Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 114011 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 570(@200wpm)___ 456(@250wpm)___ 380(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114011 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 570(@200wpm)___ 456(@250wpm)___ 380(@300wpm)
“So, what time does Ethan get off the bus or need picking up or whatever?” I ask.
“He’ll get home around three thirty.”
“Cool. Is there anything I need to do or know? Homework? Picking up his room? Or would you rather me bring him to Mom’s?”
“I’ll check homework when I get home. I’m not asking you to do that.”
“Are you saying I’m incapable? Because I’m pretty sure that I beat you in every category that wasn’t pop culture.”
“Very funny.”
I laugh. “So, no homework. What else?”
“Nothing.” She sucks in a breath. “Thank you for stepping in like this. Ethan has a key, and you’re more than welcome to stay there. If you want to go to your mom’s, by all means. Beggars can’t be choosers.”
“You don’t have to beg me for anything.”
The innuendo that I didn’t plan on but that works perfectly hangs in the air. Palmer giggles.
“There’s money in the cookie jar if you guys go get food or anything.”
I laugh. “That’s a relief.”
“Shut up.”
“Okay, you go do whatever you need to do today, and I’ll hold the fort down.” I glance at my mom. “I mean, it’s better than hanging out with Mom. She was going to have me wiping down baseboards today.”
“Oh, you’ll still do that,” Mom teases.
Palmer must hear her because she laughs. “Thank you, Cole. Honestly.”
“Sure. But next time, just ask me when you need something.”
I mean it at face value. But it’s the insinuation that there will be a next time, and I’ll be here for it, that hangs in the air between us.
“I’ll call you when I’m on my way home,” she says, avoiding the elephant in the room.
“Sounds great. Try to have a good day, okay?”
“Okay. Thanks again, Cole.”
“Bye, Palmer.”
I’m afraid to even look at my mother. And when I do, she’s smiling like a loon.
“This is a sign,” she says as if the angel Gabriel has just descended from heaven and handed her a placard.
“A sign for what?”
She shrugs. “I think this proves that you shouldn’t take opportunities just because they’re there. Sometimes what’s in front of you can block you from things coming.”
And then, like the philosopher that I didn’t know my mother to be, she simply turns and walks out of the kitchen.
CHAPTER THIRTY
PALMER
Every cell in my body hurts.
I turn into the driveway. Even though I know that Cole and Ethan stayed at the house this evening, it still takes me aback that there are lights on. There are never lights on at the house when I get home.
The sensation tickles my heart. I know it’s because my defenses are down after a grueling day at the auction—not to mention the two-hour drive home—but I’m still mulling over the idea as I park my car in the driveway.
Cool night air licks at my skin as I walk up the steps and unlock the front door.
The house is quiet as I enter. I set my keys on the table by the door and then peek into the kitchen. The light is on, but the kitchen is void of people but not scents. The air is tinged with the aroma of oregano and garlic. It makes my stomach growl.
I turn around and head downstairs. Cole looks up from the recliner as soon as I come into sight. He doesn’t move anything except his lips. They form a delicious smile.
“Hey,” I say, my voice soft so as not to disturb a sleeping Ethan on the sofa. “How did things go today?”
It’s a rhetorical question. I was inundated with pictures and videos from both Cole and Ethan throughout the evening. There were images from their batting practice and short clips from the two of them unloading mulch from the back of Lawrence’s truck. Every shot included wide smiles, and that helped me not be so aggravated about the morning’s confusion, something Kirk apologized profusely about. The poor guy. He never makes these kinds of mistakes. He’s been hiding his anxiety about his wife’s appointment so well, but I know the strain and the unknown are eating him alive.
Cole brings a finger to his lips and gets to his feet. He walks to me and greets me with a sweet kiss. The stress of my day melts away as he wraps his arms around my waist. Oh, to be welcomed home in such a way every night. That would be so lovely.
“Come on,” he whispers before leading me upstairs.
We hold hands as he leads me into the kitchen. He releases me and heads to the fridge.
“Are you hungry?” he asks. “Ethan wanted spaghetti from a place in Forest Falls. Limoncello? Something like that?”
I close my eyes and grimace. “Yeah. Limoncello.” Only the most expensive place we’ve ever eaten.
“Great food,” he says, completely unbothered by the fact that he paid thirty dollars for my son to have a plate of spaghetti. And I know he paid for it because there wasn’t thirty dollars in the cookie jar. “I got you chicken fettuccine alfredo. Ethan said that was your favorite.”