Page 80 of The Hook Up
The video kept playing as he reached for the phone. He hit the speed dial for Miriam, speaking before she had a chance to say hello.
“Do you honestly think there’s a chance?”
Miriam laughed. She was too polite to say I-told-you-so, but he heard it anyway. “That was fast,” she said. “I barely made it out of the parking lot. You’re on speakerphone, by the way.”
“Hi, Ty.” Jason’s voice. Ellie’s brother.
The hell with it. Ty swallowed hard. Might as well get this over with.
“I know I don’t deserve it, but I want another chance,” he said. “Do you think there’s any way she’d ever forgive me?”
“That depends,” Miriam said. “Are you going to freak out on her again?”
“No,” he said. “I mean, I’ll do my best not to.”
“And do you genuinely care about her?” Jason asked. “Her and Henry, I mean.”
“I love her, okay?” he said. The words stunned him as they tumbled out of his mouth, but the second he said them, he knew it was true. “I’m in love with Ellie. I need to find a way to tell her. No,” he said, stopping himself. “Toshowher. I need to find a way to show her. Can you help?”
Miriam laughed again, but Ty didn’t take it personally. The laughter sounded joyful, and Ty needed more of that in his life right now.
“You’re going to have to figure this out for yourself, Ty,” Miriam said. “The relationship stuff, I mean. It’s something everyone has to learn the hard way.”
“I know, I know,” he said, impatient for advice and eager to win Ellie back. “And I have a few thoughts about convincing her to give me another shot, but I need some help.”
“Good,” Miriam said. “I have an idea, too.”
CHAPTER18
As Ellie eased her station wagon into a parking space at the elementary school, she glanced in the rearview mirror at Henry.
He met her eye and beamed at her. “Are you coming to school with me?”
The excitement in Henry’s voice was contagious, and Ellie caught herself smiling. “Just for a few minutes,” she said. “Your teacher wanted to talk with me this morning, remember?”
“Uh-huh.” Henry frowned. “Are you in trouble, Mommy?”
Ellie shook her head, not sure whether to laugh or wince. “No, I just need to visit with Mrs. Colt,” she said. “Come on. I’ll walk with you to class.”
“Yeah!” He unbuckled his seat belt and scurried out of his booster, snatching his little Batman backpack before Ellie had even closed her car door.
“Whoa,” Ellie said as she grabbed his hand. “A little eager to get to class today?”
“Uh-huh.” He towed her along, hustling as they made their way to the front doors. “It’s career week, and everyone’s bringing famous people. Toby brought his big brother who’s a dump truck driver, and Emma’s mom came yesterday to tell us about cutting up brains.”
“That does sound impressive,” Ellie said, crossing her fingers Emma’s mother was a surgeon and not a serial killer.
“Yeah,” Henry said. “But my mom’s the coolest.” He grinned up at her, swinging her hand as she walked. “I told Hank and Sadie and Peter and—well, everyone that you’re gonna talk, too.”
“Right,” Ellie said, her twinges of guilt reminding her of Ty. “About that,” she continued, pushing aside the ache that stirred every time she remembered he wasn’t in her life anymore. “I’m so flattered that you want me to talk to your class, sweetie. It means a lot to me that you’re proud of me like I’m proud of you.”
Henry grinned as he grabbed the handle of the front door then held it open for her like a little gentleman. Ellie’s heart gave a sharp twist. Where had he learned that? It didn’t seem like something Jason would have taught him.
“And you’re pretty,” he added, making Ellie smile.
“Right,” she said. “Well, thank you for that. It’s just—my job isn’t the right kind of job for talking with kids. It’s a different kind of job. Does that make sense?”
Henry frowned and shook his head, steering her toward the class. “Are you nervous, Mommy? If you want, we can do lion and fish so your face is ready.”
