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“It’s nice to feel needed,” she said, and my heart damn near stuttered. “Besides, I feel like we’re kind of a team now, working together to keep Gio from jumping down the stairs and forgetting to close Sally’s lid.” Her eyes met mine, and laughter exploded from the two of us.
The girl with the blue streaks and the guy she was with walked across the parking lot and hopped into a car with an Ohio license plate. I had no idea who they thought Quinn was, but whoever it was scared her enough to run.
Maybe I should’ve taken it as a sign to run, too. Maybe I was naïve to think that Quinn was as perfect as I imagined. I was mistaken once by a pretty face. It wouldn’t be unlikely to happen again. But Quinn was nothing like Rebecca.
“Why don’t we go back in?” I suggested, making sure my eyes fell on the car as it backed out of the space.
Quinn spotted the vehicle and nodded. “I’d like that.” She reached for the handle, and I grasped her arm, stopping her. Her eyes lingered on my sun darkened fingers against her alabaster skin.
“If you ever need to talk…” I said.
The corner of her mouth twitched upward, touching her brown irises. “Thanks.”
Dark, ugly clouds rolled in, covering the blue skies from earlier, and cast a menacing feeling over the day. Gio and I just got back from the park where we spent the day walking Sally on her leash, playing on the playground and watching the ducks in the lake.
Light rain fell on the windshield, and I turned to Gio in the backseat. “You ready to make a run for it?”
He gave a confident nod, his brown hair flopping as Sally sat on his shoulder.
“Hold Sally tight, and on the count of three, we go.” It wasn’t raining hard, but I had learned Gio loved a challenge.
He tucked Sally beneath his shirt, her little head poking out of the neck, and pressed a hand to her. “Ready, Sally?” he asked, and I swear the little beardie nodded.
I held my hand up and counted off with my fingers. “One. Two. Three!” I flung the door open, and Gio full sped to the porch. I made sure both doors were properly closed before taking off. The light rain became steadier, and I let out a scream and a laugh as I approached Gio, who patiently waited by the door.
“I won!” he declared as I unlocked the door.
I ruffled his hair. “You did, but I’ll win next time.”
“That’s what Uncle Laurent says every time we play Battleship, but he still never beats me.”
My lips to twitched, in amusement.
“But maybe I’ll let you win one day.”
“What about your Uncle Laurent?”
“No, he’s too cocky.” A laugh burst from my mouth, and I shook my head. This kid. Sometimes it was obvious his best friends were all full-grown men. It was why I brought him to the park so much. Letting him play with kids his age was good for him. Though, his family had done a hell of a job helping to raise him so far.
“Speaking of Uncle Laurent…” I glanced at the time. “He’s going to be here in ten minutes, so go put Sally away, make sure she’s secure, and grab the bag we packed this morning.”
Gio nodded and took off up the stairs. Franc had called shortly after he left to let me know Laurent and his fiancée, Phoebe, offered to take Gio for the night. There was some event going on at the resort, and they thought he’d enjoy himself. Since Phoebe still had her room at the resort, they were going to spend the night and make use of the many pools and other amenities.
Ten minutes later, Laurent showed up, and Gio catapulted off the stairs and into his arms. Laurent didn’t even budge when the six-year-old slammed into him. He wasn’t as bulky as Franc, but he was lean with muscle and had a dominating presence.
“Hey bud,” Laurent said, swinging Gio into the air before placing him on solid ground. “You ready?”
“I am.”
“Where’s your bag?” I asked.
Gio’s eyes went back and forth. “Oh, yeah.” He ran up the stairs and disappeared down the hallway.
“I don’t know how you have the energy to keep up with him every day,” Laurent said. “I know by the end of tomorrow, I’m going to need three days to recover.”
“I have four younger siblings who are much younger than me. I feel like I haven’t had a proper rest since the first was born seventeen years ago.”
Laurent laughed. “Being the oldest of seven, I can understand that. Though, now they’re all adults, so I have a little breathing room and not as much running.”
