Page 9 of To the Chase

Scarlet, the surly teen, finally caved and ran her hand over Benjamin's smooth coat. Once she got started, she was hooked, tucking her phone away so she could get both hands on him.

Little fingers curled around mine, drawing my attention. The tiny girl blinked up at me.

“My name is Lacey. I’m six. What’s your name?”

“I’m Bea, and I’m twenty-eight.”

“Whoa, that’s pretty big,” she breathed. “Uncle Sally is thirty-two. He just had a birthday. My birthday is in August.”

Sally was an interesting name for an uncle, but who was I to judge? My name belonged to an eighty-year-old grandma knitting in a rocking chair.

“Cool. Mine’s in June,” I shared.

She nodded solemnly, as if this was critical information. “Is Bea like a bumblebee?”

Her fingers were a mix of clammy and chalky, tangled with mine.

“No, it’s short for Beatrice, but no one calls me that unless I’m in trouble. I’m just Bea most of the time.”

She pointed at her siblings. “Sometimes we call Scarlet Scar. She’s fifteen. Talon is eight. We call him Tally. I’m just Lacey.”

“Scar, Tally, and Lacey.” I tapped my temple. “Got it.”

Scarlet tore herself from Benjamin to corral her sister at her side. “You know you’re not supposed to tell personal information to strangers,” she admonished.

Lacey huffed, holding my hand more firmly. “This is Bea. She isn’t a stranger. She’s twenty-eight.”

Scarlet did have a point, and I was beginning to wonder what these three were doing out on their own, loitering on the sidewalk in front of my house.

“Are your parents around?”

“Nope,” Scarlet answered, popping thep.

“Our mom is dead, and our dads aren’t in the picture,” Tally supplied bluntly, still nuzzling Benjamin. “We live with Uncle Sally and Grandpa Tony.”

Scarlet rolled her eyes. “Hello? Did either of you ever learn about stranger danger? You can’t tell everyone our personal business.”

Lacey shook her head. “He didn’t tell everyone. He just told Bea!”

Poor Scarlet’s face was turning pink, and she looked like she was getting to the end of her rope. I empathized big-time. As the oldest sister, I’d been left to watch my younger siblings…a lot. Too much. And they drove me nuts. I hated that it seemed she was in the same position I’d once been in.

I turned to Scarlet. “Well, if it makes you feel better, I’ll divulge some personal business too. I live in the house right behind you, my last name is Novak, and—”

Forgetting herself, Scarlet cried, “What? You live in the black house?”

I nodded. “Yep. That’s my place.”

“Cool,” she whispered, then shook herself out of her impressed daze and schooled her features. “I guess it’s okay to tell you we’re going to be your neighbors. Our house is almost ready. Grandpa’s talking to the builders inside.”

I followed her gaze to the monstrosity across the street—a former multi-family home that some rich guy had gutted and remodeled into a single-family house. The endless construction had been a neighborhood headache for months.

“It’s almost done?” I asked.

“My room’s gonna be pink,” Lacey informed me. “I bet I can see your house from my window.”

For such a small person, she really was cute—sticky hands and all. She still hadn’t let go of mine, and I didn’t have the heart to pull away. But I’d be washing my hands thoroughly once I got inside.

Talon perked up. “We can probably visit Benjamin. And he can come play in our backyard. It’s really big and has a fence and everything.”