Page 89 of Between the Lines

Caden

“So what exactly am I supposed to say to everyone when you drop me back off at the shop?” Fia asks as we cross over the bridge into Wilmington.

“The truth—the meeting took a while.” I flash her a coy smirk.

I might have wronged some people in my past, been too cold, but when I look at Fia, at least I can rest assured knowing today made her happy.

I gave her that, and that’s gotta count for something.

“I really enjoyed the business meeting.” She twirls a lock of copper hair in her fingers, a dreamy look in her eyes. “But we probably shouldn’t make a habit out of it. I don’t want anyone to get suspicious of my special treatment.”

“Right,” I reply, with a serious nod. “We’ll save the special treatment for home.”

“Caden!” Fia hits my arm, laughing. “Speaking of home—would you mind swinging by my house on the way back? You said they got the roof tiles in. I’d love to see the progress.”

My lungs constrict, palms growing sweaty against the steering wheel.

I haven’t told Fia about all the extra minor fixes I’ve been doing at her house. And today is not the day to show her—the AC unit is being installed. There’s no need to ruin her perfect day with unnecessary stress.

I’ve got it taken care of—for her.

“It’s a mess right now, but in less than two weeks we can do a walk-through together. Do you really want to ruin today’s good vibes by seeing half-finished repairs?” I ask, though I feel like a dick for lying.

Fia scrunches her mouth, clearly thinking about it.

“It’ll be like a big fun reveal.” I squeeze her leg. “Come on, you love the dramatics.”

Actually, it’s not a bad idea to make it a big reveal and show her all the things the crew fixed. Hopefully she’ll be so relieved that she won’t care that I kept it a secret.

“Alright, fine!” she finally replies. “And I am not a fan of the dramatics.”

I drop her off at the front of the cafe, where the sidewalk sits in chunks of broken concrete.

It’s better if I don’t go in, seems more on brand with how I’ve always been—avoidant of entering my own business.

Fia looks at me longingly though, neither of us ready to let this day go.

I resist the urge to kiss her goodbye.

“Do I look like I just went sailing?” She smooths her hair. We changed out of our bathing suits before getting in the car, but there’s no denying her face is rosy and sun-kissed.

“Just tell them the meeting was outside.” I shake my head, hand on the shift knob. “Thanks for playing hooky with me.”

“That was one of the best days I’ve had in a long while.” Fia sighs, sounding both happy and sad, and unbuckles her seat belt.

“Hey, see you tonight?”

Fia jumps out, glancing up at me, a rueful smile back on her lips. “Meet you at the pool after I put Daisy to bed?”

“I’ll be there.”

I drive away, knowing I’ll just be killing time til then.

My phone rings as I’m walking into my house. It’s my mom. She never calls me unless something is wrong.

“Hey, Mom.” I kick off my shoes but don’t move from the back door.

“Caden, how are you?” she begins, and I can already tell from her voice she’s been either screaming or crying.