Page 39 of Crossing Lines

I’d gone with the basics tonight, gray shirt and black jeans. “Come on.” I angled my head toward the hallway leading into the parkade, then looked around us. Still no one around. I slipped my hand into his and led him out the back and to my car.

“So, where are we going?” He stepped into the passenger side.

“I heard about this great sushi place in Phoenix. It’s not too far.” I started the car and drove us onto the boulevard, the sun already setting behind the mountains beyond the high-rises. Students strolled along the sidewalk with backpacks. It seemed Mill Avenue never quieted.

“What’s it called?” He grabbed my hand from the steering wheel and kissed the back of it. “I missed you.”

As a grin tugged at my mouth, I glanced at him. “You saw me pretty much every day.” He was something else, so eager to take me and this situation on. He hadn’t been heartbroken yet, and it showed.

“The place is called Sake Haus. There’s a brewery attached to it.” It sounded like a fun place and there were bars in the area too, in case we wanted to check them out after. But of course, we’d probably end up back at my place in my bed. After our discussion on Sunday, I couldn’t wait to let him have me.

With a nod, he said, “Perfect.”

After parking,I strolled hand and hand with Jonah down a sidewalk. It was almost spring, and the chill was out of the air, but I knew it would be cold later. This was an interesting part of town, with a mixture of older buildings next to modern apartments like my own in Tempe, with a few open dirt lots thrown in among houses. “Looks like they’re fixing this area up.”

“Yeah, maybe. I don’t know. I’ve never been down here.” He stopped at a one-story building with a lattice fence in honey-colored wood. The building was wrapped up in the same color wood siding and large round windows rested next to the door where a koi fish had been etched in the glass.

“Well, certainly looks interesting.” I opened the fence and guided him to the front door, past two patio tables with open umbrellas, one in red and the other in black.

As he opened the door, he said, “Funny, I didn’t think exposed wood did well here. The summer sun tends to ruin it pretty quickly.” He looked up at the building.

“Yeah?” I stepped inside and led him in behind me. If I were lucky, I’d get out of here when the big heat of summer hit and head home. Shit, would Jonah be there for camp with the Leafs? It never occurred to me. My gaze flicked to his.

“What?” With a lopsided grin, he arched a brow.

“Oh, nothing.” I skimmed the dark restaurant and a sign telling us it was open seating, then guided him to an open booth with deep-blue tufted seats in front of a round window. The restaurant was almost full already. I wanted to tell him about the scout coming this weekend, but it wasn’t my place.

He slid in opposite me. “Wow, this restaurant is really cool.” He pointed down the narrow room. “It goes all the way back.”

I looked past the hanging rice paper lanterns, some red and others in cream, and a long bar along one wall, then the square tables all lined up with people eating colorful rolls and drinking.

“Yeah, it’s a lot bigger than it looks from the outside.” I picked up a paper napkin from a black rectangular plate andunfolded it in my lap. “Are you drinking tonight?” It was a school night, after all, for both of us.

He held a menu. “I’m going to have one beer. I mean, I sort of have to. The place is connected to a brewery.”

With a quick chuckle, I said, “Yes, I get your point.” One couldn’t hurt.

A waitress stopped by our table, and we ordered beers and a few interesting rolls to share, along with some sashimi and miso soup.

“So.” He unwrapped his chopsticks and laid them across a plate, then unfolded his napkin in his lap.

“So.” I scanned around us a moment, the information about the scout on the tip of my tongue. No, I’d leave it to Finley to talk to him.

“Tell me about your mom.” He grabbed my hands, resting them on the table. “I mean, if you want. It sounds like you’re close with her.” He creased his forehead.

My breath caught. “Yeah, I am very close with her.” I rubbed my thumb over the back of his hand. “She’s a fighter.” I tensed my mouth. “She taught me to be a fighter too.” My gaze snapped to his. “She’s always worked retail, like in department stores. She had worked her way up to store manager for Hudson’s Bay.” I nodded over the image of her smiling at me while taking me clothes shopping there with her employee discount. “She’s going back to work in a few weeks.” I shrugged. “She had to take time off with her cancer treatments.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through that.” He squeezed my hands. “Uh, what’s Hudson’s Bay?”

I chuckled. Of course he wouldn’t have heard about it in the States. “It’s a high-end department store. I think down here they own Sak’s Fifth Avenue.”

His eyes grew wide. “Damn, I’ve seen one of those in Scottsdale but never went in it. I figured I wouldn’t be able to afford anything in there.”

“Yeah, Mom was paid pretty well there.” I leaned back and freed his hands as the waitress dropped off our beers and miso soup.”

“So, what does your dad do?” He scooped soup into his spoon and blew over it.

“My dad, believe it or not, owns a physical therapy office. He’s a physical therapist himself.” I sipped my soup, then followed it with a gulp of beer. “Dad got me the best orthopedic surgeon in Ontario when I injured my knee. He knew all of them.” Tightness wound through my gut. “Then I had to go and fuck it all up by falling without my brace on.” I stared at my miso.

---