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Chapter 29
Mila’s eyes widened and her mouth formed an ‘O’ as she held a blouse up in front of herself and rotated back and forth in front of the mirror.
This was the tenth or eleventh clothes store they’d been in during this trip to the mall, he’d lost count around five, and it was roughly the seven thousandth article of clothing she’d held up in front of herself and marveled at. That was a rough estimate on his part, but he didn’t think he was too far off.
He had to smile, though, watching her. It wasn’t like this was the kid’s first trip to a mall. It was just that she had an inner light of enthusiasm that made everything amazing in her eyes, and it was one of Gavin’s favorite things about her.
As he was becoming reacquainted with her now, as a young woman rather than a child, he was discovering that his list of favorite things about her was lengthening by the day.
“You should get it,” he advised. “It looks great.”
She glanced over at him, a worried wrinkle setting in between her brows. “Are you sure, Gavin? You’ve bought me way too much stuff.”
He cracked a smile. “Said no teenage girl ever.”
Her face collapsed into a grimace and she let out a combination groan-laugh, the kind that is only really achievable by women when they’re between the ages of approximately twelve to eighteen. “Oh my God, seriously, though, please do not try to talk like a cool person.”
“No trying necessary. I am a cool person. When I talk it just comes out that way.”
“Oh, my God,” she giggled. “You so are not.”
He slung an arm around her shoulder and pulled her in close to him, keeping the squeeze quick so as not to embarrass her in public. “Seriously, though, kid. Don’t worry about it. I’m making up for years of missing out on shopping with you.”
She turned her face up to his, a sly grin now touching her lips, and she said, “Well, in that case, I say let’s keep making up for lost time.”
He laughed. Her quick wit. Another addition onto the list of favorite things.
He paid for the top and a few other things she’d picked out from that store and added the bag to the collection they now had on their arms.
As they strolled farther down the promenade, Mila said, “Hey, can I ask you something?”
The hair on the back of Gavin’s neck stood up. Even though she’d couched the question as a casual, throwaway comment, it was clearly anything but. The clues were all there. The way her voice was tight and tense, the careless tone she’d tried to infuse just covering that tension like an ill-fitting coat. The stretched-rubber-band set of her shoulders. The way she studiously avoided looking at him as she spoke, her eyes fixed on the display window of the sporting goods place they were passing as if fishing tackle and camping stoves were suddenly the most fascinating things in the world.
Nope. Clearly whatever she had to say was the furthest thing in the world from “casual.”
He didn’t want to spook her, though, so he matched her careless tone when he replied, “Yeah. Sure.”
“Why am I the only one who knows about you being sick?”
Well, shit. He’d called that one right.
He put his hand on her shoulder and considered his next words. Finally, he sighed. “Come on, kid. Let’s go to the food court. This conversation requires an oversized pretzel.”
She looked up into his face then, eyes narrowed, clearly trying to judge if he was taking her seriously or making fun. After a moment, she nodded decisively. “Yeah. Okay. Let’s go.”
When they were settled in across from each other at the food court table, each of them armed with a giant, doughy pretzel and a fountain drink, he prepared to dive into the conversation. It occurred to him that having the food and drink made it easier, somehow. Gave them something to divert part of their attention to if it got too intense.
It was the teen-friendly version of him and his brothers sitting out on the back deck with the view and a beer.
He sucked up soda through the straw and said casually, “So, I guess it must be pretty scary being the only one that knows something so big, huh?”
“Yeah. And it’s not just that it’s big. It’s bad, too.”
He nodded. “Yeah. I know it sounds that way—”
“Is that way,” she corrected.
He smiled a little. She wasn’t going to let him get away with anything.
