“I’m coming back,” she whispers.
Not to him only.
To herself.
To me.
I look away.
There are some things a man should not watch too closely unless he is ready to be changed by them.
Too late, probably.
August pulls back. “Get cheese.”
“For what?”
“Derby burns pancakes, so we need grilled cheese.”
I snort. “Betrayal.”
“You burned them black.”
“They were misunderstood.”
Amelia laughs softly and kisses his forehead. “I’ll get cheese.”
“And dinosaur gummies if they have them.”
“No promises.”
He squints. “That means probably no.”
“It means don’t start a list after I already said yes to cheese.”
He looks at me for backup.
I lift both hands. “I’m staying out of maternal negotiations.”
“Coward,” he says.
Amelia gasps. “August.”
I point at the kid. “He used it correctly.”
“Don’t encourage him.”
“He’s gifted.”
August grins.
Amelia stands and grips the keys tighter. “I’ll be back.”
I nod. “I know.”
The lie tastes like rust.
She hears it anyway.