“Lou! You can’t just run away from me like that!” the woman said, her face full of concern. She had dirty blonde hair, ranging in shades of gold and yellow, the thick locks barely restrained in a claw clip. Her eyes were mirrors of her daughter’s, so green they seemed like they would glow in the dark. She had smooth skin, and I couldn’t help but notice the smattering of freckles across her nose and the natural flush that pinked her cheeks.
“Sorry, Mama. But look! I found Linc!” Lou proclaimed, pulling my hand to bring me over to meet her mother.
“Oh. You must be Linc the Giant. Lou hasn’t stopped talking about you,” the woman said with a wry smile as she gently corralled her daughter to her side. Lou wrapped her arms around her mother’s leg, leaning back to interrupt the conversation.
“Mama, can I play with Linc? I promise I’ll be good.” I saw the woman’s eyes widen, clearly unsure what to do, when we were saved by Myra, my buddy’s wife.
“Sophie? Is that you?” The woman jumped at the sound of her name, but once she saw Myra heading toward us, she smiled.
“Hey, Myra. Fancy seeing you here.” The two women hugged before Myra crouched in front of Lou.
“Hey there, Lou. Liam and Harper are playing over there with Benson. You want to go play with them?”
“Oh, I don’t want to impose,” the woman named Sophie interjected, her eyes bouncing nervously around the group of people.
“Nonsense. My kids love Lou. And Benson is amazing with the kids. She’s the sweetest dog.” Then, as if finally realizing I was there, Myra looked between the two of us.
“Linc, this is Sophie. We both work at the hospital. Do you two know each other?” Her eyebrow raised, and I could tell she was already planning something in her head.
“Lou had her firehouse tour recently. Apparently, Linc made quite the impression,” Sophie replied, a warm smile on her face as she watched her daughter chasing after Benson and other kids.
“Hmm… That’s an interesting development. Then again, Lou has impeccable taste. It’s why I’m her favorite.” Myra smiled, and I snorted
“Oh, shut up, you big lug. Go and get Sophie something to eat and introduce her to the group. I’ll check on the kids,” Myra commanded before walking off, not bothering to wait and see if we were going to heed her orders.
“Thank you for letting us join. Lou really hasn’t stopped talking about you. Now that I see you, I finally understand the new sticker kick she’s been on.” Recalling how Lou’s arms and T-shirt had been covered with various stickers ranging from Spiderman to unicorns, I looked down at my own colorful arms.
“Because of my tattoos?” I asked, both surprised and flattered that I had left an impression on the little girl, and one where she wasn’t scared of me. I had been around kids all my life, but there was something about that little girl that pulled at me.
“She insisted on trying one from each sticker pack she had so she could make sure she found one that was ‘important.’” I chuckled at that, knowing what I’d said had stuck with the little girl.
“She’s a good kid,” I told her as I grabbed two plates and proceeded to pile them up with one of everything offered. Pausing, I stopped to look at Lou, then back at her mother.
“Are either of you vegetarians? Or allergic to anything?” Sophie laughed—a husky sound that ran down my spine.
“Lou is allergic to mushrooms, but other than that, nope. ButLou is a picky eater, and there’s only one of her, so maybe I should make her a plate.” We moved over to a picnic table, where Sophie started scooping smaller portions from one plate onto another, picking the best pieces for Lou and leaving the rest for herself. I saw the kids about to run past us, and gave a loud whistle. Both Lou and Benson stopped short before they changed direction and charged for the table we were at.
“That was so cool! Can you show me how to whistle like that? Mommy, wasn’t that cool!” Lou chatted excitedly, bouncing on her toes.
“Yeah, baby, that was cool. Maybe Linc can show you after you eat lunch,” Sophie said calmly as she helped Lou onto the bench beside her, effortlessly getting her daughter set up with a plate, napkins, and a juice box that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Benson laid down at Lou’s feet like it was an old habit.
Feeling unsure of myself, I dug into the other plate of food I’d made, even though I had already eaten earlier. I kept an eye on the mother and daughter and the easy way they interacted with each other. It was wholesome, simple, but profound. It was evident in every movement how much the duo cared for each other.
Belatedly, I realized I had no idea where Lou’s dad was. My eyes zeroed in on Sophie’s hand, and I was shocked to notice that there was no wedding ring. A gamut of emotions ran through me, but the most predominant one was relief. And that was terrifying on its own.
“So, Lou, how old are you?” I asked, trying to focus on the little girl attempting to sneak her broccoli to the dog asleep at her feet.
“I’m turning six!” she yelled excitedly. “I might be big enough for a bicycle on my birthday. Right, Mommy?” she asked, a toothy grin aimed at Sophie.
“We’ll see, Lulu. Finish your broccoli first. No more sneaking pieces to Linc’s dog,” Sophie replied easily.
“Benson isn’t exactlymydog. I’m her uncle,” I said, and twin pairs of green eyes looked at me with confusion.
“She belongs to my brother, Mason. I’m just watching her for a few weeks while he’s tied up with something at work,” I toldthem. Sophie nodded in understanding as Lou tilted her head, studying me.
“You need your own dog, then,” she decreed, and all I could do was chuckle and nod in agreement. Lou was quick to keep the conversation moving, jumping from topic to topic as they came to her.
“Do you know how to ride a bike, Linc?” she asked, delaying the broccoli consumption as best she could.
