Side Squeeze (Jasper Falls 6)

Harrison tapped his spoon to hers. “Cheers.”

They each tasted the cereal and laughed.

“Oh, my God.”

“Why is this so good?” He chuckled over a rainbow bite of crispy mush. “Adult food’s never this delicious.”

“I’m sure you’ve enjoyed some incredible cuisine in New York.”

He shoveled in another bite. “Sophisticated food isn’t as fun.”

“I don’t remember this being this good.”

Funny how they gave certain pleasures up as they aged. She couldn’t remember ever deciding to stop eating Fruity Pebbles, but one day her preferences just changed and healthier options appeared.

“We’re going to have a sugar rush. No way this is good for us.”

“Maybe that’s why it’s so addicting.” He refilled his bowl, dumping twice as much cereal as he had before.

She watched him eat, enjoying the boyish way he gripped his spoon. “You never told me how the sale went.”

“How are you holding up?” he said at the same time.

Her cereal was getting soggy. “I’m okay.”

She took a bite, but it wasn’t as good as it had been a few minutes ago. Some good things just didn’t last as long as she hoped.

He pushed his bowl back, folding his hands on the table. “I didn’t open the store today.”

“Why?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. It didn’t feel like the right time.”

“So what did you do all day?”

“Worked from my laptop. Thought about you.”

She smiled, her heart spiking the slightest bit out of beat. “That’s sweet.”

He sat back and rubbed a hand over his hair. “I can’t stop thinking about Erin and your brother. It’s weird seeing her married.”

She laughed. “It is weird, but they look really happy together.”

He shook his head not in denial but a sort of disbelief. “Do you think they’ll have kids?”

“Probably. Eventually.”

His brow furrowed. “I can’t imagine Erin as a mother. Mostly because I can barely remember my own mother.”

“Maybe your parents have nothing to do with it.”

“Or they could have everything to do with it.” By the worried look in his eyes, she suspected he wasn’t worried about Erin resembling their mother as much as he was worried he might one day take after his dad.

She brushed a hand over his arm. “Sometimes we learn from our parents’ mistakes, Harrison, and each generation becomes a little bit better.”

“My mom left. That’s what she showed us. What if Erin leaves too?”

“Your sister doesn’t strike me as the sort who runs away.” That was him. “She’s happy, Harrison. People change when they’re happy. They grow and learn to trust others.”

Was he worried for Giovanni? That struck her as odd, being that her brother didn’t hold much compassion for Harrison.

He twisted his spoon over the rim of the bowl, the metal softly clicking against the ceramic. “Who are you like?”

She cocked her head. “What do you mean?”

“Are you more like your mom or your dad?”

“I guess I’m more like my dad. We both sort of go with the flow, and I have his olive skin and dark hair.”

“What about their flaws?”

“I get my competitiveness from my mom.” She laughed. “She’s stubborn.”

“So you didn’t just inherit the good stuff.”

Realizing something was bothering him, she frowned. “What’s wrong, Harrison?”

Uncertainty danced in his stare, as his fingers flexed into a fist then relaxed. “My greatest fear is that I’ll turn into him one day.”

Her hand closed over his fist and he instantly laced his fingers through hers. “You won’t. Maybe you two butted heads so much because you were already too different.”

“Or maybe it was because we were too alike.” He chewed back the thumbnail on his free hand. “We look like them. Every time I see Erin, she looks more and more like our mom. And I look like my dad.”

“That’s only on the outside. On the inside you can be whoever you want.”

Realizing he was biting his nails, he stopped. “Do you really believe that?”

“We aren’t solely designed by our parent’s influences. And even if we are, we can choose to behave differently.”

Unlike Harrison, Erin chose not to run away. Mariella wondered if Harrison ran because at the time it seemed like his only option. Maybe after watching his mother leave, he thought that was what people did.

He scrubbed his face with his palms and groaned. “I don’t know why I’m even thinking about this crap.”

“Because you’re home, and there are a lot of memories in this town for you.” She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “Some good and some not so good.”

He sent her an appreciative smile and his gaze dropped to her pajama pants. “Can I stay with you tonight? Before you say no, I realize you’re exhausted and under a lot of stress. I’m not after anything but your company. I swear. I’ll be a saint.”

As much as she loved the idea of sleeping in his arms, she might not love the feelings it stirred come morning. She lifted the spoon in her mushy cereal, the color no longer as vibrant and the appeal gone. “I don’t know.”