Page 69 of Falling for Her

I laugh at him as he rolls off my bed and heads for the door. “Yeah, you can have breakfast.” I rub my hands over my face. “What do you want to eat?”

“Eggs, bacon, and sausage.”

I look at him. “How long has it been since you ate?” I laugh at him as I toss the covers off me and get up, noticing we’re dressed the same in black boxers and nothing else. “Has it been a week or eight hours?”

“It feels like a week.” I follow him out, snatching up my shorts and slipping them on along the way.

In the kitchen, I see it’s after 9:30 a.m.

“It’s late,” I say, starting the coffee before opening the blinds. I half expect to see Finley outside with her coffee like she always is in the morning. Well, not always, only the days I haven’t pissed her off. She isn’t there.

The television starts to make sound, and I look over to see that Asa has started his show as he lies on the couch. I head to the front and open the blinds in the office. Finley’s SUV isn’t parked on the road in its usual spot. I look right and left to see if maybe she moved it during the night. “Where the hell is she?” I ask the window quietly.

“Dad, are we going to eat?” Asa yells from the couch.

“Yeah, we’re going to eat,” I assure him, returning to the kitchen to grab the bacon and sausage. I take a pan out from the drawer. “What do you eat when I’m not here?”

“Cereal, but then we go to the bakery, and I have a bagel.” I shake my head and smile, even though I don’t want to smile. “Finley doesn’t know how to make eggs. She tried once, and they tasted like plastic.”

I put the pan on the stove and think about texting her, asking her to come over. “Don’t be dumb,” I tell myself as I put the bacon in the pan and then prepare the sausages in a smaller pan, filling it with water and putting a lid on it. I grab a bowl and start whisking the eggs. The whole time, I keep checking out the window to see if she’s gotten back. I make extra eggs, just in case she does and she’s hungry.

“Come on, buddy,” I call, walking to the back door with our full plates.

“Why are we eating breakfast outside?”

“It’s a nice day.” I’m not about to tell him we’re eating outside so that if Finley comes back, I’ll see her. I put his plate before the chair that faces away from her door.

“You don’t sit there,” he points out as I pull out the chair that faces the street.

“I’m sitting here today,” I mumble to him. “Is that okay with you?”

“I guess.” He starts to eat. “Can we go ride horses today?”

“No.” A truck drives by, and my head snaps up. “We’re going over to Wyatt’s today for a barbecue.”

“Cool.” He picks up a piece of bacon and bites it in half. “What about tomorrow?”

“We’ll see. I’ll check with Charlie if he’s there today and ask him.”

“Yes,” he hisses out as he chews. “I hope they give me Skittles again.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Maybe Finley can come with us, and she can show you how she rides. It’s really cool.” I just nod at him.

“You two have done a lot in a week.”

“Yeah. I like Finley. She even waits until Mom calls before we go out.” He takes a bite of his sandwich. “I miss Mom a little.” He holds up his fingers as he chews, pinching them together.

“It’s normal to miss her, buddy. You’re used to seeing her every day.” Even though we split custody, she is the one who usually gets him after school most days.

“What’s going to happen when she gets back?” His tone is one I don’t think I’ve ever heard before. It’s like he’s unsure of having this conversation with me.

“What do you mean?” I try to keep my tone light so he doesn’t feel like he did something wrong.

“Like, is it still going to be you or Mom coming to get me after school, or will Tim also be there?”

I swallow and think of my words before I reply. “It could be any of us. Do you not like him?”