Page 11 of Everlasting Love

“Thank you.”

I end the call and drop my gaze to the ground at the gratitude dripping from her voice. I’ve been ignoring messages from Toby, Nix, Mrs. S, and Hope all morning, but when Mom’s name lit up my phone I couldn’t ignore her. It’s not completely her fault I hate going there. Nothing’s really changed since I was a kid. She still loves and cares for me as much as she’s capable of even ifhedoesn’t.

I finish washing my SUV and then head inside to shower. On the way to my parents’ home, I ruminate over my conversation with Mom. Guilt and shame swallows me—she had to practically beg to see me on my birthday. What sort of a son plans to stay away from his parents on his birthday? She’s always tried to make a fuss, even though it was often only the two of us acknowledging my special day. Out of guilt, I make a detour and stop at Cass’s shop. I’ll feel a little better if I show Mom that I appreciate her efforts by giving her some flowers.

Cass is busy and there are a couple of people waiting before me, so I choose a bouquet from one of the tubs as I get closer to the front of the line. When I finally make it to the counter, Cass’s eyes are wide with surprise. “Hi, Shane.” She looks around and I know who she’s looking for.

“He’s not here.”

Her shoulders drop slightly, disappointment washing over her features before she realizes it. Her face smooths out, and she smiles at me, dropping her eyes to the flowers in my hand. Her eyebrows rise as she asks, “For someone special?”

I look down at the colorful arrangement. “Just for my mom.”

Cass’s smile widens. “Oh, she’ll love them.” She reaches for the bouquet. “Let me tie a ribbon around them for you. What’s your mom’s favorite color?”

I picture all of Mom’s favorite things. “Teal.”

“Oh, I have a gorgeous teal ribbon with gold flecks through it.” She holds up a finger. “Back in a sec.” She disappears from view through the side door I know leads to the back of her store, then hustles back out holding up the ribbon. “Will this be okay?”

I dunno. It’s just ribbon but I can tell this means something to Cassia so I nod. “Looks great.”

Her smile is wide as she wraps the stems with the ribbon. She clearly loves doing this stuff. “Uh, how’s Toby’s arm today?”

Damn, I probably should have checked on him today after he was hit with a baseball during our visit to the park with Cass and Poppy yesterday, but I’ve been too busy avoiding everybody. When I dropped him off at home last night, he was floating on cloud nine because he got to spend the afternoon and evening with Cass and Poppy. “I … uh … haven’t spoken with him today. I’m sure he’s fine, though.”

“Oh. I figured you guys see each other every day.”

I shake my head. “Almostevery day. He’s home writing, so I have today off.” She snips the end of the ribbon and holds up the flowers for my approval. “They look great. Thank you.” I grab my phone out of my pocket to pay.

As we’re waiting for the transaction to be approved, Cass asks, “Any special occasion?”

“Nah, just visiting my folks and thought I’d surprise Mom.”

“Oh, that’s so sweet. Have a great visit.”

“Yeah, thanks.” I step through the glass door, and back onto the street. A scrawny kid is running toward me, holding a woman’s purse in his hand and looking over his shoulder. I follow his line of sight to find a woman shouting after him. Stepping out from the doorway, I grab the back of his shirt as hereaches me and lift him clear off the sidewalk. He kicks out with his feet, connecting with my thigh before I shift him farther away from my body.

“What the fuck, man!” He swings his arm out to try and hit me, but his reach is too short. “Put me down. This is fucking assault.”

Stupid kid.

The woman catches up to the boy, her chest rising and falling quickly. She scowls at the kid and then looks up at me. “Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome. Is this your purse?”

The kid drops the purse on the ground, the contents spilling everywhere—little punk. “Put me the fuck down. I don’t have nothin’.”

“Yeah, it is. I’d just taken some money out of the bank to pay for my kids’ school fees. Thank God you caught him.”

I nod. “You wanna call the cops? I’ll keep him until they get here.”

“Thanks.” She drops to her knees and collects everything from the sidewalk, including her phone. Pressing the screen she dials nine-one-one and talks to the person on the other end. While she explains what happened, two officers patrolling the street come to a stop in front of us.

“What’s going on here?”

The kid flicks his arm out toward me. “This guy’s assaulting me.”

Both officers turn their attention toward me, their eyebrows high on their foreheads as they wait for my explanation. The woman who had her bag stolen ends her call and steps closer. “Officers. Thank goodness you’re here.” She points to the kid I’m still holding off the ground with one hand while I balance Mom’s flowers in my other hand. “This boy stole my purse, and this kind gentleman stopped the little thief.”

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