Chapter 23 #2
“Quinton!” Mama shouted my name from the doorway. “Invite your friend inside. The kids are helping me with lunch.” She closed the door.
Zahir met my gaze. “You have kids too?”
“Also borrowed. But—” I eyed Lucky. “—I’m hopeful their dad might come to be an important person in my life.” Liar. Leo already is.
“You’re gay?”
“What? Oh, yeah. I forget that everyone doesn’t know that. What with the rainbow painted on my ass.”
Zahir laughed. “Where no one can see it, I assume?”
“Uh…that’s true.”
“I’m gay too.” He offered a smile. “Nice to meet you properly.”
“So you’ll come to my party?”
He gazed down at Daphne.
“I’d suggest you bring her, but things can get a little…crowded.”
“Ah. Probably not my scene then.” He gestured to the house.
“Your mother called—you’d better go.” He saluted me with the poop bag.
“Take care, Quinton. You’re a good man.” And then he was gone.
Whether he meant I was good for watching someone else’s kids and dog, or whether he meant because I was a nurse, I couldn’t be certain.
Damn. I didn’t get his number.
Even if he didn’t come to my party, I was still convinced he was someone I could be friends with. Someone who might be lonely. Maddox, Simeon, and Adam were three men who could relate to that. Maybe I could loop Zahir into my circle.
Lucky woofed.
“Crap. Do you need food? I didn’t think to ask Leo. Oh, does Melodie know?”
I could’ve sworn he rolled his eyes as he dragged me to the house.
The smell of tomato soup hit me when I opened the front door.
Lucky again attempted to drag me. “Hey, cool it.” I glared. “You have to stay calm. I was promised you were a very good dog.”
“He is.” Melodie skipped out from the kitchen. “Nainai said the con…conk…” She wrinkled her nose. “Oh, congee is done. She said we can have the special crackers.”
I smiled at her brave attempt and eventual success, at saying congee. The only special crackers I knew were the imported ones I served at my parties. I grinned. “Sounds perfect. Oh, cra—darn it. I left the coffee mugs in the SUV.”
She unclipped Lucky from his leash.
When he tried to bolt, she said, “No.”
He stopped in his tracks.
“Hey, neat trick.” I eyed the dog.
“Lucky, sit.” She held up her hand.
He plopped onto his butt.
Glad someone has dog-handling skills. “Uh, can you teach me this?”
“Sure.” Her bright-blue eyes shone with obvious glee that she knew more than the adult in the room.
“Okay, I’ll grab the coffee mugs. Does he need to eat?”
Lucky turned his full attention to me.
“Nope.” Melodie stuck her hands on her hips. “A scoop at breakfast and a scoop at dinner.”
“Is he allowed…you know…”
She squinted. “Probably a cracker would be okay. Nainai put a water bowl out for him.”
My mother—always taking care of all creatures in her realm.
“Great. I’ll be right back. Maybe keep him occupied?”
She rolled her eyes.
So much sass. I love it. She’d been through a lot in her short life, but was handling today’s change of plans with aplomb. That earned my respect.
I dashed out to the SUV, grabbed the coffee mugs, rearmed the alarm, then hustled back inside. I removed my boots, shucked off my coat, then headed to the kitchen.
Melodie and Trevor sat on barstools at the kitchen island while Mama stirred some of her amazing tomato soup.
I dumped the undrunk coffee down the drain, rinsed the mugs, then put them into the dishwasher.
Mama glared, Then caught herself and smiled.
“How can I help?” At that moment, I spotted Lucky who’d planted himself at the far end of the island—clearly just ready to eat anything that might accidentally fall.
“Nainai says Lucky can have a cracker if you say it’s okay.” Melodie nudged the package toward me.
“Does he do tricks?” I pulled a cracker from the pack. Nothing fancy—just peppercorn. I considered. “Can he eat this?”
Trevor and Melodie exchanged a look.
