Page 25 of The Two of Us

“Do you like birds?”

I tilt my head in confusion. “Pardon?”

“Birds. You know, the animals with wings that fly around in the sky?”

Smart-ass. I raise an amused brow. “Yes, I know what birds are. And I’m impartial to them. Why?”

“Ambrose is taking me to the zoo today. You should come.”

I peek across the street and see Ambrose tossing a cooler into the back seat of his jeep. He turns toward us, his expression telling me he’s just as surprised as I am to see Matty at my front door. I can hear the deep sigh he releases from where I stand. I try and fail not to focus on how good he looks today as he saunters over.

“Matty,” he says, his low voice laced with suspicion. “What are you doing?”

“I’m inviting her to the zoo!”

Ambrose clenches his jaw and I want to run my finger along the vein that appears.

Shit.

“Mara has better things to do today. Come on.”

“What better things do you have to do today, Miss Mara?”

I haven’t known Matty very long at this point, but I do know two things:

1. He’s smarter than most kids his age.

2. He has the kind of face that makes it impossible to say no to.

I actually do have things I need to get done today. Helen called me this morning to tell me that a client was unsatisfied with the mock website a fellow colleague put together and she begged me to add their project to my docket. Her begging was unnecessary because we both know I love adding extra work to my plate. It’s the perfect distraction. But a small part of me wants to go to the zoo with Matty and Ambrose, if only for nostalgia’s sake. The place holds some of my favorite memories.

Before I can give myself the chance to overthink it, I say, “I’d be up for the zoo.”

Ambrose pins me with a heavy glare. To say he doesn’t look pleased would be the understatement of the century. “Matty, go wait for me in the car.” He points at the jeep.

“But—”

Ambrose only has to raise an eyebrow.

“Fine,” Matty huffs, making his way to the Wrangler.

I give Ambrose an awkward smile, feeling like a child who’s about to be reprimanded.

“What are you doing?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, what are you doing, Mara? You basically told me to fuck off and now you want to spend the day with me and Matty? You’re being confusing as hell.”

I blow out a breath. “You’re right. I’m sorry—I’m not being fair.”

Ambrose grunts in agreement but doesn’t move. Deep down, I know I shouldn’t be spending time with him. I’d told him what I wanted and he respected my decision. It’s unfair of me to play the hot-and-cold game. But if I’m being honest with myself, I’m lonely. Work only consumes a fraction of my time, Tally is too far to keep me distracted and Laura is becoming suspicious of the never-ending supply of alcohol in the fridge.

If I can just have one day to escape the thoughts my solitude stirs up, I will gladly punish myself with isolation for the rest of my stay. As if Ambrose sees my internal struggle, he turns away from the house without a word, his jaw tight, motioning for me to follow. I thrust my feet forward before he can change his mind and my shoelace catches on a piece of wood sticking up from the stairs, causing me to stumble face-first. His arm shoots out and clutches my waist, saving me from eating concrete. Ambrose holds me tight in his arms, his minty breath falling over my cheek. He lets me go abruptly and continues toward the car, flexing his hand by his side as if touching me burns.

My ears aflame with embarrassment, I offer shotgun to Matty. He’s stoked until Ambrose informs us that six-year-olds use booster seats and I’m once again reminded how little I know about children. Ambrose drives in silence, granting every song request Matty has, including a mind-splitting tune about a baby shark.

When we finally reach the zoo, I’m comforted to see it hasn’t changed in the slightest. It’s like it was thrown into a state of stagnancy and time danced around it, never pulling it into its orbit. It’s the parking lot that shocks me the most. It hosts more cars than I thought existed in Speck Lake. How did the zoo get more popular while the rest of the town fell to shambles? We get in line and before I have the chance to pull my wallet out, Ambrose hands me an all-exclusive wristband.

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