Page 17 of A Place to Call Home
He propped his elbow against the wall next to her. “Meet him? Don’t you remember the hot dog/ice cream fiasco?”
“That wasn’t Awkward Avenger.” She reached up and brushed her fingers along his cheek. “That was a really great dad looking out for his son.”
He slipped his hand over hers and turned his head enough to press a kiss to her palm. Her free hand slid up his chest, coming to a rest just above his pounding heart. Was she caressing him or pushing him away? He was so out of practice with the whole romance thing that he didn’t know. He eyed her, trying to figure it out. Her gaze turned questioning as well.
In an instant, the moment was gone. She backed away the smallest bit. Her hands dropped free. Something like an apology touched her face.
I’m an idiot.The thought kept repeating through the rest of their awkward doorstep goodbye. He thought it during his drive home. He was still thinking it late into the night.
He just hoped Ada had a high tolerance for idiots.
Chapter Six
Ada went to Jack’s next two basketball games, though she gave the Adamson guys some space otherwise. She could appreciate Craig’s concerns. Getting too ingrained in Jack’s life wasn’t a good idea until they knew with more certainty whether she’d continue to be part of it. Slow and steady was the best approach. One day, one step at a time.
They closed on Craig’s townhouse. She took him through his final walkthrough and got his keys. He held her hand a lot during those times. He even kissed her, very briefly, a couple of times, but not deeply or passionately. Ada was having to fill in a lot of blanks where his thoughts and feelings were concerned. But she loved being with him, no matter the uncertainty. He was smart and funny. She’d never seen him be unkind to anyone; he didn’t talk bad about people. Craig was the kind of person who made everyone around him happier.
He had her over for dinner the first weekend in his new house that Jack was spending with his mom. And it was nice. Spendingtime with Craig always was. She knew he cared about her, and she loved being with him. But she couldn’t shake from her mind that thought that she wanted something more than what they seemed to have settled on.
Slow and steady, she reminded herself as they washed dishes after dinner. Now and then, he brushed his hand along her arm, or smiled softly at her. A man who could make a woman’s heart pound while cleaning a kitchen had some mad superpowers. The sort of man who was worth waiting patiently for.
They’d almost finished with the dishes when someone knocked at the door.
“Who could that be this late?” he wondered aloud.
“Do accountants have after-hours emergencies?” she teased him.
But it was Jack on the other side of the door, standing next to a woman Ada figured must be his mom.
“Carol. What’s going on?” Craig asked.
“I need to be in San Francisco tomorrow, and I can’t bring him with me.” Carol nudged Jack inside.
“But this is his weekend with you,” Craig said. “He’s been looking forward to it.”
“I just found out,” she insisted. “The CEO is giving out awards to the top employees. I can’t just not show up. I could get a promotion out of this.”
Jack’s eyes were firmly focused on the floor. His backpack hung limply on one shoulder. Ada remembered feeling the same way when weekends with her dad were canceled. Not until she was grown and on her own did she find out that her mom was the one who’d called off the visits and then blamed it on her dad. So much about how her parents handled their divorce had been painful for their children.
She caught Jack’s eye and waved him over. Craig and Carol were still having a somewhat tense conversation at the door.
“Let’s go up to your room,” she whispered. “We’ll get you unpacked.”
“Okay.” He shrugged, his words more muttered than spoken.
She set her hand on his back and walked with him, hoping the contact was reassuring and comforting.
“I didn’t even get to go swimming,” Jack said, his feet dragging as they climbed the steps.
It’s the only thing my mom likes to do with me.Not doing that one thing had surely cut extra deep.
“You can go swimming here,” she suggested. “I know it’s not the same, but it’s something. And maybe in the morning, I can meet you guys at the beach to see if the seagulls are in an attacking mood.” She couldn’t imagine Craig saying no. He must realize how disappointed Jack was.
“Could we get hot dogs again?” Jack looked so hopeful.
“Sure. And ice cream. Vanilla for you, chocolate for me and your dad.”
His smile was fleeting, but it was there. Maybe she’d managed to relieve some of the ache.
