Page 118 of Anything But Lonely

What I don’t say is that I can’t remember the last time my house felt this much like home.

What I don’t say is that I love her.

Not yet.

Maybe not tonight.

Maybe not ever.

But the words will always be there, waiting.

CHAPTER 40

EMERSON

“Hi, Emerson.”

I look up from the counter to find blonde waves and pretty brown eyes. “Hey, Mia. Want your usual?”

Mia nods, a bright smile on her face as she pulls out her wallet, even though she’s the Hey Honey’s owners’ best friend and gets free coffee.

“Coming right up,” I say, not even bothering to put the order into the iPad.

Mia pulls out a few bills anyway, tossing them into the tip jar before taking a few steps down from the register to the Pick-Up counter.

“So,” she starts, and, even over the stacks of plastic cups, I can see the way she shifts her weight back and forth—the same way Mateo does with his own energy he doesn’t know what to do with. “My brother mentioned things were going really well between you two.”

I look up to find her watching me carefully—she’s not uncomfortable or unsure of herself—and maybe that’s what I was partly expecting since she’s Mateo’s sister. Instead, the carefulness is more like she’s holding herself back—wanting to say more than she’s allowing herself.

“Things are great,” I offer, having to raise my voice over the hiss of the espresso machine as I make her iced vanilla latte.

And they are. But the truth is, I haven’t seen Mateo in a couple of days. Not since I went home after Crew fell asleep during our movie night.

We’ve both been busy, and I’ve been regretting leaving that night so hastily since I didn’t realize it was going to be the last night the two of us would have all week.

I don’t know why I got so spooked that night at Mateo’s. Things have been going so well that it almost seems too good to be true.

Maybe because of how we started out—teasing, flirting, seeing who would break first—there’s hesitation. At least on my part.

Or maybe it’s something else. Something I can’t quite place.

“And Crew is obsessed with you,” Mia says with a smile as I pour the oat milk into the espresso before tossing a scoop of ice in.

I exhale, my lips quirking at the thought of my favorite Halloween-loving, Go Fish-playing, question-asking kid. “The feeling is mutual,” I tell Mia, pressing a lid onto the plastic cup and sliding it across the counter to her.

“You’re really good with him,” Mia says, taking her coffee. “With Crew, I mean,” she adds with a little laugh.

“He’s an easy kid to get along with,” I say, reaching behind my neck to tighten the bandana tied on my head.

“Mateo mentioned that you’ve been helping Crew get ready for Kindergarten?” Mia takes a sip of her coffee before brushing her hair off her shoulder.

I nod. “He’s doing a great job,” I tell Mia, a swell of pride blooming in my chest at the thought of not only how well Crew can write his name now but how many letter sounds he’s learned this summer.

“And you’re going to go with Mateo and Talia to Crew’s Kindergarten orientation in a few weeks, right?” she asks, and I have to hide the confusion threatening my features.

Mateo didn’t mention any orientation for Crew. At least not to me.

Nerves land heavy in my stomach as doubt threatens to send my thoughts into an endless spiral.