Page 147 of Absolute Certainty
“Best seat in the house? I’d be honored,” Sahar answered, lowering herself onto the chair. She heard Jay’s laugh as he closed the refrigerator door, the sound comforting.Home.
Stepping behind her, he placed a forest green mug in front of her. “Lavender syrup is the same one we use at work, but the coffee’s from Door County, and it’s better,” he added, before taking his own seat.
“Ooh, where’s Door County?” she asked.
“In Wisconsin. My aunt—mom’s side—moved to Green Bay when she got married, and when we’d visit her, she’d drive us up there. All other ground coffee pales in comparison.”
Sahar smiled, curling her fingers around the warm ceramic. She took a sip, chuffed to confirm that Jay was right about the rich Colombian flavor mixing with the lavender she loved.
“Have I been there, Dad?” Eloise asked.
“Once when you were four.”
“We should go again now that I’m older.”
Jay nodded, taking a sip of his own drink. “Agreed.”
Taking a bite of her waffle, Sahar let herself get used to this new normal. For most people, Mondays were the eighth circle of hell, but the unconventional day off for a Broadway performer often made it feel like a Sunday, brewing with the blues and apprehension. One day of rest.
Except today, it felt different—nothing would be the same after this moment, and it made an arbitrary Monday during one of the hottest days at the beginning of August feel like the best day of the year.
For someone who often fell in love quickly, this had been the slowest and deepest descent yet. It was the one that mattered most. Jay was the only man whose intentions she would never doubt. He had split his heart wide open, so she could see inside every secret treasure trove. She’d give him all of her in return.
“You good over there?” he asked.
“Hmm?”
“You zoned out.”
Smiling, she bobbed her head up and down before taking another bite.
And then, out of the blue, Eloise said, “Dad, it’s very boring that your name is just Jay.”
Sahar choked a little on her breakfast, and Jay exhaled a low huff. “Very humbling, El. But you have a point. I’m not even sure I can make an argument for it.”
“I like your name,” Sahar said to him.
“Yourname is the coolest,” Eloise pointed out.
Dropping her mouth with an awe-struck expression, Sahar didn’t withhold her amusement. “I don’t think any compliment I get will be more brilliant than that, so thank you, Eloise. But you win here—you get all sorts of adorable nicknames that go along with yours.”
The little girl gave her a big, toothy grin, then turned back to look at her dad. “So, Father…”
“Oh, God,” Jay blurted, and a snort toppled out of Sahar.Father?
“If we sneakily bring a horseshoe crab home, who’s going to find out about it?”
“We’re not having this discussion again,Daughter. First, your mother will single-handedly murder me if I send you home with anything that crawls. Second, you can’t have a horseshoe crab as a pet. Third, stop calling me father.”
Sahar watched the exchange with her lips curled inward.
Eloise snickered, pure satisfaction making its way into her mischievous little eyes. “Actually, Uncle Patrick looked it up, and youcankeep them as pets.”
Some sort of a low grunt tumbled from Jay’s throat. “Uncle Patrick needs to be banned from the internet.”
“That’s not very nice,” the little girl added.
Jay rolled his eyes, affectionately. “Stop calling me father when you want to get your way, and I’ll let youstareat the crabs for as long as you want.”
