Clearly I wasn’t going to get much out of her; not now, maybe not later either. I gave up on further conversation and headed back out to the living room, where Max and Emmie sat zoned out in front of the TV.
How many hours did they spend like this?
“Come on, kiddos. Let’s get out of here for a few hours,” I said, clicking the TV off.
They looked up at me in surprise.
“Have you had lunch?” I asked.
“No,” Max replied, standing up and taking Emmie’s hand. He’d always been protective of her.
I smiled warmly at them. “Then that sounds like a good place to start. My friend Cal is in the car with Mason. He’s sleeping right now, but I’m sure he’ll be so excited to see you when he wakes up,” I told them as they followed me out into the sunshine.
They both squinted so dramatically that I wondered when they’d last been outside.
Cal stepped out of the car, his countenance as unintimidating as a man like him could manage. “Cal, this is Max and Emmie,” I introduced.
“Hey, bud.” Cal nodded toward Max. He kneeled down at eye level with them both. “Hi, darlin’.” He smiled at Emmie.
She smiled timidly back and my heart expanded almost to the point of pain in my chest.
“I thought we’d take these kids to lunch and then maybe to the park or something. Their mom’s sleeping. Is that okay?”
Cal shot me a concerned look but nodded. He helped me with the booster seats. Not once did he rub it in that without taking his SUV we wouldn’t have had enough room for all of us.
“Where to?” he asked as he fired up the engine.
I craned my neck to look back at Max. “What sounds good, Max?”
He contemplated my question seriously for a minute. Then looked at his sister. “Pizza, Em?” he asked.
Her eyes lit up with excitement. “Yeah, pizza!”
I laughed, unsurprised by their choice. “Pizza it is.”
I directed Cal to a pizza parlor I’d taken them to in the past. By the time we arrived, Mason had woken up. It had been a much shorter nap than he needed, but it would have to do.
Once the pizza arrived both kids dug in with an enthusiasm that concerned me. Cal shot me a look and I could tell he was thinking the same thing.
“Max, did you guys have breakfast this morning?” I asked gently.
He paused midbite and looked at me cautiously. “Yes,” he replied, but I couldn’t help but think he was lying.
“Max, bud. I just want to help,” I assured him.
“We ate,” he insisted.
Cal reached across the table and squeezed my hand briefly in a silent bid for me to drop the subject. He was right. It wouldn’t do any good to press Max. Not right now anyway. Instead I offered my nephew a smile, smoothing my hand over his thick head of dark hair.
I was amazed at how great Cal was with the kids. It had taken a little while for them to loosen up, but once we got to the park Cal pushed Emmie on the swings and played battle destroyer with Max. He was like a big kid. I’d never seen this side of him and I had to reluctantly admit that it made him all the more attractive. Honestly, I hadn’t thought it possible.
By the time we arrived back at the trailer park, it was close to dinner time.
Cal’s eyes cut to me as he turned off the engine. “I’m coming in with you,” he stated.
“Yay, can we show you our room?” Max asked excitedly.
“Sure, bud,” Cal replied, his eyes still on me.
