Page 47 of Standing Still
“How is Frankie doing?” Dawn asks her. “I saw him the other day with his friends. He’s so big now. I can’t believe he’s starting college soon. Where did he get in?”
I look up at Claudia. She has two kids? She doesn’t seem old enough to have a college age kid.
“NYU,” she can’t help the pride in her voice despite the tremor in her hand.
“Oh, that is so great, and handy,” Dawn nudges me. “You’ll be able to show him around New York.”
“Dawn, I doubt an eighteen-year-old kid is gonna want to be shown around New York by a woman he doesn’t know,” Tom tells her. “Or that Elle can spare the time.”
“Are you kidding me? Have you seen her?” Dawn elbows me again. “Plus, she’s famous. He’ll get bragging rights.”
Tom is shaking his head.
“You clearly don’t know eighteen-year-old boys,” Ben says to Tom. “I’m pretty sure he’d love it.”
“Okay, settle down all of you,” I say. I look at Claudia. “But if you wanted to have someone in the city who you could call on if you need, that’s fine by me.”
“Yes, uh. I’m sure that would be great. Appreciate that. Duty calls,” she looks up at someone waving for her and heads off.
“You good?” Ben asks, when Dawn is occupied with Logan wanting a cuddle.
I smile at them, then look back over at Ben. “Yeah.”
He looks after Claudia, then back at me. I can’t tell what he is thinking, but there is something niggling in the back of my mind.
“Do you know her son?” I ask him.
Ben shrugs. “Why?” he frowns.
“I’m not sure. It’s nothing, ignore me.”
“I don’t know her, let alone her son. But Dawn does. You should spend some time with her this afternoon.”
I nod, but I pull my phone out and send Kevin a text asking if he can work his magic. When I put the phone down, Ben is watching me. I wonder if he is trying to get away from talking about this morning, or if this is more of thelearn to love Mysticagain.
We stare at each other, a thousand things passing between us. From when we were kids, when we fell for one another, when we helped one another through our pain, broke each other’s hearts. To now. To last night.
The look is shattered when Denny appears at the window and bangs on it, making me jump and Dawn shriek and grab her stomach. Denny glares in at Ben, then points to the Mustang.
“You asshole,” he yells, drawing the attention of people in the diner and out on the street.
“Busted,” I whisper to Ben.
“Worth it,” Ben whispers back, making me let out a small laugh.
“Dawn, are you okay?” Tom jumps up and hurries to his wife, who is leaning back and clutching her lower stomach, with a grimace on her face.
“Oh shit,” Ben laughs, looking from his irate brother to Dawn and Tom who has got down on the floor beside Dawn, who is now moaning loudly.
Denny is looking on, his expression turning to horror as he sees Tom helping his wife up, and the whole diner descends into panic.
Chapter Eighteen
“It’s a girl.” Elle hangs up her phone and everyone in the diner cheers. “Imogen Rose Greenwood. Tom will send pictures soon.”
I can’t help but grin at everyone else. Denny has a sheepish look on his face, but he is sitting up close and personal with the blonde from the restaurant. He introduced her as Robyn, a friend from college. They seem pretty cosy. After the fallout of Dawn going into labour, he gut punched me for trying to trick him and steal the car. I never gave Elle up, though.
I’m disappointed when she takes another phone call, then comes over to say she has to leave. For a moment, it looks as if she is about to lean over and kiss me goodbye, but she pulls back. I offer her a ride, but she says she is fine and says goodbye to everyone.