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“Thanks.”
“Is everyone finished?” I ask as I take in the almost empty plates scattered in front of us.
“Yup. All done. Saylor let me have her last bite of sausage. It was so good,” Grady replies.
Say’s eyebrows bounce up and down as she tells me, “I may have converted him.”
“Then there’s all the more bacon for me,” I quip, sneaking the last piece from Grady’s plate before popping it into my mouth.
“So, what are we doing after this?” Grady asks.
“No idea. Saylor’s probably tired, though, and might want to call it a day….”
Two sets of cool blue eyes land on Saylor as both Grady and I wait for her to answer us.
Is it selfish of me to hope she sticks around for the rest of the day?
Her phone rings, letting her off the hook, and she lifts her finger.
“Hold that thought,” she tells us before answering it. “Hello?”
Silence.
“Hey, Skye. Of course, I was home last night.” Her gaze meets mine from across the booth.
“Yeah, I headed out early.”
She pauses.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come?”
Another pause.
“Aw man, that sucks. Do you want me to grab you anything? Maybe some crackers or something?”
Pause.
“Okay, yeah. I’ll let Mom and Dad know. And if you decide you need anything, just text me, and I’ll take care of it, okay?”
Pause.
“Yup. Love you, Skye.”
Then Saylor hangs up and gives me an unsure smile.
“Everything okay?” I ask.
“Yup. Actually….” The corner of her phone rests against her dimpled chin before she exhales and tucks it back into her purse. “I was wondering if you guys would like to come to my family’s house for dinner? They have snowmobiles that I think you’d love, Grady, and there’s lots of fresh snow in case you want to build a snowman too.”
“I love building snowmen!” Grady turns to me with wide puppy dog eyes that could win over the devil. “Can we go, Dad? Please?”
My gaze connects with Say’s from across the table as I try to read her mind. Is she sure about this? Or is she feeling pressure from me to take the next step before she’s ready?
She’s close to her family. Always has been. Inviting me––let alone my kid––is a big deal. And we both know it.
That same unsure smile greets me for another few seconds before I turn back to Grady and nod.
“I
