Page 25 of Between Now and Forever
“Does your mom know you’re here?” I ask, hoping he’ll take the bait.
“Um, no. She doesn’t know that. But she’s busy getting ready to go with Cricket and some other ladies for ... I don’t know what they’re doing. But they’re going to Della’s. Whoever that is.”
I glance at Della’s. “Are you supposed to be home with Dylan?”
“How do you know Dylan?”
“I met him today.”
“Was he a jerk face to you?”
I struggle not to laugh. “That’s not a nice thing to say about someone.”
“It’s the truth,” he says with more moxie than I’ve ever had. “If he doesn’t want to be called a jerk face, he shouldn’t be one.”
I have no idea what to say. Dylanisa jerk face, from what I can tell. So do I agree with him or try to dissuade him from calling his brother names?
Wait.This has nothing to do with me.Carter needs to go home.
“You know what? I have a bunch of stuff to do. Why don’t you head back home?” I ask.
Instead of leaving, he remains rooted in place. He furrows his little brows and studies me like I’m a puzzle he has to finish before going.
I sigh, hoping the sound encourages him to hurry.
It doesn’t.
“You give ... lonely vibes,” he says, satisfied.
It’s my turn to be puzzled. “Excuse me?”
“You’re lonely, huh?”
What?“Carter, it’s been good chatting with ya, kid, but it’s time for you to leave.”
He bounces his ball again. “You can come to dinner at our house. Mom always says we can fix an extra plate if someone needs it.”
“I have food, but thank you.”
“But you’re lonely.”
“I’m not lonely.”
He looks up and gives me a cheesy grin. “Yeah, you are. And you’re getting cranky.”
I snatch his ball midbounce and carry it to the grass by the driveway. There I set it gently on the ground.
“Your face doesn’t look happy, and you don’t want to talk about stuff,” he says, frowning. “You’re sad.”
This fucking kid.“I’m fine. And I’m closing this door.”
“Cran-ky.”He laughs wildly. “Thanks for pumping up my ball, Mr. Crankypants.”
My head hurts. “Goodbye.”
I press the button by the door leading into the house before Carter can come back in. The garage door begins to descend.
Carter crouches down from the other side and waves, bending until he’s on all fours. Finally, the door seals us apart.
