Page 18 of Backward Motion

“Thankfully. I caught Matty chewing on her pacifier, so no guess who she got it from. I think the kids are through the worst of it. Me, on the other hand...”

Connor took a grease-spattered frying pan from the stove and doused it in hot water. “You’re not making this look appealing.” He spotted a mixing bowl under the counter and opened the fridge for eggs.

“That’s the point,” Brian huffed from the couch. “I’m doing you a solid, man. So when you get a girl in the family way, you’ll know what to expect.”

Connor smiled indulgently and ignored the guilt that pricked his chest when he was pretending to be someone he wasn’t.

The making and eating of said French toast was enough to keep Matty occupied long enough for Connor to take a decent stab at cleaning the kitchen and putting Ellie down for her nap. He brewed coffee for himself and Brian and then took a seat beside his friend on the couch while Matty built a garage for his toy cars around Connor’s ankles.

“That was impressive.” Brian took a slow sip from his mug. “You might be my first choice next time.”

“I don’t mind being last. Was Grandma Spielman not up to the task?”

Brian gave a snort. “You know my mom. She considers receiving our annual Christmas card the extent of her grandparenting duties. And let’s not even get started on my dad. I wonder if it’s too soon to wrangle Sam into babysitting,” he mused. “Might scare him off again.”

“I guarantee it,” Connor said as Matty used his shin as a ramp to launch his miniature dump truck and it went skidding across the floor. “Were you guys close? I don’t remember seeing much of the two of you at school.”

“We both spent summers volunteering at the Pinnacle Theater and used to trade DVDs and movie recommendations. Shit, we even worked on a screenplay together.” Brian chuckled. “But I don’t think we hung out much at school. We moved in different circles.”

“Right.”

Brian’s expression grew serious. “I appreciate what you said at trivia the other night. It was shortsighted of me to pretend this place welcomes everyone with open arms. I know that hasn’t been Sam’s experience. Or yours for that matter.”

Connor blinked, his throat seizing.

“You do one dumb thing as a kid, and people still think of you as the town pariah,” Brian went on.

Connor gripped his coffee cup, masking a wave of relief. “One dumb thing?” he retorted. “That’s generous.”

“I’m just lucky my little misdeeds were never exposed.”

“Please, everyone knew who to go to for decent grass.”

“Like on the lawn, Daddy?” Matty piped up, lifting his head from the floor where he was traversing a red convertible over Connor’s shoelaces.

“Yes, that grass.” Brian shot Connor a dirty look.

Connor snickered and downed a mouthful of coffee.

“I take it back,” Brian said. “You’re no longer my first choice.”

“Works for me,” Connor said as Matty leaped onto his lap.

Connor stayed to make lunch and then put a kids’ movie on and left Matty tucked up with Brian on the couch. He needed to pick up some groceries for the week ahead. The only food waiting for him at home was an open jar of pickles and half a loaf of bread. He promised Brian he’d swing by with extra diapers on his way back from the store.

Jim’s Supervalue was a hybrid supermarket-deli-hardware store in the middle of town that had doubled as a video store when Connor was younger. The display of sun-bleached DVDs had been cleared out to make room for a community-fundraising table that hosted school bake sales or Girl Scouts hawking cookies.

Connor wandered through the aisles and absently picked up items that made no sense together. He’d heard once not to shop while hungry, which would explain the kimchi ramen and the half dozen frosted cupcakes sitting in his basket. When he reached the checkout, he spotted someone waving at him from the end of the line.

“Connor! Fancy running into you here!” Lily Bryant exclaimed.

She was short with chin-length gray-blond hair and Sam’s brown eyes. Strange. This was the first time Connor had noticed the resemblance. His mother had attended a painting class with Sam’s mom for years, but Connor couldn’t say he and Mrs. Bryant had much to do with each other, aside from the occasional job he’d been called out to at their house.

“Hiding some big news, are we?” she said with a wink as he joined her in line.

Connor’s stomach dropped to the floor.Sam told her?“Uh... what’s that?”

Mrs. Bryant pointed at the pack of diapers in his basket. “Are congratulations in order?”