“Hello?” Delilah’s mom pops her head around the corner. “Oh, Cole. I’m back here, honey.” I pause at the term of endearment. Sure, I’ve had women call me that before, when they were trying to be cute or seductive, and it never did a thing for me. But hearing it from Delilah’s mom, spoken with an undercurrent of what seems to be genuine affection, tightens my chest.
