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Chapter 16
Sebastian
The smell of masking tape wafts to my nose and there’s something nostalgic about it.
Sky’s the limit for a brood of boys, a roll of tape, and active imaginations. And when I say active imaginations, I really mean Oliver, Henry, and Gabriel’s collective conscience. They were the ones who did the most around the house and neighborhood. I was there in a mostly supervisory capacity, and Milo and Alec brought up the rear as the older three’s assistants.
Cardboard forts and bottle rockets were some of our biggest tape-consuming activities. But here in my office today, I’m not building either of those things.
“My turn!” Navie says in a sing-songy way. She bounces down onto the floor next to me—every movement of hers involves a bounce or two—and holds out both hands. I plop the roll of bright pink tape into her hands.
“Hold it like I showed you,” I tell her and she loops it onto one arm like a bracelet and then grasps her other hand so it won’t slip off. I gently pull on the end of the tape and it hums along, rotating against her arm, causing her to shift off balance a little.
“Whoa,” she says and then giggles.
I can’t get over how much she looks like Henry did when he was her age. The only difference is her hair is a lighter shade of brown and her hazel eyes are exactly like her mother, Quinn’s.
We’re making a hopscotch board all over my office carpet. I even found a smooth stone last night on the beach so we can play the right way. Because if I’m going to put pink masking tape all over my floor, I’m going to teach her the right way to play.
The hopscotch is a ridiculous length, but that just makes it more fun. Navie and Quinn have been here a few days and we’ve gotten into something of a routine now that my mom and Gabriel had to go back to Denver.
I’m staying at Alec’s place. Quinn and Navie mostly go it alone throughout the day, but in the morning, when I come into the office, I watch her so Quinn can go run on the beach and have a few minutes to herself. Usually, Quinn’s coming back right as Elianna is arriving for the day and she and I can have our morning meeting and get to work. But today, Quinn had to do some shopping in town, so Navie is going to hang out with me a little longer.
I don’t mind. In fact, sometimes I mind very much if Oliver, Alec, Sophie, or Oakley come to “take her off my hands.”
I’m laid out on my side, pressing the tape into a curved edge around the leg of a high table near the window when I see a pair of silver high-heeled shoes standing near me.
I’m awash with delight as my gaze travels up to the white, knee-high stockings, black, silver, and white patterned skirt, and black blazer and white collared shirt.
“Hopscotch? No way!” Elianna screeches.
I smile at Navie. “Should we let her try it out first?”
Navie frowns and again, I’m reminded of Henry thirty years ago.
“Oh no, you two go first.” Elianna flips her hair to one side so she can see the length of the game. “I’ve never seen a more complicated hopscotch before in my life.”
“We got a little carried away,” I say. I finish off the last section. “Navie, you begin.” I gesture to the start of the hopscotch, near the office door.
She scrambles over to it and is poised to start, standing on one foot, her striped leggings bunching around her knees. “I can’t,” Navie says.
“Oh, I can show you how,” Elianna says, rushing to join her.
“Zeb show me, too.” Navie points to me.
I sigh and roll my eyes, heaving my tired body up. The longer this takes, the less work I’ll get done today. Except, I’m starting to mind that less and less ever since Navie got here.
“You ready?” Elianna asks me. I remove the rock from my pocket and bend at the knees to show Navie. “You toss it like this.” I gently lob it down the twisty path she and I created. “See where it landed?”
Navie nods.
“That’s the square you can’t step on.”
“What happens if you step on it?” Navie asks.
“The ground opens up and swallows you whole,” Elianna deadpans.
Now Navie’s the one to roll her eyes. “No.”
