I hadn’t been the recipient of the ‘mom’ look in forever. Kind of felt good. “I changed my mind. I’m not coming back.”
“Don’t even joke.”
I went over to her and took her hands. “I promise I will not disappear again. No matter what happens, I will stay in touch with you. I’ll call, and I’ll come home whenever it’s safe.”
“Safe?”
Oops. Bad word choice. As I struggled for a way to walk it back, my phone rang. Saved by the bell. Leo had just pulled up. “My ride is here. I have to go.” I kissed her cheek.
“When will I see you again? Before dinner?”
Dinner was two days away. “I’ll try.”
“You’d better. And don’t forget to bring dessert.”
“I would never.”
18 Eric
“Is that Backstreet Boys?” Danny asked as he walked into my office.
“It is, indeed, young Daniel! Excellent song recognition.” I pointed at him and mouthed the chorus, throwing in a few dance moves for emphasis.
He clapped enthusiastically at the end. “Very nice. To what do we owe this exhibition?”
Humming the tune, I threw myself into the chair behind my desk, spinning in a slow circle. “Can’t I simply be in a good mood for no reason?”
“Sure. Are you?” His smile lit up his face, turning his boy next door good looks into something special. I motioned for him to take the chair in front of the desk.
“I had a nice night.” There was no way I could hide the smile on my face. Thank God, Maddie wasn’t here. She’d know right away what had happened.
“I’m glad. So, I’m not sure what you want me to do,” he said. He’d dressed up for the job, wearing a neat pair of tan chinos and a blue button-down shirt.
“You know, I’m not so sure myself,” I confessed. “I should have been thinking about it, but I just didn’t.”
He laughed.
“Anything you want to ask?” I suggested.
He swiveled his chair to look around the office, maybe to see if something sparked a question. There was a spark of mischief in his eyes when he circled back to me. “Anything?”
Feeling magnanimous, the result of a good night’s sleep and several orgasms, I waved him on. “Ask me the questions, Bridgekeeper, I’m not afraid.”
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “So, what was with that guy and his mom the other day? Wasn’t he the one from the golf course?”
“He was. That was Jake Karlsson,” I said with a grin. “He’s kind of my ex-boyfriend. My first boyfriend, actually. From high school. He’s been gone a long time.”
“That’s a long time ago. Not that you’re old!” he added quickly.
I laughed. “It’s okay. It was quite a while ago. Sometimes I feel like I’m a hundred. Sometimes I feel like I’m still sixteen.”
“Like when you’re with the ex-boyfriend?” he asked with a cheeky grin.
“Maybe,” I confessed.
“You still like him?” Danny asked.
“Yeah, I still like him. He’s very charming.”
Danny made a face. “I don’t know, he seemed kind of jerky.”
I laughed. “He can be. Maybe I have a type.”
“He is kind of cute,” Danny allowed. “And he can’t be worse than that guy you were golfing with.”
“Ryan?”
Danny scrunched up nose. “Was that his name? I didn’t remember.”
“He’s usually not quite that difficult,” I said.
Danny didn’t look convinced. He leaned back in his chair, drumming his fingers on his knees. “Who was the other guy? The one who didn’t talk much.”
“Oh, he’s some investor Ryan found. Which I guess is just someone with too much money who needs a place to put it. He thinks we can build this place up.”
“And you don’t?” Danny asked.
“I do. I just think it won’t be as easy or as guaranteed as Ryan does.”
“Seems like a win-win for you, though. If the plans don’t work out, you won’t lose anything, right?”
“That’s the thing. We would all be contributing money. Me, Ryan, even my father. This Symanski would then find more investors. Ryan’s worked with him before. He’s shown me his returns. And this guy has his Proof of Funds, so I know he has the money.” I don’t know why I was telling this kid about it. Then again, I’d always been one to have to talk through decisions a hundred times. I think Maddie was tired of hearing it.
“What are you thinking?” Danny asked.
“I’m thinking I’ll probably sign.” I squeezed my stress alien, watching the eyes bulge out. My mind was more on how good waking up next to Jake had felt than