Seeley Days was an annual event in town. There was a parade down Main Street, a ton of food vendors, and then a gala and auction held at the Seeley Mansion. There were also usually some dance performances that I knew Ava and her boss had always helped choreograph and organize.
“That’s a big deal.”
“It is.” She smiled, but it looked a little stiff. “But it means I’m probably going to be very busy for the next few weeks.”
“That’s alright. We’ll find time to be together.” I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m proud of you.”
Something flickered in her eyes—there and gone before I could name it.
“Thanks,” she said quietly.
I pulled back slightly, studying her face. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” She nodded, but her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Everything’s fine.”
I wanted to push—wanted to ask what was wrong, why she seemed distant—but she was already reaching for her shorts and pulling herself back together.
“We should probably get out of here,” she said.
“Yeah. Okay.” I stepped back to give her room, ignoring the unease that had settled in my chest. “Dinner at your parents’ tonight?”
“Dad’s grilling.” She stood, smoothing down her tank top. “He specifically requested you bring your appetite.”
“Always do.”
She smiled at that—a real one this time—and some of the tension in my shoulders eased.
Everything was fine. We were fine.
I’d just missed her, that was all. A week apart had made me paranoid, reading too much into every look and everypause. But she’d come on my tongue like her body had missed me too, and now we were back together, and everything was exactly how it was supposed to be.
I reached for her hand, lacing our fingers together, and she let me.
Everything was fine.
THIRTY-THREE
The house was quiet when I got home after dinner at the Dumontiers’, but the kitchen light was on.
I found my mom at the stove, stirring what smelled like her famous chicken soup. She was still in her scrubs from the clinic where she was a nurse. She’d worked during the day at a local diner and taken night classes when I was little, focused on giving us a better life without my dad. I’d always been proud of her work ethic, but I’d also hated that she’d always had to work so hard just to make ends meet.
Her red hair was pulled back in a loose bun, and she hummed softly to herself as she cooked. It was such a familiar sight that my chest loosened just looking at her.
“Hey, Ma.”
She glanced over her shoulder, her face lighting up the way it always did when she saw me. “There’s my sweet boy. I was starting to think you’d forgotten where you lived. I’ve hardly seen you at all this summer.”
My mom had met my dad when she was a young waitress in Donegal, Ireland. He’d swept her off her feet, and after a whirlwind romance, he’d convinced her to come backto the States with him. But as soon as they’d gotten back, he’d disappeared on work trips, leaving her alone more often than not. She once told me she’d been ready to go home to Ireland when she found out she was pregnant with me. My dad, Nick, promised her he’d be around more after that. He’d even proposed.
He did stay for a little while, but not long. And with a baby and no money to her name, she had no choice but to stay. I always wondered if she hoped he’d turn it around. Unfortunately, he just left her with a lot of heartache and broken promises. I was ten when she kicked him out for good.
I dropped a kiss on her cheek before grabbing a water from the fridge. “Work and camp have been kicking my ass.”
“Mm-hmm.” She turned back to the stove, but I caught the knowing look in her eyes. “Is that what we’re calling it?”
I froze with the bottle halfway to my mouth. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing, nothing.” She waved her hand dismissively, but she was smiling in that way that told me she knew something I didn’t want her to know. “Just that I know my son, and that look that’s been on your face all summer has nothing to do with construction or hockey camp.”
