For Research Purposes | ✔

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

     Sam's expression is weirdly neutral, giving nothing away. He shrugs, lifting his duffle bag up on his shoulder before he follows a fair distance behind Sage as they come up to the car. Sage gets the trunk for Sam, noting with mild horror the stacks of reusable bags brimming with groceries. He shifts some out of the way for Sam's bag before going around to the passenger side.

     When he slides into the car, he greets his mom with, "Is there anything left at the store?"

     She rolls her eyes at him. "Oh hello mom. Thank you so much for picking me up and for buying all these groceries I'm sure to devour in two days tops. I'm sure your day was very busy and I'm grateful you made the detour."

     Sage rolls his eyes back at her. "Aren't you on vacation?"

     She's grinning at the road. "I sure am. All forms of communication have been disengaged as of zero-six-hundred."

     "How will the troops survive?" he asks, laughing as Sam gets into the backseat.

     His mom turns around and says with far too much enthusiasm, "Sam! How are you? I'm glad you're joining us again."

     "Hi Mrs. Decort," he responds, his tone curt. Sage frowns, wondering if it's going to take the break for him to warm up to his family again.

     But his moms not having it. "Oh, stop, Sam, you know you can call me Nora."

     Sage can see Sam's flushing face in the side mirror and says, "I have to pee."

     Nora scoffs. "I wanted to stop at the farmer's market on the way back."

     "I can't hold it that long," Sage says and it's a lie but seeing as it's the one he's using to pull the attention off of Sam he's got to see it through now.

     "Why didn't you go on the train?"

     "Because that's gross," he responds, putting his seatbelt on as his mom pulls out of the lot. "Why do you want to go to the farmer's market? You've got a cartel's worth of groceries in the back."

     Sage preens at the sound of Sam's stifled laughter behind him.

     "So I can make sauce," she says.

     And that. That changes things for Sage because his mom's sauce beats any Italian he's ever had. His mom may not be the designated chef of the household but she has always made the sauce and its top tier.

     "I'll go back out and get what you need," he says finally.

     Nora nods, focusing on the merge to get on the highway. Then she goes, "So Sam, how was finals?"

     "Not bad," Sam says leaning forward so she'll hear him.

     "Sage told me you interviewed with Merkle," she says next and Sage whole-body flinches. His heart rate jerks, bringing on an instant cold-sweat. His mom was not supposed to mention it. Mainly because he wasn't sure if he was supposed to mention it.

     "I did, yeah," Sam says and his tone is off.

     "Have you heard back from them?" she asks.

     Sam is quiet for a moment before he says, "Yeah, actually, they're proceeding with another candidate."

     Sage startles and then whips around to look at Sam. "You didn't tell me that."

     Sage frowns and he wants to say he's sorry but the look on Sam's face tells him it won't go over well if he does. He was sure that Sam would get the job, even if he fumbled a bit during the interview. Sam's not exactly charming but what he lacks in charisma he makes up with his school and work ethic.