Page 47 of Halo

“You shouldn’t be out here alone.”

“Thanks for the tip.” I offer a cordial grin. Quickly pushing past him, I continue to my car. He stays close. “Are you stalking me now?”

“Stalking?” He playfully holds a hand to his chest.

I smirk. “Are you really going to pretend that you haven’t been watching me from your truck the past few weeks?”

He stops short, the streetlight revealing a faint wash of color climbing his neck.

“What?” I snicker. “You think I haven't noticed?”

“I guess I was hoping for subtle.”

I snort. “I hear that subtly is not your forte, Mr. Crawford—”

“Can we stop with that already? I'm Nick. My dad is Mr. Crawford.”

I stifle a grin. “Fine, Nick. Why are you stalking me?”

“Would that bother you if I was stalking you?”

The question catches me off guard, and I am suddenly very aware of his size, at how he towers over me with broad shoulders and confidence. And yet, I am anything but terrified.

“You hesitated.” He barks out a laugh.

“I did not hesitate! I was … um …”

“You did it again!”

“Stop,” I playfully whine. “I was just … I …” I let out a grumble which makes him laugh harder. “I asked you a question.”

“So?”

“So answer it, cowboy!”

An abrupt silence falls between us. Warmth blooms across my cheeks as Nick’s eyes soften. A genuine grin curls his lips as he takes a step closer.

“There she is,” he croons, his voice deep with gravel.

“W-who?” I ask, my eyes wandering to his full lips.

“The woman I met that night.”

The air shifts as the memory settles between us. I blink away, the moment suddenly too raw. “I better go—”

“Wait. Can I ask you something?”

My gaze meets his again, but something is different, somber. “Of course.”

Gazing aimlessly around the parking lot, he pulls out a folded sheet of paper from his back pocket.

My letter to Tiffany about Grady.

“And you don't have to sugarcoat it.” He unfolds the paper, glancing down at it. “Tiffany made it sound like he was just having a rough start, but then I read this, and suddenly we're talking about evaluations and placement testing and 504s and C-3PO.” He lets out a sardonic laugh, his jaw tightening. “I don't even know what half of this means.”

His eyes find mine. “I just met him. Did you know that? Not oh, I just decided to be in your life; I literally didn't know that he even had breath. I never knew he existed—” He looks away, the twinge of emotion in his words. He clears his throat. “I know kids have different ways of learning and processing information. I'm not worried about that.” He swallows. “But he is not going to fall behind because I didn't try.”

A smile tugs at my lips. “Nick, it's after midnight, and you're standing in the dark next to a dumpster because you're worried about your kid. I think you're doing an awesome job.” I study him. “Let's schedule a meeting with Tiffany, and we'll come up with a new gameplan and get Grady evaluated.”