“I’m Jake.”
“Nice to meet you. What are your thoughts on fist bumps?”
Jake held up his little fist, and Ramin bumped it.
“Nice.”
Noah didn’t think he could smile any wider as Ramin stood back up.
“What?”
“Nothing.” It wasn’t nothing. But Noah didn’t know how to sayThank you for being respectful of Jake’s boundaries and ability to consent to physical contact, because his grandparents never were, and even though Jake doesn’t see them anymore since I went no-contact, he still worriesin a way that wouldn’t make him look like a weirdo in the gelateria. “You said you’re working remotely?”
Ramin shrugged. “Yeah, kind of. We have an office here, too, so I’ll probably go in some, but mostly I just wanted to… get away, I guess. What about you?”
Noah wanted to know more about that, not talk about himself, but he answered, “Jake’s mom has family here, so we came to visit.”
And Jake might move here with his momfelt too heavy to share.
Another trickle of melting gelato made its way to Noah’s hand. He licked it off, and then along where the cone met the scoop. As he did, he could’ve sworn Ramin’s cheeks flushed, a deep pink that set off his dimples.
Noah’s own cheeks began to burn in response, but before he could say anything else, the doorbell dinged and Angela swept in. She’d changed out of her travel clothes into a mint green sundress that showed off her hips and boobs. They were just friends now (thanks to a lot of therapy), but she was still the most beautiful woman Noah had ever seen. “Oh. Angela, you’ll never believe this. Ramin, meet Angela, Jake’s mom. Angela, this is Ramin. We went to high school together.”
“Nice to meet you.” Ramin offered Angela a fist bump, and Noah realized he had a tattoo over his pulse point. It was black script, which Noah figured had to be Persian. He wondered what it said, and if Ramin had any more tattoos for that matter. “Noah said you had family here?”
Angela nodded. “My grandparents. This’ll be Jake’s first time meeting them.”
“Cool. You excited, Jake?”
Jake shrugged, and Ramin’s eyes crinkled up with a wry smile. “A ringing endorsement if I’ve ever heard one.”
Noah laughed. “Well,I’mexcited to try Nonna’s cooking.”
There had to besomegood bits to this trip, after all.
At that, Jake perked up. “Do you think she can make macaroni and cheese?”
Noah shook his head and caught Ramin’s eyes. They were practicallysparkling with laughter. But then he looked at Angela, and it was like shutters had closed. What was that about?
Ramin seemed to notice, too. He cleared his throat. “Sorry. I’m right in your way, aren’t I?” He stepped back against the bar top, smashing one of his bags with his foot.
“You’re fine,” she said, squeezing past to order, and Jake followed.
“Can I have seconds?”
Ramin barely suppressed a laugh. “He’s a good kid.”
“He is.” Noah watched his son for a moment. A lot of things had gone sideways in his life, but having a son wasn’t one of them. He turned back to Ramin, who was subtly trying to kick his bags out of the way. “Doing some shopping, huh?”
Ramin sighed. “My luggage got sent to Amsterdam.”
Noah winced in sympathy. “That sounds like a nightmare.”
“Yeah. But, hey, new wardrobe, new me, I guess.” He tugged at the hem of his polo shirt. “So what have you been up to? You still in Kansas City?”
“Yeah, up in Gladstone. I took some time off when Jake was born, but I’m a carpenter.”
“Oh cool,” Ramin said, and he sounded like he thought it reallywascool.
