Page 63 of Before We Break

“Morning, Super Auggie. You know, when we’re at home you can just call me Clio or Cici.”

He sits up straighter, doing an excited shoulder wiggle. “Like Emmy? She calls you Auntie Cici.”

“Yep.”

Noah sets a stack of pancakes in front of me with a fork and a bottle of syrup.

“Thanks. I didn’t realize I’d be waking up to tableside service.”

“Don’t get used to it, princess.”

His phone dings and he pulls it out of his pocket. “Shit. Do you have a charger I can borrow?”

“Junk drawer. Top left beside the sink.”

He noisily riffles through the drawer, setting aside a random assortment of items until he finally finds the extra charger. As he unravels the cord, he glances around the room, his gaze landing on my vintage ceramic strawberry cookie jar. When he tries to move it away from the wall outlet, it hardly budges. “What the hell is in this thing?”

He lifts the top and peers inside, a deep crease forming between his brows. “Pennies?”

I hum around a bite of buttery, syrupy goodness, content to let him wonder why I’d have a ridiculously large stash of one coin in particular.

Aunt Penny has been gone for almost three years. There has to be at least one penny for every day we’ve missed her, but I don’t know how to explain that without baring my entire soul at the breakfast table.

I swirl a forkful of pancakes in a puddle of syrup, keeping my gaze fixed on the plate. Thankfully, the conversation withers and dies.

Noah stands against the counter and scrolls through his phone. His presence is almost unsettling. Why would a man be in my home? It’s been just Lexi and me for the last few years, and before that it was all feminine energy all the time. He sticks out like a sore thumb against my eclectic decor, not that I mind all that much. At least he’s pretty, and he makes a decent breakfast.

Lexi waves her hand in front of my face to capture my attention. “Earth to Mom.”

“Hm?”

“I asked if I could take the car. I’m meeting up with Hayden to run lines.”

“Who’s Hayden?” Noah asks tersely.

“He’s the boy Lexi has to kiss for the school play.”

“Mom!” she blurts indignantly.

“Lexi!” I mimic that same tone.

She sticks out her tongue, and I make a funny face right back. Auggie giggles and joins in, holding his hands up like floppy ears and crossing his eyes.

“You’ll get stuck like that, you know.” Noah brings his black coffee to his lips with the perfect cupid’s bow I’m only now noticing.

I kissed those lips. How had I missed that detail? I blink myself out of the thought. “Is that what happened to your face?”

“Very funny,” he deadpans.

I turn my attention back to the topic at hand. “You can take the car, but I want you back before dinner. If I text, you answer, or I will come find you.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know.” Lexi lets out an exasperated sigh and grabs her jacket off the back of her chair. “Thanks for breakfast, Noah.”

He nods once. “Thanks for babysitting.”

Auggie rushes out of his seat and hugs her around the legs. “Bye, Lexi.”

She reaches down to ruffle his hair. “See you later, little dude.”