16. Eden
16
EDEN
E den tried again to sit in the chair in Jack’s room while he finished getting ready for bed.
Everything was the same as always, from the dim light of his bedside lamp to the hoot of an owl outside, to the gentle sound of the tub water draining in the next room.
But every time she tried to sit, she was up again instantly, pacing up and down the room and wondering how on earth she was supposed to talk to the boy.
She had picked him up from Daisy’s tonight, with Axel waiting out in his truck to drive them home, since he wouldn’t allow her to walk back even that short distance with Jack on their own.
“It went well, huh?” Daisy had asked when she arrived, giving her a secret smile.
“Um, yes,” Eden replied, while Jack and Benny continued building a castle out of blocks on Daisy’s dining room table, oblivious to their quiet conversation. “He asked me out again, a real date this time. ”
“ Go on, girl ,” Daisy said happily in her charming southern drawl. “Needless to say, we’d be glad to have Jack if you want to drop him off.”
“I didn’t even tell you when,” Eden laughed.
“Some things take priority,” Daisy sniffed. “So anytime is fine.”
“Friday?” Eden ventured.
“Done,” Daisy said. “He can just come home with us after school, like today. Pick him up as late as you want.”
And just like that, the only thing barring Eden from a real date with Axel was her own conscience, and the nagging feeling that she had to talk to Jack about it first.
How do you tell an eight-year-old you’re going on a date?
“ I’m done,” Jack sang out proudly, skidding into the room in pajamas, his wet hair spiked up a little.
“Great job,” Eden told him, smoothing down the errant hair. “Thank you for being so quick.”
“It’s a late bedtime,” Jack said happily. “You let me stay with Benny for a long time.”
“Would you want to do it again on Friday?” Eden asked. “His mom offered.”
“ Yes ,” Jack said right away. “But… will you be lonely?”
She smiled at his sweetness, knowing this was her opportunity.
“Actually, Coach Williams asked me if I’d like to go to dinner with him again on Friday,” she told him carefully.
“It’s very nice to see you making friends,” Jack replied approvingly.
Eden had to smile again at that. He was repeating exactly what she had said to him the first few times he was invited on a playdate or meet-up when they moved here in the fall.
“Well, he’s a very nice person,” she said, nodding. “We had dinner tonight while you were with Benny, and we got to know each other a little better. We also talked about an idea we had.”
“What idea?” Jack asked.
“What would you think about an after-school football club?” she asked. “Would you like that? Or are you too tired at the end of the day?”
“I want a football club,” he said excitedly. “I want that. I won’t be too tired. I promise.”
“I would have to help with it, so you couldn’t really change your mind,” she warned him. “And it would mean we wouldn’t have time for anything else but homework and supper on a day when there’s football club.”
“That’s okay,” Jack said. “I don’t mind.”
“Great,” she said. “I’ll keep talking to Coach about it and we’ll see. No promises though, okay? We’ll still have to get permission from the school, and make sure there are enough kids to be part of it, and a bunch of other things too.”
“You want me to be a tight end,” Jack said dreamily.
“I want you to follow your dreams,” she told him. “I love that you’re interested in a sport right now, but I would also love it if you wanted to write stories, or bake bread, or build race cars, or… whatever.”
“I want to do all that stuff too,” Jack said lightly. “But I have time.”
“You sure do,” she said, pulling back his covers and trying to hide her smile. “All the time in the world. All you need to know is that I’ve got your back.”
“We’re a team,” Jack said sleepily, crawling into bed and waiting for her to tuck the blankets around him. “Teammates look out for each other.”
That was definitely Axel talking, and she couldn’t help the good feeling it gave her to have yet another example of what a good influence he was.
“They sure do,” she agreed. “I love you to the moon. Sleep tight.”
“I love you to the sun,” he told her. “Good night, mama.”
It was the only time of day when he still called her mama and she smiled, enjoying the peaceful sight of her favorite person tucked safely in bed before she turned on the light and slipped out.
I don’t want anything to change what we have, she thought worriedly to herself as she headed to her own room. Did I make a mistake saying yes to Axel?
She stepped into her room and walked over to the window. The stars were just visible through the silvery branches of the big tree. She gazed out at them for a long time, trying her best not to wish for a sign.