Page 62 of Dotted Lines (Runaway 5)

“And their tongues weigh as much as an elephant.”

“That’s a big tongue,” I said.

August nodded, barely taking a breath between facts. “And you can tell how old they are from their ear wax.”

“No kidding.” I glanced at Clara, hoping to catch her gaze, but she was staring at her son. Just like she had been the entire meal. Eye contact had been fleeting at best.

“You sure know a lot about blue whales,” Holly said, leaning into my side.

Gus beamed. “We learnded about them in school.”

“Learned,” Clara corrected.

“That’s what I said.”

She shook her head and smiled, then focused on the restaurant, taking in the colorful décor and other patrons. Again, looking everywhere but at me.

Holly and I were on one side of the booth, August and Clara the opposite. Only a basket of chips and two bowls of salsa separated us, but for the tension between Clara and me, it might as well have been the Grand Canyon.

Thankfully, Holly hadn’t seemed to notice. Neither had August. Clara had smiled politely as we’d gathered at the hostess station, just like last night when she’d shaken Holly’s hand.

Maybe I was making too much out of this. Clara seemed . . . fine. She was laughing with her son and had gushed over her first chip and salsa bite. Was it just me?

She hadn’t flirted with me yesterday. She hadn’t acted strangely. Maybe it was my own bullshit making this weird.

How could it not be weird? I was attracted to Clara. I doubted there were many men on the planet who wouldn’t find her alluring. Add that to the emotional connection I’d had with her years ago and I was as enchanted by her as I had been as a kid.

For that, the guilt was eating me alive.

I hadn’t slept much last night. Holly had stayed over like she did most nights lately. Never in my life had I been so glad for a period week. I hadn’t had to come up with a reason to skip sex. I just . . . it didn’t feel right. I didn’t feel right.

Holly and I had been dating for a year but she kept her own place. We’d talked about her moving in after her lease expired, but I hadn’t insisted on it. She had a key. She knew she was welcome anytime.

The only night it had ever bothered me was last night. She’d curled into my side and I’d felt like a total fucking son of a bitch because while I’d been in bed with one woman, I hadn’t been able to get my mind off another.

After tossing and turning for a few hours, I’d finally given up and disappeared into my office. Hours of sifting through paperwork and emails hadn’t done anything but give me a headache.

I just . . . I needed a sign from Clara that we were good. That we were friends and whatever I’d been feeling yesterday was one-sided. Look at me.

She wiped a bit of salsa from the corner of August’s mouth.

Look at me.

She plucked another chip from the basket.

Clara, look at me.

She brushed a crumb from her lap, then locked her attention on her son.

Goddamn it.

August was the true champ tonight. That kid had filled every second with all the facts stored in his little head.

“We learnded about skeletons too,” he said.

“I like skeletons.” Holly leaned forward. “I’m a nurse so I know lots about skeletons.”

“Did you know the femur is the largest bone in your body?”