Page 3 of Off Limits

“And this is mine,” Wade cut in as he reached out and pulled a leg from the chicken.

“I’ve got a knife right here, dork,” Gavin chuckled, but Wade just shrugged and bit into the meat. I gave my son an unimpressed look, which he ignored. I wasn’t surprised; I’d tried his whole life to teach him better table manners, but the lessons never stuck.

Gavin served a slice of chicken and a helping of vegetables onto my plate before filling his own. I took a bite of the tender meat and hummed. “This is delicious.”

“Thank you. I’m glad you like it.”

After a few more bites, I asked both of them, “How are you adjusting to being out of college?”

“I miss it already,” Wade said through a full mouth. I figured as much; while he did study, he also partied and enjoyed his youth. Now it was time for the real world to rear its ugly head.

“I still wish you would have walked through graduation,” I lamented. I would have loved to watch my son cross that stage, and to get photographs of the event, but Wade was a free spirit. He wasn’t into the pomp and circumstance, pun intended.

“It felt kind of silly, since I barely passed.” Wade was intelligent and a talented artist, but the issue was getting his head out of the clouds long enough to focus in class. But, a diploma was a diploma, and I hoped he put it to good use. “Gavin is the one who should have walked. He got all kinds of honors.”

“You did?” I looked at the young man, who gave a shy grin.

“I graduated summa cum laude. I was at the top of my class for both of my degrees, and I received the President’s Award for Academic Excellence.”

My jaw dropped. I knew he had always been a good student; his grades in high school earned him many scholarships, and he had to take out very few loans (since his parents offered him no support) to cover the rest of his tuition. But I was still impressed by his accolades. “But you didn’t walk?”

Gavin shrugged and turned his attention back to his plate. “There wouldn't have been anyone to watch me anyway.”

My heart sank. Gavin’s relationship with his parents had been strained all through his adolescence. They hadn't planned on his birth and weren't keen on raising a child. They never abused him, but they did ignore him, which was one reason he spent so much time in my home growing up. According to Wade, once they left for college, all contact from Gavin’s parents dried up completely. I wasn't surprised they wouldn't have shown up to his graduation.

But I should have. I'd been very busy with work lately, and since Wade didn't attend the ceremony, going myself didn't even cross my mind. But it should have. I was ashamed of myself; my ass should've been in the crowd to cheer for Gavin and show him that someone cared about him.

“I would've been proud to watch you cross that stage,” I told Gavin, who looked up at me again as yet another soft smile crossed his lips. “I am proud of you.” Wade cleared his throat and I turned my smirk on him. “Yes, I'm proud of

both of you.”

“That's better,” my son teased before shoveling another bite into his mouth.

I chuckled until I looked back at Gavin, and my laugh died away as I caught his gaze. His eyes were dark and intense, with something I couldn't quite distinguish flickering behind them. “That means a lot to me,” he told me seriously. Unsure how to answer, I nodded once, and held his gaze until he broke it to look down at his plate again.

I wasn't sure how to process the moment. It felt as if he'd left something unsaid, but maybe I was mistaken. Was it wishful thinking on my part? If so, I wasn't sure how to process that either. So, I turned my attention to the delicious food before me.

After a few bites, the silence around me became heavy, so I asked the pair, “Have you thought about your next steps?”

“Not at all,” Wade replied, once again not shocking me.

Gavin chimed in, “I've been searching for job openings and dropping off resumes around town. My career goal is to become a marketing analyst or marketing manager, but I know sometimes in business, you need to accept an entry level position and work your way up. If I can get my foot in the door somewhere, I'm willing to put in the hard work and long hours.”

I was once again impressed by him; his work ethic and understanding showed maturity far beyond his twenty three years. I wanted to give him any advantage I could in the cutthroat business world, and I thought I had just the ticket.

“My company just completed a major deal with one of our partners; the Kennison Group. Have you heard of them?”

“Of course,” Gavin nodded. “They're one of the top five investment firms in the state.”

I beamed at him. He'd certainly done his homework. “That's right. And next weekend, my company is throwing a party to celebrate the merger. Would you like to come as my guest?” Something flickered in his eyes again. Worried it was apprehension or unease, I added, “It would be great for rubbing elbows and networking.”

“I’d love to go with you,” he answered, and my heart fluttered in my chest. I told myself it was because I was happy to be helping the young man with his career.

Guilt struck me when I realized I'd invited Gavin while excluding Wade. I turned to my son and offered, “There probably won't be anyone there from the art world, but you're welcome to-”

“Pass,” he replied before I could get my whole sentence out. “A bunch of stuffy business guys in suits isn't really my idea of a party.”

To my surprise, I breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't that I didn't want to spend time with Wade; I wanted some time alone with Gavin…to focus on his career. Yeah…that's it.

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