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I watch her walk down the stairs.
Steve lifts his hand. He’s waiting in the yard, the dusky evening painting the sky in dark blues behind him.
I return his gesture with a nod and close the door.
As the engine rumbles and then gets softer in the night, I turn to face my new guest.
Rowan stares frankly at me.
“Uh,” I rub the back of my neck, “you good?”
“Yeah.”
“Need anything else?”
“No.”
Awkward silence fills the air.
“Where were you and your mom living before this?”
“Far from here,” he says.
“Was it always just the two of you?”
“Sometimes.”
“Are you in school?”
“I was. It’s summer break now.”
“Okay.”
Another beat of silence.
The kid juts his chin at the door. “Your girlfriend’s pretty.”
“Girlfriend?”
“The tall lady.” A small smile touches his lips. “She’s nice.”
“Nova’s not my girlfriend.”
“Huh.” An eyebrow quirks. He licks his thumb and stares me down. “Guess you’re lamer than I thought.”
Great. He’s a smart mouth.
“You finished with that?” I point to the plate that he inhaled. It’s been three seconds. I have no idea how he packed away so much food in the blink of an eye.
“Yeah.” He plants both feet on the ground, hefts his backpack over one shoulder and glances around. “So where do I sleep?”
“First room down the hall.”
“Thanks, Adam.”
“Adam?”
“That’s what I heard them call you.” The kid tilts his head. “You’d prefer I call you something else?” His lips quirk up in disdain. “I’m not going to call you ‘dad’.”
