His son didn’t answer right away. “Um. I think I talked to her a couple of weeks ago.” He paused. “I should call her.”
“Yes, you should.”
Bradley chuckled. “Did you call to yell at me for not calling Mom?”
Daniel chuckled. “No. I called because I haven’t heard from you either. I wanted to make sure you were still alive.”
“Sorry. I’m always knee deep in work and—”
“I know,” Daniel said. “But you can’t let life or relationships pass you buy. Before you know it, you’ll be my age.”
“I think I’ve got a little time.”
His son was twenty-five and still thought he had all the time in the world. Daniel remembered being that way at his age. Little did he know that three years later he’d have a newborn daughter. “Just don’t work too hard. That’s all I’m saying. You need to live your life, too.”
“Says the man who does nothing but work.”
The words were mumbled, but Daniel heard them. “I do have a life, you know.” Daniel sighed. “Besides, we’re not talking about me. I don’t want you to wake up one day and realize you’re forty and have nothing to show for it.” He paused. “Your mother and I worry. That’s all.”
“I know. And I do go out with some of the guys here sometimes.”
“Good.” A car pulling in the parking lot drew his attention. Ali was here. His heart skipped a beat as she got out of her car and walked to her apartment, her hips swaying in her heels. “And give me a call every now and then, so I know you’re okay.” His words came out soft and distant.
“You okay, Dad?” Bradley asked.
Ali unlocked her door and a moment later she was gone from his sight. “Yeah, I’m good. I should probably let you get back to work so you can get home at a decent hour.”
Bradley chuckled. “I’ll try to call you more often.”
“And call your mom.”
“I will,” his son promised.
“I love you.”
“Love you, too, Dad.”
They disconnected the call and Daniel’s gaze went toward the door Ali had disappeared behind. Warmth spread through his chest and anxiety filled his belly. But before he could overthink it, he grabbed the bag of food from the passenger seat and climbed out of the vehicle.
CHAPTER8
A knock hadAli stopping in her tracks. She’d barely removed her coat. Turning on her heel, she went to answer the door, hoping it was Daniel.
She looked through the peephole, then unfastened the chain. Pulling the door open, she stepped back to let him inside. “I wasn’t expecting you yet. I just got home.”
He moved past her, walking into her humble apartment. It was nothing like his house. The complete opposite, in fact. Daniel’s home was all big open spaces, while her two-bedroom apartment felt tiny in comparison. It wasn’t that she disliked her apartment. It was fine. She’d lived there for two years now. But it was still a small space with very basic furniture, and she couldn’t help but wonder what he thought of it.
Daniel placed two bags on her kitchen counter, then removed his coat.
“Here, let me take that,” she said.
He let her take his coat and she hung it beside hers on a wood coat rack near the door.
By the time she returned to her kitchen area, he’d removed all the food from the bags and had it lying on the counter. “I hope you like Greek food.”
She eased around him to get to the plates. Her hip grazed his in the tight space and she sucked in a breath. Blowing it out, she tried to sound casual. “Did you get any baklava?”
He chuckled, not seeming affected in any way by their bodies brushing against each other. “You can’t eat Greek food without baklava.”