“Hi, Sawyer,” he says, breathless.
“You doing the weekly shopping by yourself?” I say carefully.
“Nah.” Theo grins. “My mom is here, too.” Before I can say anything else, his gaze drops to my basket. “Are those protein bars good?”
I glance down. “They taste like cardboard and peanut butter.”
He considers that. “I like peanut butter.”
“Then you’ll tolerate them,” I say.
He nods, deeply serious. “Good to know.”
I laugh before I can stop myself, feeling a strange, hollow tug in my chest.
“Mom!” Theo calls over his shoulder. “Guess who I ran into!”
Oh no. Baby Bear just called out for Mama Bear. I’ve seen this program on PBS and it won’t end well for me.
I look up as Juliette appears at the end of the aisle, reusable bags looped over her arm. She’s close enough that I can watch as her expression shifts in stages. First stage is surprise. Then, a flicker of alarm…before she finally lands on calm calculation.
She takes in the scene, and I’m pretty sure she used her mom-ness to assess the situation in about half a second: her kid, my hands hovering just in case, the cereal aisle like a neutral zone we accidentally wandered into.
I straighten automatically, like I’ve just been caught doing something mildly illegal.
“Hi,” I say. “We had a…momentum issue.”
Theo grins. “I almost wiped out, but he caught me.”
Juliette’s eyes flick to mine, then to Theo, then back again—like she’s recalibrating.
“He does that,” she says. “Falls with enthusiasm.”
“Ahh, a case ofcommitted velocity,” I say, looking down at Theo very seriously. “It’s a lifestyle choice.”
Theo nods seriously. “I like that.”
Juliette’s mouth twitches. Not quite a smile, yet, but close enough to feel like a win.
Theo, naturally, takes this as his cue to begin what appears to be a full interview.
“So,” he says, squaring his shoulders. “I need to know. What’s your fastest slapshot?”
I blink. “Uh…ninety-six?”
“Whoa.” His eyes widen. “Can you really skate backward super fast?”
“Yes.”
“Do you get nervous before games?”
I pause. This one lands differently. “Yeah,” I say honestly. “Every time.”
Theo frowns. “Even though you’re really good?”
“Especially then. In fact, if I wasn’t nervous, I’d be worried.”
He thinks about that. “My dad used to say being nervous means you care.”
