Page 38 of Hearts & Embers

The following morning began with Elyssa standing in my kitchen holding a coffee mug and staring at me as though I’d returned from a secret mission. She’d had come over shortly after breakfast with Oliver in tow, claiming she needed to check I’d survived the night alone. I had known her too long to believe that was the entire reason. She took one look at my face and set her mug down with exaggerated care.

"Well?"

I opened the fridge.

"Good morning to you too."

"Don't you dare pretend nothing happened."

"I wasn't pretending."

"You’re glowing."

"I am not."

"You absolutely are."

I pulled out the milk and placed it on the counter.

"We had a nice dinner."

Elyssa folded her arms.

"Nice?”

"Yes."

"That's the word you're going with?"

"It was a very nice dinner."

Her eyes narrowed.

"Did he kiss you?"

I tried to maintain a neutral expression and failed almost immediately.

"I knew it."

"Elyssa."

"You’re terrible at hiding things from me."

"I'm not trying to hide anything."

"Good, because you can't."

The conversation continued while I made coffee and she interrogated me with the determination of a prosecutor who had no intention of losing a case. I gave her enough details to satisfy her curiosity without describing the parts of the evening that belonged only to Jasper and me. She accepted the boundary more easily than I expected, perhaps because she could see how much the evening had mattered.

Later that morning, after Elyssa took Oliver for a walk, I called Jasper. He answered on the third ring, and the sound of his voice immediately brought back the memory of the previous evening. For a few minutes we discussed his shoulder, Cody's supervision, and whether Ingrid had already delivered another round of meals. Eventually I told him the news I had been waiting to share.

"I've been cleared to return to school on Monday."

The line went quiet in a way that suggested he was choosing his response carefully.

"You're happy about that? You don’t think it’s too soon?"

"Very and no, I don’t."