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I watched her dice, sauté, prep and stir, all the while remaining tuned into her son.
Dinner was wonderful and conversation flowed easily. It was like no time had passed since the last time I’d seen her, even though it had been years. She was only eighteen then, and I hadn’t even been a teenager. But six years when you were both adults didn’t seem that big of an age difference.
“I don’t mean this to sound condescending,” Rach said as she picked up her glass of white wine. “But I really like who you’ve turned into.”
“I always thought you were cool,” I said with a wry grin. “Six years older than me and the way you dressed…the way my brother would follow after you like a lost little puppy.”
She shook her head and glanced at her son. “It’s weird when you think about what your life could’ve been like if you’d made different choices. But timing, you know?”
“Timing,” I repeated.
My phone chimed in my purse, but I ignored it. Several more chimes occurred in rapid succession.
“Maybe you should get that,” Rach said.
“Nah, it’s fine.” I stood up and grabbed my plate. “You done?”
“Yep.”
I took our plates to the sink and rinsed them off.
“It’s not Knox blowing up your phone, is it?” Rach asked.
I opened the dishwasher and loaded the plates. “Nope. I changed my number. It’s probably Grady, just checking in.”
“You got a new number?” She frowned. “Were you worried about Knox being able to contact you?”
I nodded. “He didn’t take the news that I left him well. He went from cajoling to angry, scary texts. So I blocked him on all social and changed my number.”
“Scary texts?”
“He’s got a short fuse,” I admitted. “I should never have let my rage get the better of me when I destroyed his car—even if he did deserve it.”
“Are you scared of him?”
“Knox doesn’t know where I am.”
“That’s not what I asked…”
Cash started to fuss so Rach removed his bib and took him out of his highchair. “Can you stay a little while longer? I just want to clean him up and put him to bed. Shouldn’t take long. Maybe about twenty minutes?”
“Sure, I can hang out a bit longer.”
Rach smiled. “Great.”
While Rach was upstairs putting her son to bed, I checked my phone. A huge smile crossed my face when I saw it was Smoke who’d text-bombed me.
Smoke
Where are you?
I’m at your place and you’re not answering the intercom.
Is this you playing hard to get?
Please tell me you didn’t fall asleep.
I took my phone and went out onto the front porch to call him back.
