Make a Wish (Spark House #3)(9)
I’m not sure if he’s being genuine or he feels compelled to ask because of Peyton, but her comment about not seeing me for forever prevents me from turning him down. “Uh, sure. That would be nice.” And embarrassing. I’ll definitely need to take an antihistamine if it actually happens.
“Great.” He smiles and his shoulders drop, as though he was worried I would say no. “We can exchange numbers? I’ll call you later and we can figure out a day that works?”
“Absolutely.” I pull out my phone and discover that I still have Gavin’s contact, although there are no messages attached to it, which makes sense since I’ve upgraded my phone a few times since he moved to Boulder. I still remember the last message he sent more than seven years ago, thanking me for all I’d done and letting me know that he’d direct deposited my last paycheck into my account. I’d responded with keep in touch. And a week later I’d messaged, asking how the move had gone, but I’d never gotten a reply. I hadn’t wanted to push, so I’d stepped back and moved on with my life. I’d tried to bury the guilt along with the memories, but clearly the grave I dug wasn’t deep enough, since the day he announced they were moving away lives rent-free in my head.
I swallow down my fears as I send him a message and his phone pings. Part of me would love the opportunity to finally apologize the way I wanted to back then, but the other part of me worries that dredging up the past like this is only going to cause those old wounds to reopen.
He checks the screen without opening the message. “Looks like I still have your contact. I’ll be in touch soon.” Gavin opens the driver’s side door, but pauses before he gets inside. “It’s great to see you again, Harley.”
“You too, Gavin. Both of you.”
He smiles and drops into the driver’s seat. I wait until he’s pulling down the driveway toward the road before I return to Spark House.
I’m barely in the door before my sisters are on me. “I need to know everything. Tell me what’s going on. London said a hot dad you used to nanny for was here. Sorry I didn’t come out to help, but I was getting things organized for the upcoming proposal with the Mills brothers.” Avery is pretty much on top of me as she follows me down the hall to the office.
“Do you remember Gavin and Peyton?” I ask.
Avery drops into her chair and pats her belly—she’s pregnant and finally starting to show. She’s also eating like it’s her second job. There’s a platter on top of her desk that’s been picked over. “Not really, no.”
“He lost his wife during childbirth,” London supplies. “Harley nannied for Peyton for a year and a half.”
“Oh!” Avery’s eyes light up. “I remember them. They moved, didn’t they? Isn’t that why you stopped working for them?”
“Yeah, that’s right.” And Peyton was the last infant I took care of. In fact, I only had one charge after that, and he was older, already school-age, so it was only before-and after-school care, and I didn’t live in the house with the family. They ended up moving because the father was in the navy and was being stationed overseas. After that, I started working for Spark House.
“Is he still hot?” Avery asks.
“Yup,” London chimes in, letting the P pop with affirmation.
“So? What’s the deal? Was he just here for the party?”
“I guess they moved back to town. He asked me if I wanted to go for lunch with him and Peyton.”
London frowns. “What did you say to that?”
“I said sure. He was probably only being nice, so I doubt he’ll call.” And honestly, I’m on the fence as to whether I want him to. I had a lot of great memories with Peyton and Gavin, but the last ones overshadow everything else. And they inspired a lot of personal changes. I put college on hold, stopped working with kids and their families, and joined Spark House with my sisters. I didn’t trust myself not to let something like that derail my life again.
* * *
Two hours later I walk through the door to my apartment and find my boyfriend, Chad, sitting on the living room couch, a controller in one hand and his phone in the other. We’ve been dating for a few months, and I met him through a mutual friend. “Awesome. You’re home. Everyone’s already at the Firkin, you ready to go?”
“I should probably change first.”
He hits the pause button on his controller and drags his gaze away from the TV. His eyes widen. “Why are you dressed for Halloween?”
“I’m a fairy godmother. I had a birthday party for a ten-year-old today, and it was princess-themed.” I drop my purse on the counter and kick off my shoes. They’re flats, but it’s still nice to set my toes free. I prefer sandals to any other footwear. Unfortunately, Colorado winters are not conducive to open-toed shoes.
“Ah. That makes sense. Too bad there isn’t a theme park around here. I feel like you would have loved being one of those princesses.” His nose wrinkles as I cross the room. “Are you … sparkling?”
I glance down at my arms. The hives are pretty much gone at this point, thank God. “Probably. We had glitter crafts today.”
He holds out a hand before I can get close enough to bend down and kiss him hello. “You need to shower, babe. That glitter business gets all over everything. The last time you had a birthday party, I couldn’t get it out of my hair for weeks and the guys at work gave me shit for it.”