Page 134 of Absolute Certainty
“Perchance not.”
He shook his head.This kid.
They drove in silence for a moment until she spoke again.
“Does your pretty friend also make movies?”
He knew she was talking about Sahar, and his heart expanded three sizes.
“She’s on Broadway like Aunt Lexie.”
Eloise’s eyes went wide. “Was she in the same show?”
“No, she’s in a different one.”
She swung her feet back and forth. “Can I see that one?”
“It’s for adults. You’d be bored.”
“Is it like Shake-sphere?” she asked.
“Shakespeare,” he gently corrected. “And yeah, something like that,” he answered.
“Perchance, she will be in a fun one someday.”
Jay smiled at her. “Perchance she will,” he repeated.
Midnights at Pemberleywas far more exciting than Shakespeare, but Eloise didn’t need to know that.
“I’m not mad at you anymore. Can we go to the beach again soon? But on a day when Aunt Lexie is also home and maybe Uncle Patrick, too? I want to show them the horseshoe crabs.”
“Happy to be back in your good graces. Um…” he thought about his upcoming schedule. Maybe Monday? He was off next week. “I’ll figure something out with Aunt Lexie.” If he was back on her good side, Jay figured now would be the time to rip the Band-Aid off of what he and Sahar actually were to each other.
Eyeing her from the rearview mirror, he said, “Remember when you mentioned that you wanted me to find my own Gavin?”
She excitedly tilted her head. “OH MY GOD! Didyou?”
“You’re calling her my pretty friend, but I’d like her to be more than that, if you’re okay with it.”
Eloise gave him a big smile. “Yeah! She can come to the beach, too, if she wants.”
“I’ll pass the message along,” he replied finally.
Alex called him as soon as he’d parked in his designated spot. He answered and handed Eloise the apartment keys. She ran ahead in the corridors as he followed.
“Yeah, hey,” he said.
“Pat told me about the dinner Sunday night. Is Sahar coming?” Alex asked.
“I’d told her about it, but I’m not sure yet. Why?”
“Just curious.If she does, we can leave the city together since our shows end at the same time.”
He helped Eloise with the door when he noticed her twisting in the wrong direction. “That sounds like a plan. I’ll let you know,” he said over the phone.
Eloise beelined straight toward the kitchen. “Wash your hands,” he called out.
As he was kicking off his shoes by the door, ayelpchirped out of Alex on the other end of the line. “You good over there?” he asked.
