A Simple Wish About love - Karice Bolton Page 0,6
of Scott’s closest friends bounded toward them. “Hey, did you ask her yet?”
“Ask me what?” Erika’s brows arched as she looked at Scott.
“Jeremy invited me over for dinner and a movie with his parents.” Scott shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “I know we’d planned to—”
“We can always put on a movie.” Erika grinned as she pushed down the tidal wave of disappointment. It was like the older he got, the less he needed his mother.
Which was a good thing.
Right? It had to be a good thing.
“Can he spend the night?” Jeremy asked. “It’s easier that way since my mom’s always late with dinner.”
Erika laughed and nodded. “Sure. Just call me after the movie. Did you want to grab some clothes from home first?”
Scott shrugged. “I’ll just come home in the morning and shower.”
Erika chuckled and nodded. It was so easy to be an almost teenage boy. “I can take your backpack and stuff.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Scott beamed and glanced at Jeremy, who’d already gone back to his desk to round things up. “I’d rather spend my Friday with you, but . . .”
Erika gave her son a quick kiss on the forehead when nobody was looking. “I know, but you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do to keep your street cred.”
He rolled his eyes. “Exactly. Can you drop us off at Jeremy’s house on your way home?”
Erika nodded and walked behind the two boys who bolted out of the classroom. They were miles ahead of her before she’d even reached the hallway when out of the blue, the sexy specimen of a man popped into her head.
Seven o’clock at Porter's.
Maybe it would be kind of fun to hang out with Drew and the specimen. After all, she hadn’t seen Drew in months while he was in Europe. She missed him and would love to hear about his travels since she highly doubted she’d ever be flying across any ocean anytime soon.
As the boys piled into her Jeep, she let her mind go back to the man she’d crashed into. He was definitely attractive, charming, a little rough around the edges, but his eyes . . .
His eyes were what threw Erika for a loop. The beautiful blue color would take any woman’s breath away—just ask Daisy—but she saw sadness etched deep into the centers. Sure, she saw flickers of brightness, but she saw the sorrow even more.
“Okay, men. How about a vanilla shake at the drive-thru before I drop you off?” Erika glanced at Scott in the rearview. “Maybe even some fries?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Jeremy laughed.
“Thank you, Jeremy.” She adjusted the mirror so he could see her. “But if you remember, I’m not a ma’am yet.”
The boys giggled as Erika pulled out of the parking lot and headed down to the town where the Silver Fry welcomed locals and tourists alike. They were known for amazing milkshakes, fries, and greasy burgers on the go.
“What are you going to do tonight?” Scott asked his mom.
Erika unknowingly smiled as she thought about her evening. “I might meet Drew for dinner. He’s back in town.”
“Oh, cool. Did he bring me anything back from London?” Scott sounded way too excited.
“I’m not sure he even went to London, and I’ll ask where he actually landed, but I’ll probably leave out the gift part.” Erika shook her head as she pulled into the burger joint and hopped out of the car.
Within minutes, she climbed back into the Jeep and handed the boys their shakes and fries.
The rest of the ride was nearly silent as the boys chugged their shakes and scarfed down their fries, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that if she stayed home, she would be missing out.
And that made absolutely no sense. Sure, Drew was like a brother to her and she was super excited to get to hang out with him, but there was something really mysterious about the stranger. Erika pressed her lips together into a thin line and scowled. Was she really contemplating going out tonight just to find out more about this stranger?
The answer was a complete yes. There were just so many questions for her nosy mind. Did he really get stood up? What made Drew offer to hang out with him? And did he really ask Daisy about Erika’s schedule?
She shook the last thought away. Who cared if he did? She was nosier than anything. She was only going out tonight to hear about Drew’s trip and learn about how someone as good-looking