Page 62 of Cluelessly Yours

“It’s not so much that I don’t like phone calls, but that I didn’t know people still called each other. It feels like we’re utilizing an ancient form of technology.”

“What can I say, Sam? I’m Grandpa Noah. It was either this or a telegram. And personally, I wanted to hear your voice.”

“Yeah?” she asks softly, and I know that honesty here is the only way to put the punctuation on my motive.

This isn’t a game for me. And Sammy should know it.

“Sammy, I really like you. Hell, since the moment I left your apartment this morning, I’ve been thinking about you. So, yeah. I wanted to hear your voice.”

Silence stretches between us for what feels like an eternity, but for something this important, I’m willing to bend until she breaks.

“I’ve been thinking about you too.” Her voice is still quiet, and I can’t decide if it’s because she’s unsure about my feelings for her or if she’s unsure about her feelings for me.

Frankly, neither of those seems like a good option.

Last night wasn’t some casual-hookup bullshit for me. It was real. It meant something. And I’m going to prove it to her.

“When can I see you again?” I ask, choosing to show her how serious I am through actions rather than words.

“My life is pretty dang complicated, Noah,” she answers on a sigh that borders on a cry. “Honestly, I’m not sure when I’ll have an actual night off without the boys again, and—”

“Sammy, I’m not expecting that,” I interject gently. “We can do something togetherwiththe boys.”

“Oh.Are you sure? I, well… This is kind of embarrassing, but I thought you were talking about a date.”

“I was. Iam.But when the woman you’re interested in is the mother to two awesome boys, dates come in all shapes and sizes.”

“Noah.”

“Aren’t you off on Sundays?” I question. “There’s a Yankees game this Sunday, and I know I can get four tickets for us from one of the doctors I work with.”

“You want to take me and my two heathens to a Yankees game?”

“Of course I do.”

“That’s…really sweet of you. Possibly a little sadistic, but also very, very sweet.”

“Is that a yes, then?”

“Yeah. It’s a yes,” she says, and I love the way I can hear an actual smile in her voice. “Though, I’m just letting you know that the last time Chase took the boys to a Yankees game, there was a bit of a tussle with one of the mascots that ended in tears.”

“Let me guess… Seth initiated it?”

“Of course he did.” She guffaws. “He’s my instigator.”

“Who cried, then? Grant?”

She scoffs. “No. The mascot.”

I laugh. “Well, I can promise you we’ll handle whatever they throw our way. And we’ll even manage to have a good time too.”

“I can’t wait. But I’m not telling the boys about this until the day of. Otherwise, I’ll have to live through one thousand questions about the Yankees game for the whole week. Every minute of every day, they’ll be asking me if it’s Yankees game day. The struggle of having kids who haven’t quite grasped a sense of time is real, Noah.”

I chuckle again. “I fully support your decision.”

“So… I guess I’ll see you Sunday…”

Hell yes, you will.“See you then, Sammy.”

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