Page 148 of Just One Kiss

Carly didn’t want to be the one to break the news to her that her coward of a son wasn’t sticking around. He didn’t care enough about either of them to muddle his way through the messy stuff.

Carly didn’t know why she should stick around to muddle through it herself.

“Gloria, I was thinking,” she said. “What if we leave Harbor Pointe?”

The older woman’s brow furrowed as she turned her attention back to the pancakes. She flipped them, one by one, shaking her head. “I could never leave Harbor Pointe. It’s my home.”

“I know.” Carly poured a dash of creamer into her coffee and stirred. “It’s my home too, but I wonder what a fresh start might look like—for both of us.”

Gloria pressed the pancakes with the silver spatula. “So he won’t see me, then?”

Carly took a sip of coffee and leaned against the counter, facing Gloria. “He’s going back to Chicago.”

Gloria’s expression faltered for a split second, and she looked away. The bruises around her eyes had darkened into a deep purple. Her lip was visibly swollen and the Steri-strips above her eye were covered with dried blood. Carly wondered if she’d looked in the mirror at all this morning. Did she know how badly she needed a fresh start?

Carly checked her phone, stupidly, it turned out, because Josh still hadn’t responded to her calls or texts. Did he know his father had been arrested? Did he know how badly his mother needed him?

Did he know Carly loved him?

She picked up a pancake, tore it in half and ate a bite and stood at the window overlooking the backyard. At her side, Gloria hummed, and Carly wondered if she felt free as a bird or terrified of what was in store.

The sound of a small engine at the side of her house drew her attention.

“Is Jaden up?” she asked Gloria.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had a teenager in the house, but by my recollection, they don’t stir before eleven in the morning during the summer.” She smiled. “You’re eating, aren’t you?”

“One second.” Carly walked through the kitchen and out the back door, the bright summer sun forcing her to squint.

And sure enough, there in the yard, pushing herstate-of-the-artlawn mower,was Josh. Not in Chicago. Right here.

At the sight of her, he killed the engine.

“What are you doing here?” She walked toward him.

“Mowing your lawn,” he said simply, as if the answer was obvious.

“What about Chicago?” she asked.

His eyes dipped to her lips, then latched on to her gaze. “You’re not in Chicago.”

She studied his face. “You didn’t go?”

He shook his head. “Nope.”

“Why not?”

He shrugged. “Realized everything I want is right here.”

She pressed her lips together, unsure what else to say. “They arrested your dad.”

He nodded. “I saw.”

She wouldn’t make him talk about it—not if he didn’t want to. But she said a silent prayer that he would know he could if he needed to, that he knew he was safe with her—no matter what.

“Your lawn isn’t going to mow itself.” He pulled the cord and the engine roared back to life. He gave her a wave, then pushed the mower to the other end of the yard.

“I don’t care what you think, Joshua Dixon,” she said to herself. “You are a very good man.”

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