Taking a sip of my coffee, I continue my walk only to stop in my tracks when I nearly collide with Lainey and Enzo leaving the butcher’s.
“Whoa.” Lainey stands on her toes and hollows her stomach to prevent herself from running into my cup of coffee.
I step back. “Saved.”
“Tyler!” Enzo is his usual happy self.
“Hey, kiddo.”
“You rocked in the last game. You got sent to the box.”
My brows furrow. “Wasn’t it on way past your bedtime?”
“Yeah, but Mom let me watch you. Normally she doesn’t, but she said it was fine.”
I zip my sight to Lainey whose face I could swear is turning a shade of red. She pulls Enzo until his back is against her front. “Well, someone is talkative today.”
“You two seem busy,” I comment.
“Yeah, we were ordering our turkey.”
Enzo is all smiles. “My mom makes the best Thanksgiving dinner. My uncle can’t come, but my grandparents are.”
“Yeah, well, hopefully. A few colleagues are stopping by, too,” Lainey explains.
Enzo has another burst of energy and jumps up. “You should come to Thanksgiving.” He turns to his mom. “Right? He is invited. He’s our neighbor.”
Lainey’s mouth opens, but no words come out.
I pretend to drink a sip of coffee. I’m wrestling with the best way to get out of this. “You know, I think I’m just going to take it easy. A busy schedule and all.”
“See, Enzo? Tyler is busy.”
“But you’ve gotta have pie.” Enzo seems deeply concerned.
Now I’m the one who has a frayed sound leaving their mouth because he is giving me no escape, it seems.
“Please. I mean, my mom can’t even cut a turkey.”
“Thanks.” She is humorously offended.
I have to laugh at the kid’s candidness. Enzo’s attention travels between Lainey and me.
She notices her son’s determination and gives me a subtle smile. “You’re… welcome if you want to join.”
To my surprise, that sentence was dripping with sincerity.
For a moment, I recall what Asher and my mom said. Maybe I need to have a mental day off.
It’s just that I kind of fear that being around Lainey and Enzo are a different kind of mental obstacle, some spark of life that I didn’t know existed.
Yet I’m unable to willingly escape.
All I can say is, “Maybe I’ll stop by, Enzo.”
That’s the safest option. No commitments.
CHAPTER 5
