Page 25 of At First Catch

Mom.

Mom

What?

Me

He’s a grown man.

Mom

Exactly. Which means he probably forgot to eat.

I shake my head.

Me

You don’t even know him.

Her reply comes almost.

Mom

I know him better than you think I do.

Anybody willing to take that on deserves a decent sandwich.

I glance at the screen, a smile pulling at my mouth.

Me

This is how people accidentally get adopted by our family.

Mom

Accidentally? Sweetheart, we haven’t done anything accidentally since 1987.

Before I have a chance to send my mother back something snarky, Nolan’s next message pops up on the screen.

Nolan

Thought you might want to look through them before I send them to storage.

I stare at the message longer than necessary.

He could scan them.

He could email them.

He knows that.

I know that.

Me

So I need to come back to the marina?

This time, his response takes longer.