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Ben laughed. “You can play video games for an hour, then you can play outside until it’s time to go.”
“Thanks, Daddy,” said Luke, climbing up Ben’s leg to give him a kiss. Ben picked him up and hugged him close. “I missed you, buddy.”
“Me, too. Put me down now, Daddy. Jake’s gonna pick out a game I don’t want to play if you don’t put me down.”
“Okay, there you go, partner.” He set Luke on his feet and turned back to his parents, who were studying him.
“What?” Ben looked behind him as if to ask what they were looking at.
“Good to see you, Ben,” his mom said, kissing his cheek for the second time.
“What’s goin’ on? I was away for a couple of days. You’re both acting as though I away for a month.”
“When you changed your flight plan, I have to admit, it made your mom and me worry.”
“It’s not what you think.”
“What is it then?”
“I met someone.”
7
One of the new texts on her phone was from Ben. The others were from Paige and Renie. Paige wanted to make sure Liv was still speaking to her. Renie wanted to know how she enjoyed Las Vegas. Where to begin? How much should she tell her daughter?
Ben’s said, Are you okay? Answer me, Liv. Please. His voicemails said much the same. But hearing it, rather than reading it, made it different. There was longing in his voice. He said he couldn’t stop thinking about her, couldn’t wait to see her again, couldn’t wait to have her body next to his. Then he sang a little.
Liv put her elbows on the table and leaned her face into her hands. She didn’t know how to respond. Did he want her to pick up and drive to Crested Butte? What did he expect? He wasn’t specific.
Dottie shuffled back in and sat down next to her. “So?”
“He said he can’t wait to see me again.”
“And?”
“That’s about it.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
“I have no idea.”
Liv rode Micah home, brushed him down and went into her house for the first time in several days. Mark had left the mail on the kitchen counter and watered her plants. When was the last time she ate? She opened the refrigerator, but nothing appealed to her. She thought about opening a bottle of wine, but decided that wouldn’t be a good idea, considering she had an empty stomach.
Her cell phone was in her pocket. It hadn’t made any new noises, but that didn’t mean she’d forgotten about it, nor had she forgotten the unanswered messages it contained. She pulled it out and called Renie.
“Hey, Mom. How was Vegas?”
“Good. Relaxing. We went to a CB Rice show while we were there.”
“And?”
“And what?” What the heck? Had she been talking to Paige?
“Did he see you?”
Yep, he saw her. All of her.
“Mom, are you there?”
