Page 53 of Ghost

It was the way that our quiet dinners never felt awkward or forced. He would just let the silence settle over us and thought nothing of it. He fixed the squeaky bathroom door without me asking him to, and he always seemed to know when I was feeling overwhelmed and needed some space. And when I did, he’d give it to me without question.

He was patient and kind in ways I never expected, and it’s impossible not to be drawn to him. I’d tried to fight it, but I found myself wanting something more than a simple friendship with him. And that was a thought that both terrified and intrigued me at the same time.

“There you go, daydreaming again,” Bridget giggled, pulling me from my thoughts. “You got it bad, girl.”

“No, no. I was just thinking that I should check in on Toby,” I lied. “He’s supposed to be finishing up some homework before the tutor gets here.”

“Tutor?” Her brows furrowed. “I thought he was going to start going to school with Garrison.”

“Well, that was the plan, but after we talked it over with Preacher and Creed, we decided it was better to hold off for a bit longer. For now, he’ll just stick to the homeschool thing, and we’ll see how things are going in a couple of months.”

“And what about you? Are you still going to try to work, or will you just stay home with Toby?”

“Oh, I’m getting a job. I’ve already been looking. I’ve just gotta figure out what kind of schedule I can work out with Toby. It’s just harder without him being in school and all.”

“Yeah, I can see that. I’m around if you ever need anyone to look after him.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks.”

“Hey, Mom!” Toby called out from the living room. “What’s for lunch?”

“I don’t know. I’ll fix something in a minute.”

“But Maggie’s coming.”

“I know, but...”

“You go ahead.” Bridget stood up as she said, “I’m gonna get going.”

“Oh, no. You don’t have to rush off. It won’t take me but a second to ...”

“No, no. I really need to get going.” She picked up her empty coffee cup and placed it in the sink. “I have a long list of groceries to pick up and a couple of other errands I need to run.”

“Okay.” I got up and gave her a quick hug. “I’m really glad you stopped by.”

“We’ll have to get together soon. Maybe go shopping or something.”

“That would be great.”

We said our final goodbyes, and then Bridget left to run her errands. I knew Toby was hungry and eagerly waiting for me to finish making his lunch, so I went over to the pantry and started grabbing everything I’d need to make his sandwich. I made him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and then I grabbed the bag of chips. I’d just started to pour some onto the plate when I felt a slight nudge at my back.

I jumped back with a jerk, and the bag of chips slipped out of my hand.

Chips flew everywhere—all over the counter, the table, and the floor.

And Sutton stood in the middle of it all with a stunned look on his face. I felt like a complete idiot. I had no idea he was even home, much less in the kitchen with me. Horrified, I dropped to the floor and started scooping the chips into a pile.

“I’m so sorry,” I muttered under my breath. “I don’t know what happened.”

“It’s fine.” Sutton knelt beside me, and his voice was just as calm as it always was as he told me, “It’s just some stupid chips.”

I glanced up at him, and a part of me expected to find a look of frustration or impatience, but there was none to be found. He just shrugged like it was no big deal and helped me clean up the mess.

“I’m really sorry,” I repeated, and even I could tell that the words sounded heavier than they should have.

It wasn’t about the chips. He had to know that.

He looked at me for a second, then shook his head. “It’s chips, babe. It’s not that serious.”

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