“I’m weird,” Lyric said as she dipped her fry in the ketchup. “Dillon said she’s weird.”
“I’m weird, too,” Skylar mumbled with her mouth full.
I shook my head at her bad manners before forcing myself to look at Boone.
“I’m glad you came.”
His warm brown eyes watched me until he sighed. “I got the impression you weren’t ready to date.”
“Did Dan tell you that?”
“No, but he told other people, and they told me.”
Surprised, I asked, “People knew you were interested in me?”
“Some people, yes.”
“And they said you shouldn’t feel that way?”
“Only because they wanted to protect us.”
“Protect us from what?”
“Your brother thinks you’re delicate, and my sister thinks I might end up with too much drama.”
I could tell Boone was picking his words carefully since the girls were absolutely listening. He smiled at them and panted after eating another spicy wing.
As much as I wanted to ask more about Goldie’s concerns, I put on a happy face for the rest of dinner. After sticking the leftovers in the fridge, we headed outside to allow the girls toplay. Boone listened patiently as they explained obvious things like how swings worked and why they liked them.
“I have a friend named Duffy. She’s grown up like me, but she still loves swings,” he explained as I pushed the girls. “But only for a few minutes. Then, she gets tired of it and wants off. But for those few minutes, Duffy is really happy.”
I recalled Jaslene Tooker talking about Duffy a few times. No one ever said autism, but I sensed she was on the spectrum.
“Do you have pictures of Duffy?” I asked Boone.
The smile warming his face made me shiver. Boone’s brown hair nearly touched his shoulders and was thick with golden and auburn highlights. His beard looked soft, and I found myself nearly raising my hand to run my fingers across his jaw.
“This is Duffy at the Little Rock Zoo,” Boone said and showed us the picture.
The woman wore a pink cap with ears. Her brown eyes stared blankly at the phone taking her picture. Jaslene and her sister Dalisay smiled next to Duffy.
“Those are my friends,” Skylar told Boone. “I know them.”
Lyric nodded. “I know them, too.”
“I grew up with them. We went to school together and lived in the same complex.”
“Complex?” Skylar asked.
“Our houses were all together. Here, let me find a picture.”
Boone showed us a photo of Rock and his father, Oz, standing in front of a gated townhouse complex. “We all lived there together. My mom was best friends with Duffy’s mom and Jas and Dali’s mom. We’re a big family.”
My girls were very interested in his pictures. Boone sat in the grass with them and went through his many photos. I stood around like a dummy until I realized I should join them.
Boone showed us his mom, Yarrow, and his dad, Blackjack. There were plenty of photos of Duffy and the four Tooker kids—Ben, Dali, Jas, and Nine. I saw Cher and Stevie as teenagers, sporting colorful hair. My girls really liked those pictures and asked if they could make their hair into rainbows when they were bigger.
I would love if Skylar and Lyric grew up to be free spirits. As a teenager, I’d never felt right in my skin. Many days, I hated myself. But that dislike came from my South Dakota family and the world at large. Left to my own devices, I was quite fond of the person I truly was. Over time, though, I’d lost that confidence.
