student. Nothing else. “Yes. He’s having a barbeque with Linda, the woman who has been taking care of Cailin, and he invited me.”
“Holy shit, girl. What are you going to wear?”
