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“I think—” He taps a few times on the screen, then lays it flat on the counter. “I think that I’m not responding. If he’s getting help, that’s great. But I’m done trying to have a relationship with Brett. And I blocked his number. Again.”
“Cash.” I wind my arms around his waist, squeezing him tightly. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, hun.” He looks down at me, the stress wiped from his features, his gaze soft. “I have you. That’s all I need.”
I love him so much!
When Cash’s phone buzzes again, his head whips over and he nearly snarls at it. “Seriously?”
“I’ll look at it,” I soothe, and quickly snatch up the phone to check it. Thankfully, it’s notBrett. “It’s just Ben; he wanted to give a heads up that he’s here. He’s just unloading the car.”
His shoulders drop in relief. “Okay. I’ll go let them in. I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.” I grin at him and stretch up to give him a quick kiss.
As he walks away, I frown at his phone. I really hope the message from Brett doesn’t put a damper on today. I want so badly for Cash to have a great holiday—when he told me how he hadn’t celebrated Thanksgiving here since his grandparents passed away; I wanted to cry.
While I was in Teach for America, I never came home for Thanksgiving. I didn't have much time off, and it was easier to pay for my mom to come visit me. But now I wish I hadcome back here, despite the stress of traveling, that I had insisted Cash join my mom and me for Thanksgiving instead.
I should have thought of it. But all the holidays I would FaceTime him, he never said anything about spending them all alone.
Well, he won’t be alone anymore. Not if I have anything to say about it.
“Look who I found,” Cash says brightly as he walks back into the kitchen. Just behind him are Thea, Ben, and an adorable girl clutching a book in her arms.
Ben meets my gaze, smiling, and wraps an arm around his little girl. “Ari. Nice to see you again. Thanks so much for inviting us over for dinner. And this is Laila”—his blue eyes twinkle, and he looks down at her—“who is very pleased that she doesn’t have to try one of my turkeys again.”
Laila shyly looks over at me and says solemnly, “Dad burned the turkey really bad. The whole house stinks.”
“Not the entire house,” Ben retorts, shaking his head affectionately at Laila. “Just downstairs. Upstairs is fine.”
Cash chuckles, clapping Ben on the back. “Don’t feel bad. There’s no way I’d be able to cook a turkey on my own. Ari’s in charge of everything.”
I rush over to give Thea and Ben quick hugs, then offer my hand to Laila. “Nice to meet you, Laila. I’m Ari.”
She hesitates, then takes my hand. “Dad says you’re a teacher. Do you teach second grade, like my teacher does?”
“No, I teach high school. English, so we do a lot of reading and writing.” Her eyes brighten, and I ask, “Do you like to read?”
“Iloveto read,” she enthuses, smiling broadly now. “It’s my favorite thing. I have tons of books at home.”
“Well,” I glance over at Thea. “Did you know that Thea is alibrarian? I bet she has some great book suggestions for you.”
It’s like I just told Laila that Thea is Santa and the Easter Bunny combined. She yanks her hand out of mine and rushes over to Thea. “You’re a librarian? My librarian at school is the best. How many books have you read? What’s your favorite book? I love books about dragons. What do you like to read about?”
Thea is laughing as she tries to answer all the questions, and Ben says, “As you can tell, she loves to read. But I’m sure you don’t want to talk about work right now.”
I don’t miss the way he looks at Thea, his eyes lighting with interest. Nor do I miss my friend’s cheeks pinking up as she answers, “I don’t mind. I love books, too.”
Thea and Ben… I tuck that away for a later time.
A minute later, Laila has dragged Thea into the living room to show off all the books she brought over, Ben tagging along with a big smile on his face.
“Looks like everyone is getting along,” Cash observes, walking back over to me.
“I can’t believe they’ve never met,” I add. “Considering they’ve both lived in Sleepy Hollow for years.”
“Ben’s been busy with work and Laila, and volunteering at the ambulance corps. But now—”
