Page 37 of Take The Risk

​By the time midnight rolled around and Helen’s husband, Erik, was ready to drive us home, we’d consumed three pitchers of cocktails and so many tacos that I’d need stretchy pants for a few days.

​Like every night for the last few weeks, I dreamt about Celtic tattoos and a set of amber eyes that seemed to haunt me whether I wanted them to or not.

Chapter 15

​“If you’re going to make a move, you need to do it. And before things get more complicated.” Wade came up beside me, a bottle of water in his hand, giving a little boy who streaked by with crayons a high five.

​It was the first family night at the church, a brainchild of Phoebe, my mom, Louise, and Helen. Apparently, ladies’ night now involved more than just drinking and eating until they were all groaning and begging the sun to turn off the next morning.

​It was a brilliant idea, and one met with extreme enthusiasm by the town. Tonight was the first night, and a handful of adults mingled around helping out, making sure the teenage volun-tolds were behaving.

​I’d been adamant I wasn’t going to get roped into this until I overheard Phoebe on the phone to her sidekick telling her she was volunteering for the first night. Given she’d been acting strange for the last couple of days and using my siblings as an excuse, I’d jumped on offering to pick up the bottles of water and snacks Mom said needed to be picked up from the Maple Mart.

​It all came with one bonus. I could watch Phoebe, which I was doing now.

​Over the last couple of weeks, it’d become my damned hobby: watching Phoebe Lebonaire. And it wasn’t exactly going unnoticed.

​Groaning, I forced myself to look away from her heart-shaped ass as she bent over in a pair of jeans to lift a toddler who was holding his chubby little arms up in silent demand.

​“You’re not being subtle.” Wade bumped me with his shoulder, reminding me he was there.

​“Why are you here exactly?” I ripped my eyes off Phoebe, glaring at my best friend.

​“Subtle about what?” Delilah came around the corner, a box of art supplies in her hand. Spying Wade, she wrinkled her nose. “Why are you here like that?”

​By “like that” she meant decked out in his full officer’s uniform. “Pastor Jane decided it might be a good idea for a little police presence the first couple of nights. You know, ensure any teenagers looking to shirk their responsibility or cause mischief find more productive things to do.”

​Wade then cleared his throat, sending Annie, a girl from Delilah’s class, a stern look. Freezing, she swallowed hard under Wade’s hard stare. She shoved her cell phone back into her pocket, deciding paying attention to the group of four-year-olds she was assigned was in her best interest. She’d no sooner sat down with her little charges than one of them shoved Play-Doh straight into her ear.

​“Amateur,” Delilah whispered, earning both Wade’s and my attention.

​“What’s that?” I questioned my sister.

​Rolling her eyes, she snapped, “I don’t have time for this.” She stomped away, setting the box of art supplies down on a long table a little harder than necessary.

​“Jesus,” Wade swore, and I agreed.

​“It’s been like this more and more lately. Mom said she’s barely coming out of her room and when she does...” I waved my hand to encompass her attitude which took up more space in the church’s events room than the myriads of kids.

​“And talking to her hasn’t helped.”

“No.” It was frustrating as hell. I felt helpless. I wanted to help Delilah but had no clue how.

​“You know, there’s a pretty good therapist the force uses for kids. I can give you her number and you can pass it on to Aunt Cady-Jo.” Wade pulled out his phone.

​“Thanks.” I’d give the information to my mom when I dropped the kids back off at home tonight.

​Pocketing his phone, Wade swept the room. “At least Jesse seems to have more life in him.”

​Together we watched my younger brother, who was back from college for the weekend, as he deftly changed a dirty diaper. He was chatting away to the other adult assigned baby duty with him: Phoebe. I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face, watching the way my brother seemed to come out of his shell. Like my other siblings, after Harris had cheated on my mom and left her and them, he’d withdrawn into himself. Sometimes I’d see him and he wouldn’t say a single word. It didn’t appear he had that problem right now. And given she was right there, I couldn’t stop myself from watching the way she responded to him, which made my heart pound.

​She was so fucking pretty…

​“Give it back!” a small voice cried, and I shoved away from the wall. Rounding the corner to the hall behind us, I found two kids engaged in a war over what looked like a sock. Kids. Separating them, I delivered them back to the teenagers in charge and gave them a little reminder about keeping an eye on the kids.

​Scarlette chose that moment to whip by, demanding I get the snacks out before her charges made good on their threat to eat her.

​“So, are we gonna talk about it or what?” Wade followed me as I headed for the small kitchen downstairs.