“Let me carry that for you,” he said as I shut the trunk.
“I think I’ve got it,” I said.
“Will you give me an excuse to walk you to the door, please?” he said.
“You need an excuse?”
He left his suitcase by the back wheel of my car and took the box from me. I tucked my hand into the crook of his elbow.
“My hero.”
We walked to the porch and then faced each other. I reclaimedthe box with a smile, moving it to my hip. I pushed onto my toes to touch my lips to his.
“See you tomorrow,” he said.
“Thanks for coming with me this weekend.”
“I’ll put together some design ideas for the restaurant tonight. I don’t know if they’ll be any good. I’m pretty rusty.”
“I’m sure they’ll be great. Thank you.”
“Of course.”
I kissed him again, and as I did, the front door swung open. It surprised me so much that I gasped. I wasn’t used to my mom being mobile enough to open the door on her own. But she stood there, scooter under her knee, hand on the knob.
“You’re home,” she said.
“I am.”
“And with your boy toy.”
“Mom,” I chastised. “You know Elijah’s name.”
“I got the check from the insurance company for my new car.”
“That’s great,” I said. “We’ll have to start looking.”
“Also, I don’t feel good.” She did look a little pale.
“Okay, I’ll be right in.”
She shut the door without another word.
“Sorry,” I said. “She heard it once and now won’t forget it.” Why had Tara called himboy toy, and in front of my mother, of all people?
“It’s fine,” he said, his tone different, but not one I could read. It was probably theI don’t like this woman’s mother and I’m not sure what to do about thattone. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Okay.”
I watched him retrieve his suitcase, put it into the trunk, andget in his car. Then he drove away without another acknowledgment.
“What did you want, Sutton? A fireworks show?” I muttered. The man had sat in my parked car with me for close to thirty minutes. We didn’t need to also have a thirty-minute porch goodbye. Especially not after my mother’s appearance.
My phone buzzed in my purse, and I dug it out, for a split second thinking it was going to be Elijah saying goodbye again, in a normal tone. One that didn’t make me analyze things. It wasn’t. It was Raya.
I swiped to answer. “Hi.”
“Hey,” she said. “Did you take some mail that was on the desk?”
