Page 113 of Crave Thy Neighbor

“And Nolan, right?”

My heart squeezes at the mention of the man who holds it in the palm of his hand. “Yep.”

I hope he doesn’t hear the quiver in my voice too. “Come on.”

He grabs his guitar and I grab my purse, then we head out to my car.

He’s quiet on the drive, and I keep the radio low in case he wants to talk.

“Can I ask you something?”

“You ask me anything you want, except for a million dollars. Not because I wouldn’t give it to you, but because I don’t have it.”

He smiles. “It’s not money.”

“Oh, thank god.” I wink. “What’s up, kiddo?”

“Did you and Nolan break up because of me?”

If I weren’t driving a car with my kid in it, I’d stop breathing right on the spot. But since I can’t, I push through, exhaling slowly.

“Why…” The words are lodged in my throat, so I lick my lips to try again. “Why do you think Nolan and I were dating?”

He scoffs. “I have eyes.”

“Really? Then why do you have such a hard time picking your socks up off the floor if you can see them lying there?”

“I said I have eyes, not gumption.”

I smash my lips together, trying not to laugh. I didn’t even realize he knew the word gumption. He should really stop hanging out with his English teacher so much.

“And besides,” he continues, “I saw you kissing.”

“What? When?”

He shrugs. “Lots of times. You didn’t think I could see you, but I did.”

I think back to the start of things, trying to figure out when Sam could have seen us, and I realize it was quite often.

At home, Nolan and I tried hard to keep things platonic with Sam around, but I don’t think we were always intentional about it. It felt too natural being with him, and I didn’t think to hide it because it never felt like it was something I shouldn’t be doing.

“Oh.” It’s all I can think to say.

“Was it because I drank his PowerUp and borrowed his book?”

My heart squeezes for the second time tonight. “No, Sam, that’s not what happened.”

“Are you sure? Because Nolan was really mad at me. I thought he got tired of having me around and wanted us gone.”

“We moved out because our apartment was ready early. That’s all. As for Nolan and me…well, that’s a little more complicated, but I promise it had nothing to do with you.”

“Are you going to get back together? Because I really like him. He plays video games with me, and Dad never plays them at all. Plus, Nolan likes football, and Dad doesn’t like that either. I liked having another guy around.”

Hearing Sam’s words…something hits me.

Nolan’s been like a stand-in father for Sam. Losing him wasn’t just a blow for me, but for Sam too.

“I could play video games with you,” I offer, trying to keep the tears stinging my eyes at bay. “And I can learn about footsball.”

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