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Then again, the relief on Chrissie’s face at spotting them had Trace pausing. What the...?
Joss pulled on Trace’s hand, wanting to dash toward where Chrissie sat on a bench close to where the water was that Joss had wanted to get int
o earlier.
“Slow down, son,” Trace told him, falling back into step with his son. “We’re headed that way.”
But Joss kept on tugging, setting as fast a pace as possible to his mother.
When they joined her, Chrissie looked up, her gaze searching them both, as if looking for battle scars.
She glanced toward the water. “Do you still want to play in the water?”
But rather than answer immediately, Joss studied her face, trying to gauge her expression on what she wanted him to say, as if he wasn’t quite sure how to take her odd behavior in the aquarium shop.
Which irked Trace. Was she emotionally manipulating their son because he’d spoken up to buy the boy something she’d said no to? Did the fact Joss had lightened up to him a little bother her and she wanted to add the tension back?
He hadn’t thought she was trying to prevent Joss from warming to him, but maybe she was.
“I’d like to play in the water,” Chrissie added, smiling at her son, albeit a little weakly. “And I bet your daddy would like to play in the water, too.”
Okay, so maybe he was being paranoid. Or letting his frustration over her having rushed out of the souvenir shop mess with his head. Or maybe everything these days was messing with his head.
Joss and his reluctance to have much to do with him. Chrissie and his mixed-up feelings for her. Physically, he wanted her and ached for her. Emotionally, he’d never felt more betrayed.
Joss glanced up at Trace with big, uncertain eyes. “Would you?”
Oh, heaven of heavens.
“I would.”
More than anything in the world he’d like to play in the water with this little boy.
And his mother.
Chrissie left the bench and went to the pool of water. She sat on the edge, obviously not caring that her shorts were likely to have damp spots when she stood. She slipped her sandals off and put her feet into the water.
“That’s cold,” she said, wrapping her arms around her chest and pretending to shiver despite the hot sun.
Relaxing, Joss laughed and joined her, quickly stripping off his own shoes.
“Brr...” he said as he stepped into the water and wrapped his little arms around himself. “It is cold.”
“Unless you’re a penguin,” Chrissie added, sending a tiny splash her son’s way. “And then it’s just right.”
“I’m a penguin,” Joss said, a big smile on his face, as if all was perfect in his world and always had been. “A big ole penguin looking for a fish to eat.”
He made a chomping motion.
Finally relaxing, too, Chrissie laughed.
Trace watched in amazement at how quickly Joss had gone from pouty to remorseful to carefree as he pranced around in the water that came up to the edge of his shorts. Each exaggerated step he took splashed water all around him, but not nearly so much as when he smacked the water with his little hands and burst into giggles.
“Daddy,” Chrissie called, sending a spray of water in Trace’s direction. “You afraid this penguin is going to mistake you for a big juicy fish?”
Joss made a chomping noise toward Trace, seeming okay that Chrissie had included him in their fun.
“Nah, we penguins can tell other penguins apart from big juicy fish quite easily.” He kicked off his shoes, stepped into the water, and made a chomping noise that was a decent imitation of the sounds Joss was making.
