I’m tempted to ignore it since we’re in the middle of a conversation, but it could be about the café. I excuse myself and jump up, grabbing my phone from the kitchen counter where I left it. My heart does a little trip when I see my mom’s name and picture flash on the screen. I texted her earlier to check in and let her know I had the night off, and she was fine then. Telling myself not to assume the worst like I did earlier with Gwen, I take a quick breath and answer the call. “Hi, Mom.”
“Hi, sweetheart, how are you doing?” She sounds like her usual calm, content self. I immediately release the breath that had frozen in my lungs.
“I’m great, Mom, how are you?”
“Great, eh? That’s what I like to hear.” I can sense the smile in her voice, which makes my own lips tug upward. “I’m great too. Emilio and I just finished eating dinner and I got thinking you might like to join us for a glass of wine and some dessert. I’ve been wanting to get the three of us together for dinner, but it hasn’t happened yet. I thought this would be more casual, maybe less pressure?”
“Oh. Yeah. That’s a really good idea…” My gaze slides to Jasper, who’s flipping through my notebook again. “I think I’ll have to take a rain check, though, because my friend Jasper is here.”
Jasper’s brows inch up a fraction, although his gaze remains studiously on the page in front of him.
There’s a pause on Mom’s end. When she speaks, I don’t need to see her to know her smile has grown wider. “Jasper, huh? Evan’s older brother, right? Why don’t you bring him along, I’d love to meet him. Unless you two are busy at something else…”
I swallow a laugh at her less-than-subtle unspoken question. “Hold on.” I mute the phone and turn to Jasper. “My mom wonders if we’d like to go to her place for dessert with her and her boyfriend. You can absolutely say no if you don’t want to.”
“Doyounot want to go?” he asks. I can’t read his expression. There’s curiosity there, along with something else. Concern maybe?
“I…do?”
“That was convincing.”
“Was thatsarcasm, Jasper Perry?”
His lips twitch. “Yes, I suppose it was.”
Knowing Jasper is capable of sarcasm elevates him even more in my estimation. “Idowant to go. I haven’t spent any time with my mom’s boyfriend, and I like the idea of having someone there as moral support.” Jasper’s brows draw together, so I quickly add, “I’m not worried I won’t like him or anything like that. My mom says he’s great and I believe her. Even though I’m almost thirty-five, she’s still protective of me, and has been vigilant about keeping her love life separate from our relationship, so it feels like a big deal that she’s ready for me to hang out with one of her boyfriends.”
Saying this out loud suddenly makes me feel like a little girl. For so long, it was just Mom and me. Even when I grew up and moved out, she stayed single. She was proud of that independence, and I admired her strength and confidence to live life on her own terms. I always hoped she’d find someone to love again, and I’m genuinely happy she has. Still, there’s a part of me that’s hesitant to accept it’s not just the two of us against the world anymore.
Jasper closes the notebook in his hand and turns to face me fully. His serious eyes light with the hint of a smile. “I could go for some dessert. How about you?”
My gaze stays locked on his for several long beats. Even when it goes past the length of normal eye contact, Jasper keeps his eyes on mine. His calm, patient presence makes me wish I knew what he was thinking. Is he glad to have the opportunity to step up as a friend? Is he simply being agreeable and doing what he thinks I want? Is he nervous about meeting not only my mother, but her new boyfriend as well? We’re just friends, though, so why would he? This isn’t some monumental moment, and yet it feels like one to me.
I unmute the phone and return it to my ear. “Okay, Mom, we’re on our way.”
