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“Your son looks just like his father.”
I glance at the two of them. “I know he does.”
I don’t sound proud. I sound…wistful.
“All the ups and downs balance out eventually.”
I hold my smile, feeling embarrassed that I’m so transparent. I’ve spent most of my life hiding fears and concerns. A stranger shouldn’t be so attuned to them.
“We might have trouble getting Leo out of here.”
I glance up to see Nick approaching, his hands shoved deep in the pockets of his coat.
I spend too long focused on his saunter and his smile and the flip in my stomach. None of which I can ignore and none of which I want to be noticing. I’m so wrapped up in Nick, I don’t notice the old man standing until he’s already hobbling away with his newspaper tucked under one arm.
Nick watches him hurry away as well. His expression is sanguine, but I feel like there’s something beneath the surface.
“That was…weird,” I state as Nick sits beside me. “He didn’t even say good-bye.”
Nick is silent, staring at where Leo is still playing with the dog.
“He recognized you.”
It’s more of a statement than a question, but Nick answers anyway. “Yes.”
I wonder—worry—what sort of reputation would cause an elderly man reading a newspaper in a park to rush off.
“Better to be feared than loved,” Nick murmurs.
I swallow and nod.
“Are we going to talk about last night?”
When I look over, he’s still staring at Leo playing. There’s something about darkness that lets secrets seep out and honesty intrude. Last night, I whispered words against his skin that make me blush in the light of day. That bravery faded at sunrise.
I clear my throat, loudly enough, it’s almost a cough. “It doesn’t seem necessary. You must do that sort of thing all the time.”
“Are you asking or assuming?”
I think there might be a smile in his voice, but finding out for sure would require looking over at him. Instead, I focus my gaze on the same spot where his is—on our son. “I don’t want it to complicate or confuse anything.”
“It won’t.”
“Okay.”
“I’m going to Philadelphia tomorrow,” Nick says after a beat of silence.
“For…work?”
The park is almost empty now that the old man is gone. Aside from us, there’s just a group of teenagers crowded down by the playground end.
“Does anyone travel to Philadelphia for pleasure?”
“It’s a nice city. Don’t knock it!”
When I look over, he’s smiling.
“I’m not. I have a lot of fond memories of Philadelphia.”
