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“No, there’s no need to bother anyone. I can drop her off when I go home.”
“You sure?” He sounds relieved.
“Yeah.” I take Regan’s hand and swing. She shows me all of her little baby teeth and I rub my nose against hers.So cute.
“Thank you. I’d appreciate that.”
After the call, I strap Regan into the car seat. We stop for ice cream first and I check in my rear view mirror, wondering which of the cars in traffic is Mr. P’s.
Thirty minutes later, Regan’s on a sugar rush and I’m a paranoid mess, thinking every car that passes by belongs to Bolton’s security company.
This is so annoying.
I’m just a normal person. I’m used to my freedom, and the thought that he has security on me is a little unsettling. What if they’ve snapped pictures of me picking my nose or squeezing a zit. And why does he even need that much security on me anyway? Does he think I’m going to hurt Regan? Does he not trust me to make the right decisions for his daughter? Is that why he has people following me?
The more I over-think it, the more annoyed I get.
“Let’s go, sweetie.” I hold Regan’s hand and look up at the intimidating building in front of me.
I’ve been here before. This is where Clay backed me up against his car and made me question my own sanity.
Hopefully, today, my sanity remains intact.
I lead Regan inside. The lobby is surprisingly welcoming. There’s lots of greenery, a wide, wooden desk, and several vintage arcade games.
“Abe!” Regan shouts with glee and breaks away from me to race across the room.
I chase after her but slow down when I see her collide with a little boy in a black hoodie, black jeans and a really bad haircut.
He tosses his bangs out of his eyes and I internally cringe at the uneven layers. Did he cut his own hair or did someone bully him cruelly?
Given his edgy outfit and his stand-offish expression, I expect him to brush Regan off. But he doesn’t. The little boy breaks out a soft smile and allows his sister to hold him.
The truth hits me while I’m looking at them.
That must be Abe, Clay’s firstborn son.
Abe has fair skin and blue eyes just like his father. Or maybe his mom had those features too. I didn’t look her up despite being tempted to many times.
“Look,” Regan says, excitedly pulling her older brother along, “there’s Island.”
At the mention of my name, Abe looks up. He sees me and the soft smile that was only for his sister immediately dissolves into a sneer. He yanks his hand back so fast Regan almost falls flat on her face.
I decide to approach him because I can tell that he wants to run.
“Hey.” I lift a hand. “It’s nice to meet you. Regan talks about you a lot.”
He says nothing, but his stare is sullen and full of disapproval.
I guess he’s grumpy like his dad.
I retract my hand, but I’m not ready to give up on the conversation. “What school do you go to?”
Abe turns slightly away.
Regan lifts her voice and declares, “He got kicked out of school.”
“No, I didn’t,” Abe grumbles.