Page 30 of Collision of Winters
The boy was so eager to open the cheese that he did it before putting on clothes, so that was something he should improve on. For the sake of my sanity.
“Oh, this is awesome. Thank you so much, Sir. Do you remember this was the first thing you taught me in French?”
I chuckled and did my best to ignore the title.
“I do.” I placed my boots by the door and removed my beanie too. “Do you remember what I taught you in German?”
He stood straighter and spoke as he crammed the first triangle of cheese into his mouth. “Funf Minutensomething-somethingDeutschen Pünktlichkeit!”
I let out a laugh. Close enough.
“You’d do well to remember that one,” I said. “You’ll need punctuality in your future field.”
He smiled like a dope. “I’m always punctual. Besides, I’m not sure five minutes are enough. Dad taught me fifteen minutes early is on time.”
Of course he had. Chris and I had been taught the same thing.
“Touché.”
I was supposed to be staring into the fire and relaxing my mind after a perfect dinner.
Instead, I watched Kayden on his knees in front of the coffee table, where he was busy organizing the lists he’d written. He had been the family list-maker for as long as he’d been with us, and I was sure he missed his own notepads. He had lists for his move, for clothes he’d need for his training, utility vehicles he liked, songs he preferred to work out to…
“What’s the list in the upper left corner for?” I asked.
He didn’t miss a beat, even though he was busy studying two other pages. “Websites and books. I need to become a GPS system, and I’m wondering if there’s a site where you can stay up-to-date on roadwork and stuff in DC.”
I smiled to myself and scooted lower in my seat.
Fuck, how I wished we’d known about his dreams earlier. It was so easy to see how Kayden burned for this.
“Have you ever had a job in logistics before?” I wondered.
He made a face and shrugged a little. “Nothing like this, but…I guess, kinda. I’ve worked at distribution facilities and stuff. Iactually liked the last place. One of the few bosses who liked me—he put me in charge of coordinating deliveries.”
That only raised more questions.
“What makes you think your bosses haven’t liked you?” I mean, he was the most likable boy I knew.
He looked at me and lifted his eyebrows. “Because they tend to let workers know, Wade. I’m always told I’m too inquisitive and argumentative. But it’s not my fault they’re doing it all wrong.”
That made me laugh, and it felt incredible. He hadconfidence, for once, which was wonderful to see.
He grinned a little and glanced over his shoulder. “It doesn’t seem as windy anymore.”
No, the worst of it had died down. “Now we just need to wait out the snowstorm.”
He looked back at me and seemed to hesitate for a second. “Can we go home soon? I wanna see Dad and Chris when he gets back. And Yaya.”
Well, that was a sobering thought—and not a very pleasant one either. Because I was enjoying our alone time way too much, but of course he wanted to get back now that he had plans.
“I swear I’m not gonna run away,” he teased.
I managed to pull off a smile. “Of course we can. I’ve accomplished my goal with this little field trip.”
His own smile turned soft. “You don’t know how grateful I am, Sir. I feel so…hopeful now. I’m excited. I’m gonna work super hard.”
I had no doubt.
