I gasped in fake shock, looking down at her bemused expression. “You take that back right now, bluebird.”
I didn’t know where the name had come from, but it justrolled right off my tongue and into the open like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Bluebird?” she asked, pulling back.
I shrugged. “You like birds and the color blue, it seemed fitting.”
Her smile was soft. “I think I like that.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, but there aren’t any cute tree names I could use for you, so I guess I’ll just have to call you baby.”
I pressed a kiss to her temple. “I think I can live with that.”
cleo
. . .
“Alright, everyone! Let’s take a seat.”I called out, even though it didn’t seem to make a bit of difference. Only a few of the kids turned their heads my way. There was way too much noise for such a small space, it was hard to even hear myself think.
Today was proving to be a real bitch. Everyone seemed to be on edge, from the kids to the ranch hands to me. The heat was making being outside unbearable, messing up most of our planned activities for the day. Lennox had told the guys working in the arena to clear out for the day. Being in the shade brought the temperature down slightly, but not enough to make a noticeable difference.
And while the temperature seemed to be the only thing affecting everyone else, other things were distracting me. A lack of sleep, for one, that was caused by the stupidest conversation I should have never indulged in.
When Grady’s first message came through, I almost ignored it. I should have ignored it. But I didn’t want to give him a reason to believe I hadn’t unblocked him. I’d stared at it for a minute before I made the decision. After all, his daughter was inmy care, and her safety came first above any of the bullshit and years between us. If the roles were reversed, I’d want to know I could get in touch with him in case of emergencies.
I was trying to be responsible, not reckless. Even if it turned out to be a little reckless after all.
My stomach had done these stupid little flips at seeing his name flash across my screen after so many years. Then came the shortness of breath, the sheen of sweat along my palms and at the back of my neck. No matter how many breathing exercises I did, or how I tried to tell myself I didn’t need to engage in conversation while silently padding down the hall to the kitchen to make an additional batch of cookies for Charlie, my body reacted all the same. It was like it remembered, even after all this time, how he used to make me feel.
But then he went and ruined it with one simple word. A word I’d tried my hardest to reclaim, to make it mine and mine alone.
Because at the end of the day, it didn’t matter if he’d brought back a tidal wave of memories; he was married. He was married and had a kid, and I was divorced. There was no way to act on the feelings, no way forward that didn’t end up with me eating a pint of Bluebell ice cream over a man who’d broken my heart.
I tossed and turned all night. Even when sleep finally came to claim me, I was haunted by charming smiles and pretty words. By tender kisses and crystal-clear blue eyes. There wasn’t enough coffee in the world to mitigate the pounding in my head or near-constant yawning. I’d even forced down one of Josie’s horrible energy drinks to see if it would give me what I needed to make it through the day. Instead, it left me feeling even crankier than I had been and with a bad taste in my mouth.
I clapped my hands together, finally catching a few more sets of eyes. “Hey! Let’s focus, guys.”
One of the kids, Jeremy, came up. He’d just lost a few baby teeth and had a broad, gap-filled smile. “Miss Cleo! When islunch going to be here? I’m starving.” A chorus of agreement followed his declaration, but I finally had their attention.
Thank god.
“Miss Lennox is bringing it in right now,” I said, looking over my shoulder to the door. “Should be just a few more minutes.”
My dear sister only had about five more minutes before I had a total mutiny on my hands. No one did hangry quite like a group of kids who’d been running around in the heat all day. And if that didn’t scare her enough, she’d have to deal with me afterward. Trying to contain this rowdy group on two hours of sleep was starting to fray my patience.
“Who’s hungry?” Lennox sang from the alley. She rounded the corner with Cook, who was pushing a giant cart stacked with brown paper sacks loaded with sandwiches, chips, and my homemade cookies.
The room erupted into chaos as all the kids raised their hands and started shouting. I took the opportunity to catch a quick breath as Lennox and Cook began handing out meals to everyone.
Since they were here, I could sneak away for a few minutes and grab another coffee. And Tylenol. I’d definitely need some Tylenol before this turned into a full-blown migraine.
“Hey, Lenn—” My words faltered as I noticed her expression. She was glancing between the cart of food and the tables, mumbling something under her breath. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s an extra bag,” she whispered, confused.
“That’d be mine,” I sighed, rubbing my temple. “I’ll grab it in a second when I?—”
