Page 44 of Chosen Road

“Okay, agoria!” Yiayia announced, her eyes suspiciously bright. “Unless you want to do the dishes, you go play.”

Both boys bounced up. “We’ll clear, Yiayia,” Alex offered as he and Jace grabbed the serving dishes and moved them to the kitchen.

“Be careful, agoria. Those are for your mommas when I die. I don’t want them broken.”

“You’re going to live forever, Yiayia,” Alex shouted back.

Yiayia smiled as she watched them go. “Good boys. I am very proud.” She turned to Vander with a gleam in her eye. “The boys ate well. You, not so much. You don’t like Yiayia’s cooking?”

He lifted his plate and passed it to her. “Pile it on, Yiayia. I’m working on my dad bod.”

I snorted, and Ruby elbowed me in the ribs, the tension broken.

Gus

I waited impatiently for Amber to bring Alex, hoping she’d come in, knowing with a certainty that she would not.

Shortly after six o’clock, her car rolled into the driveway. Alex got out of the passenger side. He didn’t bounce his way up the driveway like he usually did.

I watched as Amber lay her forehead down on the steering wheel briefly before swinging her legs out of the car and sending an unexpected jolt into my system. She was coming in.

It was too cold for what she was wearing, but it was not unusual for her to still be wearing flip flops and floaty skirts well into October.

I opened the door and greeted Alex by palming his head and drawing him into my chest like I usually did.

He looked up at me, his eyes wary but hopeful. “Momma needs to talk to you.”

I masked my surprise as best I could. “Sure, buddy. You want to go unpack your stuff and get your bag ready for school tomorrow while we do that?”

He sighed. “Yeah, okay. I hope you say ‘yes’.”

He started to turn away, looking dejected. I palmed his head and gently turned him towards me. “If it’s something you want, buddy, I’ll always say yes if I can. I always want to give you what you want. Okay?”

His face relaxed. He looked tentatively hopeful as he spared a glance at his mom before running up the stairs to his room.

I grasped the handle of the door and tugged Amber out of the way so I could close it, then took her purse off her shoulder and hung it on the hook where it used to belong. With my hand on her lower back, I ushered her into the kitchen. Anything to touch her, however lightly, however briefly.

“Um, Gus, I need to talk to you,” she stammered.

I pulled out a chair at the table and put on the kettle before answering her. She sat on the edge of the seat while I crossed to the pantry and pulled out the surprise I had for her. “Do you still like this?” I held up the gourmet hot chocolate mix she sometimes bought for herself.

Her face lit up and she stood up to walk towards me. “I do! I didn’t even know you knew where to get that!”

I huffed out a laugh. “I didn’t, but then a client gave us a gift basket and I asked them where they got it.”

Amber’s face went red, and she rolled her lips between her teeth.

“What’s the matter?”

“Jacqueline didn’t want it?” she bit out.

My eyes bugged out of my head. “Jacqueline? What are you talking about?” I felt my lip curl with distaste. “I haven’t seen Jacqueline in more than six months. I haven’t spoken to her since you left.”

Her eyes rounded and she stared at me. “You don’t work with her anymore?”

I stared at her, dumbfounded. “Amber, I told you, I left the luxury homes division and moved to subdivisions. I never went back to work at that office other than to request more time off and a transfer. I thought you understood.”

“You said it was so you could spend more time with Alex,” she stammered. “I thought she went with you.”

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