Until Arden

“I’m pretty sure he picked that up from watching you work on the car.”

Dash chuckles and holds his fist out for another fist bump, which Holden excitedly returns before skipping away.

“Do you have all of your things packed?” I call after him.

“Yep.”

“You out of here, then?” Dash asks.

“Yes, and thank you for keeping an eye on him.”

“He’s a good kid.” He cocks his head to the side. “Mostly, but I’m glad I could help.”

“Well...” I grab the plastic bag with my lunch and my purse. The more we talk, the more I want to keep talking, and the more I want to know about him. “I, uh, don’t know if you’re eager to get away, but I’m going to take Holden over to the park up the block so he can run around for a while. You’re welcome to join us.”

“Are you just trying to recruit me to entertain him while you eat?” His eyes look me over, and there’s a twinkle in them that I haven’t seen before. It’s like he’s actually seeing something worthy of awe.

“You got me.” There’s an odd fluttering in my stomach, and I laugh, but it comes out stilted and echoes in my head.