He huffed out a laugh before pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
“I didn’t say nuts,” he said. “I would never use that word. But if the shoe fits…”
She pretended to shove him, and he, laughing, feigned an injury. She stuck her tongue out at him.
It was silly, in a harmless, childish sort of way…
Which meant, of course, that this was the exact moment when Jeremy walked through the door.
Eleanor froze as though she had been caught doing something wrong. That was ridiculous, obviously. But for a moment, she felt likeshewas the kid, and a naughty kid at that.
“Jeremy!” she exclaimed, her voice sounding weird and high-pitched even to her own ears. “Hi!”
Her son looked bemused, which really was fair enough. She was acting so strange.
“Hey, Mom,” he said.
Then, he dropped his bag to the side and came across the room to hug her, and the weirdness was gone. As her arms went around her son, all her nerves vanished. Jeremy was finally here! Her son, her baby!
“Hi, sweetie,” she said, rocking back and forth as she squeezed him with all her might. “Oh, my gosh, I am so, so, so happy to see you!”
He returned her hug with equal vigor.
“Me too, Mom,” he said into her hair. It had been years since Jeremy’s height had surpassed hers, but Eleanor would never get used to the idea that he wasn’t small enough that she could tuck him under her arm any longer. “I missed you.”
After one last squeeze, she let him go. She needed to get a good look at him, after all.
“I missed you too, honey. Did you grow taller? You look taller.”
He laughed. “I think my growing days are behind me.”
Eleanor couldn’t resist putting a couple more loving pats on his arms and shoulders. Then, she remembered.
“Oh!” she exclaimed. “Jeremy, sweetheart, this is Garrett.” She stepped aside so she could extend an arm to her boyfriend, inviting him to step forward. “Garrett, this is my son, Jeremy.”
There was nothing at all impolite about the handshake that the two men exchanged, but there was nothing beyond politeness in it either. Eleanor knew that she shouldn’t be disappointed by this, but some part of her, deep down, had wanted them to immediately hit it off.
Or maybe it wasn’t that deep down at all, actually, since a frown threatened to pop up on her features.
“It’s real nice to meet you,” Garrett said gruffly.
“Yeah, you too,” Jeremy said vaguely. As soon as he dropped the handshake, he rubbed a hand over his face, then down the back of his neck. The gesture drew Eleanor’s attention to the weariness in his posture, which she knew was fair. With all his delays, what should have been a short flight from Pittsburgh to Boston had taken her son more than eight hours, and he’d been up since well before the sun had risen above the horizon.
An awkward silence followed.
“So, what do we think about all going to get lunch together?” Eleanor asked brightly. “I have a part timer who helps out here at the shop, and she’s coming in, so we can grab something quick or even take the afternoon, if we feel like it. And the weather isn’t so nice, obviously, but maybe we could take a quick walk, just to get ourselves moving a little bit while the day is at its warmest… not that that counts for much,” she admitted.
There was another uncomfortable pause. She was babbling. Why was she acting like she’d never spoken to either of these men before, when they were actually among the closest people in her life?
Jeremy gave her a sheepish expression. “You know, Mom, I’m kind of wiped. I don’t know that I’m up for much more than a nap, not without being really bad company.”
“Oh,” she said. “Yeah, right. Of course.”
“Another time,” Jeremy reassured her, although he didn’t sound all that enthusiastic about it. But surely that was just because of his long journey, right?
“Of course,” Garrett said gruffly.
He placed a hand gently on Eleanor’s shoulder, clearly a consoling gesture, but Eleanor watched as Jeremy’s gaze went to the gesture. She hoped that her son didn’t have secretly mixed feelings about her new relationship. He had always said he was happy for her, but plenty of kids, even adult ones, had complicated emotions surrounding their parents’ divorces.
