* * *
The twins had already nodded off in the back seat, thankfully. Against her better judgment, she had let them drink sugary soft drinks and have ice cream for dessert after the pizza. They had been all over Col, sugar-powered for even more mayhem.
And he was absolutely wonderful with them. He spoke to them as he did with anyone, and they responded surprisingly well to that. It made sense in a sad sort of way, Lily supposed. With their father in prison, they were probably hungry for male parental authority. He was strong enough to simply lift them away from any disaster they were about to create, yet gentle enough that they felt completely safe and at ease with him. Lily had never realized it before, but Clover was a daddy’s girl. And she was utterly smitten with Col.
Aren’t we all?
Not that Brady was immune either. By the time the sugar high had worn off, the boy had fallen asleep against Col’s chest, cradled in one of those muscled arms that Lily had longed to touch again all night. Clover had been curled up against Col’s side, a tiny version of where Lily had been the other night.
And when he helped place them in their car seats, Lily was surprised that her melted heart wasn’t spilling onto the asphalt of the parking lot.
He had kissed her softly, gently against the car, before watching her drive away. It took every cell of willpower she had not to ask him to follow them.
But she couldn’t disrespect Rosa like that. The woman trusted her with her children and her residence. Lily wasn’t going to behave like a teenage babysitter, inviting her boyfriend over for a lil’somethin’ somethin’. With the kids sleeping only a few yards away
Eew.
And Col. It would be disrespecting him too. Something special was happening between them. Something she was simultaneously thrilled about, and fearful too.
Something that was making it hard to think about leaving.
Lily pulled into the gravel in front of Rosa’s single-wide, her headlights illuminating the shabby exterior. She had learned that Rosa’s husband had locked them into some kind of sub-lease agreement that made it near impossible for Rosa to break without severe penalties. That was why Rosa was still here, instead of seeking housing on-site. Lily was going to try to find some way to talk to Simon about it, see if there was anything he could do.
She felt she had gotten to know him well enough that he’d want to be alerted to something like this, and want to help.
Lily switched off the headlights, and sat for a moment in the car, preparing herself for the next task of getting two sleeping preschoolers out of their car seats, into the house, into pajamas and then into bed.
At least in Staff Childcare, she would have put them in the pajamas that Rosa had packed for them, before they settled in at 8:30 in their cots.
Deep breath. You can do this, Lil.After all, this is what Rosa had to contend with each night by herself.
She squared her shoulders. Maybe the smart thing to do would be to go turn on the lights inside, prop the door open, and bring in the twins one at a time.If only Col were here….
But there was a really good reason why he wasn’t, she reminded herself. She could do this.
She opened the car door and stepped down, making certain not to trip on her long skirt. Something was off. She could feel it. It wasn’t the sensation of being watched, as she had the previous night. Just the intuition that something just wasn’t right.
There was silence all around, except for the unfamiliar nighttime noises of insects chirping, the leaves rustling with the breeze, the crunch of the gravel beneath her feet as she shifted her weight nervously.
It was probably her mind playing tricks. Lord knows she had her share of sugary drinks and a too-romantic sharing of a strawberry shortcake sundae with Col. Her own sugar high was probably starting to wear off.
Silly Lily.She looked at the kids. Still asleep in their car seats. They were so knocked out that maybe she’d skip the pajamas and just take off their shoes. OK, she had a plan of action.
She walked towards the trailer.Crunch, crunch, crunchas each step pushed down on more gravel. The key went in easily, turning, unlocking. So far so good. Door opening, the rubber stop right where it was supposed to be, wedging into place with the nudging of one foot.
She felt along the wall by the door where the light switch was, and found it. A simple flick and the light went on. She let out a gasp.
The trailer was completely trashed.
