Harlan. Not Royce anymore.
“Surprised to see you here,” I said, sauntering back through the rows of tables.
He nodded, tossing a dish towel from hand to hand. “We need to talk in person, and I wanted to do it before we’re both back at work tomorrow.”
I nodded, nibbling my lower lip. “Right. Probably a good idea.”
“Let me help you clear your station,” he said. “Sorry. Been distracted tonight.”
“Me too,” I admitted. “I feel like you’re not here for a good reason.”
We each grabbed a few dishes off my station and headed for the sinks and dishwasher.
He hesitated, sucking air like he had a breath caught in his throat. “I don’t want to get in the way of your life, Emma. With the team, or with Liam.”
I nodded, unable to swallow when I tried. I busied myself with cleaning off my dishes as he stood next to me with his hands on the edge of the sink.
“I really liked what we did together, and I think there’s probably more there we could explore.”
“Yeah,” I managed. God, why did this hurt worse than deciding to get divorced? “We don’t really make sense on paper, though. I’m a thirty-eight-year-old single mom. My kid’s almost in college. And you’re not that much older than college age.”
Harlan put his hand on my shoulder to turn me to him. “I don’t give a fuck about that. And I could really give a rat’s ass what anyone else has to say about it.”
I snorted and blushed, looking between us. “But Liam.”
“Liam,” he said. “I’m fine with him hating me for a while. He doesn’t really know me, and I could see how it would be a lot for him.”
“Thank you for saying that.” I’d never once felt like I had to explain Liam’s importance to Harlan. I’d had to so many times before, even to single dads. Harlan just got it. We were a package deal.
“But his dad told me he’s got a lot going on and that I need to stay out of the way.”
I flopped my head back to look at the ceiling. “Jeff said that?”
He shrugged. “I get it. He’s only got a few months left of living at home. Why rock the boat now?”
“Ha,” I coughed. “If he doesn’t stay for another year of juniors.”
“Is that what you want?” Harlan asked. The best thing about it was the way he asked. It wasn’t in a tone of “what do I need to do to get the kid out of the way?” It was what didIwant. For me.
“It doesn’t really feel up to me.”
Harlan wrinkled his brow. “I can’t tell you how to be a mom, because I have no fucking clue. But I really hope you’re getting what you want out of life.” He snorted a breath beside me. “You changed mine. Made me look more seriously at every part of it. I hope you take the time to do the same. It’s okay to chase your happiness.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny paper crane, setting it on the edge of the sink.
A little goodbye.
He headed for his work bench. I stared down at the crane, a symbol of happiness, of wishes and working toward making them come true. Generally, I was happy, but one big thing was missing.
My heart pounded so hard I was afraid it would pop out of my throat. I spun, pressed my ass against the sink, and started talking before I lost the nerve.
“Harlan.”
He turned, one hand in his pocket and the other removing his bandana.
“I want this to work. I want . . . you. Learning you. Hating you.” His lips curled up at that and he chuckled. “Knowing you better. I want it all. I want whatever we do to not matter at work, and I want Liam to like you.”
He nodded, but his voice was resigned. “I want that too.”