Page 38 of Make Your Shot
And no, you did nothing wrong.
I suck in a deep breath, my lungs expanding before I let them deflate.
Today would be Amelia’s thirty-first birthday. We celebrate it every year with my brother.
I’m so sorry.
Happy birthday, Amelia.
My throat constricts and my hands shake as I type out a one-word response.
Thanks.
And then I power off my phone . . .
And my mind.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
MIA
Caleb has barely looked at or spoken to me since his late wife’s birthday last week. I’m not so sure I’m surprised, given his frosty exterior that I had grown accustomed to before I became his nanny. But that’s the thing—there was a softness, a tenderness he had shown since then.
And now, it’s like he took it all back.
I’m still sitting in my car out front of Caleb’s house, dreading having to face him again. Every day that I’ve seen him, he stays hidden until it’s time for him to leave, so I’ve been making it a point to only walk through the front door a few minutes before he’s supposed to leave.
Willow
Are you still going to the game with Steven tonight?
I stare down at my phone, the corners of my lips lifting as excitement dances in the pit of my stomach.Steven is a friend of ours from college and we made plans a few months ago to catch a game together while he was in town for work. I haven’t seen him since we graduated, so I’m excited to catch up with him.
Hopefully.
There’s only one small problem.
Why hopefully?
I forgot to mention it to Caleb, so as of right now, I’m still supposed to watch Tella.
Shit. Is he still icing you out?
My lips turn down in a frown.
Yep.
I glance at the clock on my dashboard, opting to get out of my car an extra few minutes earlier than planned so I can talk to Caleb. An anxious feeling builds in the pit of my stomach as I drop my phone into my purse and head up to the front door. I let myself in, which still feels weird to do, but Caleb insisted when I first started that I don’t need to knock.
Kicking off my shoes, I head through the foyer, my steps faltering in the doorway of the kitchen when I see Caleb. He doesn’t notice me at first as he riffles through one of the cabinets with his back to me. I watch the waythe chords in his arms tighten as he reaches for something up high.
He slowly turns around, setting the box of cereal on the counter before lifting his gaze to mine. He’s silent, his lips parting like he wants to say something, but he immediately shuts them again, giving me a small nod.
“Hey,” I say softly, mustering up the courage to walk into the kitchen. There’s no room for small talk right now, so I’m just going to cut right to the chase. Caleb doesn’t want small talk with me anyways. “Um, so I have a favor to ask, but you can totally say no.”
“Okay,” he says, his voice barely audible.
“So, a friend is in town and we made plans to go to a game months ago and I completely forgot that it’s tonight. I can cancel them if it’s an issue, but I didn’t know if Tella could hang with Andi for a little bit.”
