“All right. I’ll open tomorrow’s card. How’s that?” She smoothed his hair off his forehead. “Have I ever mentioned how amazing and wonderful you two are?”
“Yeah.” Charlie took the bills from the table. “You open the treasure chest, Jer.”
Jeremy lifted the lid of the small plastic box, and Charlie placed the three bills inside. Jeremy dropped the five-dollar bill on top of the ones and closed the lid. “Where should we keep this?” Jeremy asked, now holding the box in his hands.
“How about we keep the cards and the money in Mommy’s room on her dresser?” Charlie gestured down the hall. “Whoever puts the money in that day should be the one to carry the loot back to its place beside the cards.”
Theresa had to bite the inside of her cheek to prevent the bubble of laughter wanting to escape. These two were so intense about creating an entire ritual around the simple act of opening the cards that it tickled her. She had no intention of raining on their parade.
“Caleb should get a turn to open a card too,” Jeremy announced.
Her stomach flipped at the mention of his name, and her brow rose. “Why is that, Jeremy?”
“He went with you to meet your mom. He helped you bring the cards back.” His look of determination hit her square between the eyes. “He’s part of this, Mommy. He’s a part of us.”
Her heart thumped wildly around in her ribcage. “I see. What do you think, Charlie?”
“I think so too. Caleb is a good guy. Jeremy and I like him a lot.”
“What about Elli and John? Should they get turns too?” she asked, her curiosity piqued.
“No.” Jeremy shook his head. “It’s not the same. They didn’t have anything to do with the cards.”
“Charlie?” She turned to her oldest.
“Only Caleb.” Charlie’s gaze fixed on his brother, and the two shared the kind of long, silent look that suggested they’d talked about this before bringing it up.
What else had the two discussed? “Hmm. I see.” She nodded, a little stunned to realize how attached her sons were to Caleb and how much they wanted him to be a part of their circle. She’d wanted that for Caleb without giving a thought about how it might impact her children. “Yes, he is a good guy, and a good friend. We can ask, but it’s up to him.”
How seriously could she take the pact she’d formed with Caleb to be friends for life? She hadn’t given that a thought either … until she’d suspected he’d gone on a date last night. How would another loss affect her sons if Caleb faded out of their lives? If he found a woman who filled his heart, would she be able to bear his company knowing he belonged to someone else?
Frowning, she followed her sons to her bedroom. Maybe she could change her appointment with Dr. Grayson to tomorrow morning before she headed to Caleb’s house to work on their music. She’d at least call and see if Dr. Grayson had an opening.
She had the uneasy feeling she’d entered a maze—the kind made of high hedges you couldn’t see over, with wrong turns leading to dead ends, and no clues which way to go. She needed guidance through the morass she’d created, and she needed to figure out what the unfamiliar feelings Caleb brought out in her meant.
Chapter Seventeen
Coffee mug in hand, Caleb walked out to his patio and sank into a chair. He stared at his garden, not really seeing … mostly thinking. Mondays were their day to work on the album. This afternoon, Theresa would show up at his door, and the two of them would be alone in his house for hours. Not good. He’d be much better off having her bodyguard, au pair, and her boys around to diffuse the sexual tension arcing between him and Theresa. What could he give as an excuse to meet at her house instead? How would she react if he told her the truth?
I wouldn’t if I were you, the inner counselor on his right shoulder offered. Keep it to yourself.
I hate to say it, but I agree with the wet blanket over there, the troublemaker said.
Shit, the two were in agreement. “Excuse it is.” He needed to come up with something close to the truth because lying to her about anything would stress him out even more. He pulled his phone from his pocket and hit Theresa’s number.
“Good morning, Caleb,” she said.
“Good morning to you too. How are you doing since the momentous day spent with your mother?”
“Really well. Charlie and Jeremy have created an entire ritual surrounding the unopened cards. We open one card per day, and they’re keeping the money in this little toy treasure chest. It’s so sweet, and they’re really excited to meet their grandmother.”
“I can imagine.” He smiled.
“Oh, and they want you in on the card openings too. If you want, you can have a turn with us.”
His heart skipped a beat. “Really?”
“Really. They figure you had a hand in recovering the treasure, so you should be in on opening the cards and deciding what to do with the loot.”
