Page 53 of Forbid It

He blinks at me, cocking his head slightly before stepping over the threshold. I sit back on the mattress as I watch him. He hasn’t said a word, and he keeps his head turned as he crosses to the chest of drawers.

“I’m Cassie,” I tell him gently. “You must be Sammy?”

He ignores me as he tugs one of the drawers open. It’s a heavy old fashioned design, the dangling iron handles clanking as he lets it fall back against the wood and rises on his tiptoes to look inside.

“Are you looking for something?”

He nods and closes the drawer gently before pulling open the one underneath.

“Does your uncle know you’re in here?”

Sammy glances at me over his shoulder and shrugs.

I bite back my smile and cross to his side. “Maybe I can help you look.”

Should I be snooping around Robbie’s room? Probably not. Is this kid too cute to not not entertain for a minute longer? Absolutely.

I tug open the bottom drawer. It’s empty apart from a few towels and sheets. “How about in here?”

Sammy shakes his head, his hair flicking this way and that.

“Hmm,” I say, resting my hand on my hip. “It might help if I knew what I was looking for.”

He tilts his head, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye.

“Is it…” I glance around the room, looking for whatever this mystery item could possibly be. “A medal?” There are many to choose from, of course. Robbie was a hell of an overachiever.

He shakes his head.

“Is it…something you wear?”

No.

“Is it…something small?”

No.

“Is it…something big?

No.

“Is it…a ball?”

Now it just feels like I’m writing a nursery rhyme.

I follow as he crosses to the wardrobe door, and he tugs at the handle but there’s a plastic box on the floor in front blocking it.

“Hang on, buddy.” I slide the box across the floor so when he tugs again, it opens revealing a handful of coats and empty hangers. “Is it a vintage Barbour?”

Sammy tilts his head up and points to the top shelf.

“I don’t suppose you’ve come across a ladder in your search?”

He shakes his head and I swear the corners of his lips twitch

Giddy at the thought of getting this kid to show me a real smile, I sigh playfully. “Alright, I’ll see what I can do.”

I pull the box back closer to the wardrobe and test my weight on it briefly. It seems relatively sturdy, so I balance on one foot and hoist my upper body onto the shelf.