Page 22 of Say You Remember Me
We were just getting to the part about the Tweedle Beetle battle when there was another knock on the door. “Hold on a sec, buddy,” I said, sliding off the couch.
I padded across the carpet and when I opened the door, I found the guy with glasses and curly hair that Sloan had pointed out at The Garden as one of the guys she’d dated briefly standing next to another guy with slick, jet-black hair.
“Hi,” I said, offering a smile to them both, curious why she’d invited an ex over. “You must be here for Sloan?”
“Yes.” The guy with jet-black hair held out his hand. “I’m Owen. I used to teach at the school Sloan works at.”
“Owen, huh?” I asked, shaking his hand, thinking his name sounded familiar for some reason. Had she mentioned him before?
“And I’m Bash,” the other guy introduced himself. “I’m guessing you’re the niece Sloan mentioned moving here.”
“Ah, yes. That’s me.” I nodded. “My son and I are staying with her for a little bit until we find a place of our own.”
“Well, welcome to Eden Falls,” Owen said. “I hope you’ll enjoy living here.”
And I might have just been imagining things, but there was an amused look in his deep brown eyes that I didn’t understand.
Had I missed something?
After a brief, awkward silence, I cleared my throat and stepped aside. “Sloan’s out back. You can head through the house if you’d like.”
They thanked me and walked inside. I watched them go, still wondering why Owen had acted like he was in on an inside joke I didn’t know about.
Maybe he was just an eccentric guy and I was just reading into things?
Shaking it off, I returned to the couch where Grant was waiting patiently. We finished reading a couple more books before I took him upstairs to brush his teeth and change into his pajamas. Once he was ready, I grabbed my iPad from the dresser in the room we were sharing and got him cozy on the bed, setting him up to watch a movie.
“Remember, you’ve got your new summer camp tomorrow, so as soon as the movie’s over, it’s time for bed, okay?” I said, kissing him on the head after switching on the lamp next to him.
“Okay.” He nodded, his eyes already glued to the screen.
But even though he’d said he’d turn off the screen once the movie was over, I knew my devious little boy well enough that I quietly set a timer on my phone to remind me to check on him, just in case he tried to sneak in another show after it ended.
After one last look at the cute boy who had given me a reason to keep going even when things had sometimes been unbearable over the past few years, I turned off the main light above and then headed back down the stairs.
As I stepped outside, the warm evening air greeted me, along with the sounds of happy conversation and the crackle of the fire. The sun was just starting to set, painting the sky with breathtaking streaks of pink and orange. The whole scene felt like something out of a movie, peaceful and perfect.
Sloan spotted me lingering on the back steps. Waving me over, she called, “We saved you a chair!” before pointing to an empty seat between the blonde woman I’d met earlier and the guy who’d brought the cheese dip and pretzel crisps.
“Perfect,” I said, stepping onto the patio. “Just let me grab some of those amazing appetizers first.”
I made my way to the table full of goodies, the smell of campfire filling the air. I helped myself to some fruit, meats, and cheese, then poured a glass of wine, hoping it would help settle the nervous flutter in my chest.
“Hey! I’m Jennifer.” The blonde I’d briefly met earlier turned to me with a bright smile when I took my seat. “Sloan mentioned that you’re actually moving here and not just visiting. Do you mind if I ask what brings you to Eden Falls?”
“Oh, of course,” I said after taking a sip of my wine. “My grandparents are actually from here, which I’m sure you must have guessed since Sloan is my aunt. Anyway, I’ve always really liked it here, and so when I saw a job listing at an office in New Haven a while back, I decided it was time to take a chance on living here.”
“Oh, I love that,” Jennifer said. “I’m also a transplant. I grew up in Wisconsin but have been here for about five years.”
“That’s cool.”
I was about to ask her what had brought her here since Wisconsin was pretty far away, but then Jennifer asked, “So, where do you work? I work at an office in New Haven, too, so I wonder if I’ve heard of your company.”
“I work at Hastings Industries,” I said, tucking some hair behind my ear.
“Hastings Industries?” Jennifer’s eyes lit up at the name. “Well, I’m definitely familiar with that. I don’t know how anyone in Eden Falls couldn’t know about that company.”
“You’re Ian’s new assistant, right?” a male voice said from the other side of Jennifer. When I looked to see who had asked the question, I found Owen leaning forward, his eyes lighting up in recognition.
