“Was it you?” I blurted out. “All of this. Did you order it?”
I didn’t mean to ask. The words just tumbled right out. Something in my locked-up subconscious had unlocked with my little ramble to Ness. Even though I hated what he’d done, even though he’d been an absolute dick when he showed up, there was still some ridiculous part of me that wanted him to be a good person. So I could look my son in the face and say,Yeah, he was worthy of the jersey and all the stats you memorized and the game clips you watched.
So I could tell him that I understood why he idolized this man so much.
So I could admit to myself that my harsh treatment toward him had as much to do withme, and how I felt seeing him again, as it did with him. It would be like swallowing sandpaper to give that admission ground, but I wanted to feel the burn.
I wanted to be wrong about him.
“No,” he said, voice slow and deep. “I didn’t order it.”
Ifeltthe color drain from my face. “Oh. Okay.”
Archer’s brow wrinkled. “There was no note or anything?”
Slowly, I shook my head. “No. The delivery driver didn’t have any information on where it came from either.”
“A mystery.”
Even though it was hard—what with the almost-falling and the nipples visible through my tank top—I held his gaze. “There seems to be a lot of that going around. It would be nice to know what to expect once in a while.”
Archer’s eyes flickered, but before he could say anything, my phone rang.
I sighed, pulling it out of my back pocket. “This is Remi.”
“Remi, it’s Nora. I am so, so sorry to do this, but I can’t watch Gavin today when he gets off the bus. Michael just came home sick from school. He’s throwing up, and if I’m being honest, I don’t feel great, either, and I’d hate to get him sick if he’s around Pops at all this week.”
I rubbed my forehead. “Of course. No, I understand. I don’t want him to get sick either.” The clock on the wall told me I had about forty-five minutes before G got home, and my mind started racing through options. “I’ll find someone else to watch him, don’t worry about it. Just feel better.”
“Thanks, I’ll try.”
“Do you want me to bring you some chicken noodle soup?” I asked.
“No.”
I blinked at the rushed tone. “Oh. Okay.”
She cleared her throat. “I mean, no thank you. You’re so sweet to offer, though.”
“Sure. Thanks for letting me know.”
With a whispered curse, I disconnected the call, my eyes falling shut as I realized I was either going to leave the shelter shorthanded, or Gavin would have to spend another evening here, which I tried not to do too often, especially on a later night like this one, when I’d hardly get home before he needed to be in bed. “Shit,” I said one more time.
“Everything okay?” Archer asked.
“No. My neighbor was supposed to watch my son, and she can’t.” I gave him a quick look. “He doesn’t mind having to hang out here every once in a while, but I like him to stay on a routine at home if I can help it.”
“How old is he?”
“Ten.”
Archer took a deep breath. “I have someone who can watch him.”
My brows lowered. “What do you mean?”
“Babysitter. She’s first-aid certified. Knows CPR and all that shit.”
I blinked. “How old is she?”