I grabbed the package of saltines from the cupboard. “As much as I love your dog, he’s not getting my fancy crackers.” I didn’t give a shit, but better to go for something super plain. I had to trust if the dog had digestive issues, then Melodie would speak up.
“He can sit, lie down, beg, roll over, and play dead.” Melodie stared at him. “When he feels like it.”
Mama snickered. “For food? I suspect Quinton will be able to coax him. Lunch in three minutes.”
I split a cracker in half. “Sit.”
Lucky plopped onto his butt.
I fed him the half cracker. “Lie down.”
No hesitation. Another half cracker.
I grabbed the next one and split it. “Roll over.”
Lucky held my gaze with his super-intense dark-brown eyes.
“Roll over?”
Melodie laughed. “Try saying please. That works.”
“Sometimes.” Trevor said the word with absolute seriousness.
“Uh, please roll over?”
After the longest pause in the history of pauses, Lucky managed to roll over.
I gave him both halves of the cracker and decided to take the win. “Bowls?” I snuck a peek over Mama’s shoulder to the congee.
“Yes. And glasses of milk. Good for bones.”
We didn’t generally drink liquid with our meals. Unless we were having tea. Clearly Mama was taking her lead from the kids. Which I appreciated.
“I like milk.” Trevor fingered the cloth napkin Mama must’ve put before him.
“I do, too.” Melodie grinned. She and Trevor had some facial features in common, but not many.
I couldn’t remember if Leo had said whether they had the same father or not.
All I could recall was their mother giving them up for adoption when Melodie was two and Trevor was just a couple of weeks old.
I couldn’t fathom doing something so profound.
Brave? Selfish? Clearly she believed Leo and Gideon had been better suited to care for her babies. So maybe…selfless?
“Bowls, Quinton.” Mama scowled.
“Right.” I gave her a sheepish grin.
She winked. Then she ladled some congee into each of four bowls. I put the two smaller ones in front of the kids. “Hot, okay?” I considered. “Maybe have some crackers first?”
“Okay.” Melodie snagged the peppercorn and handed Trevor a couple.
She handed me some, apportioned some for Mama, and took her share last. Color me impressed.
Obviously Leo and Gideon had taught her manners.
I wish I knew more about child development.
So I made a mental note to grab a book from the library.
Loriana the librarian would be happy to assist.
And would ask questions.
Better to ask Marnie, the assistant librarian. She was far more discreet.
I gestured for Mama to sit on one of the stools while I stood across from all three who gazed at me eagerly.
Under the scrutiny, I stirred my congee.
Then I took a spoonful skimmed off the top.
I blew on it. Finally, I tasted it. “Oh, Mama.” I pressed a hand against my chest. “The best. The absolute best.”
Melodie giggled.
I reveled in the sound.
“Okay. So sip slowly.” I gestured to the congee.
The two kids followed my lead and ate their congee with the same deliberateness as I did. When we were finished, Trevor had a bit dribbled down his shirt, and there were cracker crumbs everywhere, but everyone appeared in one piece.
My phone buzzed. I yanked it out and checked the screen. Then I met Mama’s gaze.
She cocked her head.
“Vancouver has a mass-event of some kind, the surgeons in New West are performing a heart transplant, and there was a major crash on the highway just outside of Abbotsford.” I pointed to my chest. “Crush.”
“Papa’s going to save a life.” Melodie snagged the last cracker.
Mama grinned. “Who wants to play a game? I kept some from when Quinton was a boy. How about Chutes and Ladders?”
“Don’t know that one.” Melodie grasped Trevor’s bowl and put hers in it, the added the spoons. She pushed it toward me, meeting my gaze. “Will you teach us?”
I smiled. “I’d be happy to.” Before that, though, I shot a text to Leo assuring him we were all fine and to take all the time he needed.
That I had his back. That I’d take care of his family.
I blinked.
Yeah. That.