“You remember heaps, Jamie. You should be proud of yourself.”
“Give me another one,” I say, gaining speed on my rollerblades. “I’m feeling on fire at the moment.”
“Should I have had you on rollerblades for all your tutoring sessions?” Milo jokes.
“You could try them, if you want.”
“Oh, no way. After how well I went at learning soccer and that video game, I think I’ll pass.”
Milo quizzes me on colonial settlement and the Great Depression. Some facts come to me right away, but many I fumble and need him to prompt the answers.
Milo stops asking questions when his head tilts side to side, checking on Gandalf. “I think he’s asleep,” he whispers.
“But I didn’t hear a burp.”
Milo’s eyebrows rise as he looks down at me from the porch. “Who cares? He’s asleep.”
“You cut a corner. Now he won’t sleep through.”
“You had him one night and suddenly you’re an expert?”
I sit against the porch to take off my rollerblades. “Stop arguing and put him in his carrier. Or he really will wake up.”
I gather my rollerblades and follow Milo inside.
“Thank you for making me do that,” I tell him. “It was really fun to have an excuse to get back on my rollerblades.”
“No sweat,” Milo says with an adorably infectious smile. “I’m glad I could prove you know this stuff.”
My heart flutters. “I can’t believe how much you have my back in this. You don’t have to be helping me, you know.”
He nods. “I know. But I wanted to help.”
I’m dumbfounded. “Why?”
Milo shrugs and walks ahead with the baby. “Because I like you.”
Eighteen
Kaiisn’thomefordinner. Apparently he texted his mom, saying he was taking Tabitha to a fancy restaurant. Like, seriously? I’m the one dreaming about rom-com scenarios, and Kai is the one living them. What kind of world is this?
Although Kai not being home is kind of a bonus. If he saw the puzzlement creasing my face right now, he’d know something is up.
I just can’t get Milo’s words out of my head,
Why did he say he likes me? Obviously just as a friend, but still. I’ve known him for years, and I’d never say we’ve been friendly toward each other. If he’d never started tutoring me, I never would’ve seen this side of him. This soft, gentle, encouraging, and thrilling side that makes my insides do strange things.
But he chose to tutor me before this closeness happened. Surely his mother made him say yes when Aunt Maddy approached them about tutoring. He told me he wanted my help with soccer as a trade. Now he says he did it because he likes me.
Why would he possibly like me?
This makes no sense.
Ugh.
During dinner, Milo is wrapped up in conversation with his grandpa, so it’s impossible to get a read on him. That is, until the conversation at the table changes.
“I just think it’s so cute that Kai took Tabitha out tonight. He must be smitten to take her on a proper date,” Mrs. Nelson says. “Anytime I want to take the family out somewhere with a dress code, he gives a massive protest.”
