“I don’t know either.”
She nods, and finishes her food.
My phone vibrates in my pocket. I tap out a quick reply to the text. “It’s my mom,” I explain. “Crap.
“Everything okay?” She lays her fork down.
“I’m not sure.”
“What does that mean?”
“Mom and Dad are out of town, and I have a cousin who’s going through a tough time. Mom wants me to go check on her.” I take out enough money to pay the bill for the food and lay it on the table. “I have to go. Mom’s freaking out because my aunt called her. She’s in another state, so she can’t go check on Patsy herself.”
“Oh.” She tosses her napkin onto her plate. “Of course.” Her foot is still softly trapped between mine. “Would it be…terrible…” She stops and takes a breath.
“Would what be terrible?” I ask.
“Never mind.”
“No, tell me.”
She looks into my eyes. “Would it be terrible if I told you I really like having my BFF holding my foot between his?”
My heart jumps in my chest. “It wouldn’t be terrible at all,” I say quietly. “It would be fucking amazing.”
She laughs and gets up from her seat. “I guess I’ll see you later, then?”
“Do you want to go with me?” I ask. My gut twists while I wait for her response.
“I can go with you?” she asks, her eyes sparkling.
“I don’t want to give up my time with you,” I say, being as honest as I can. “Come with me.”
“Yes. I’d like that.”
Wren
That was absolutely the wrong thing to do, but I did it anyway. Now I’m doubting my decision. I never should have told him how much I liked cuddling with his feet.
“So where are we going?” I ask as I buckle my seatbelt.
He heaves a sigh. “We’re going to the other side of town.”
I turn to face him. “What’s on the other side of town?”
“My cousin who is going through a rough time. She has four kids, her husband is in jail, she’s a recovering addict, but she hasn’t used since she got pregnant with baby number four. Anyway, Mom’s worried about the kids. She tried to call Patsy twice this week, but she didn’t answer.”
“You think she might be using again?”
“I don’t know. I hope not.”
“Tell me about the kids.”
“There are four kids. Anna is eight. Devon is six. She also has a two-year-old girl named Roxy, and then the new baby, Chase.” He parks on the street. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Do you want me to go up with you?”