Chapter 12
TWELVE
It’s so cute how Juni has Colin absolutely wrapped around her finger.
Maren watched the unthinkable happening in the safehouse living room. A tea party, complete with Colin as the guest of honor.
Oh, he could say he ‘didn’t do kids’ all he wanted, but at least in Juni’s case, that was an absolute lie.
He sat on the floor at one end of the coffee table, holding a tiny teacup—pinkie extended as instructed and insisted upon by Juni—in one hand, and the saucer in the other.
On a plate in front of him sat several lumps of Play-Doh roughly shaped into cookies and ‘peddy-fours’ as Juni called the little cakes.
He was eyeing them suspiciously, probably hoping she wouldn’t insist he take a bite.
Maren was standing by to intervene if she did.
Though it might be fun to watch him squirm.
Maren bit her bottom lip at the thought.
Beside her on the couch, Mac was squirming. Poor guy. He’d tried so hard—coloring books, the big box of crayons, patient answers to every unicorn question—and now here he was, excluded from the party, like she was.
Mama.
Maren pushed back the memory of Juni calling out for Mira the night before. That was how it should be—Juniper should never forget she’d had a mother who loved her.
As much as I do.
No. More. How could Maren possibly love Juni more than Mira had?
It’s only right.
But it still hurt.
However, seeing Colin totally out of his depth was pretty hilarious.
Mac cleared his throat loudly from the couch.
Juni looked up from pouring invisible tea. “Yes, Mac?”
“I was just wondering,” Mac said, “if there might be room at this fine establishment for one more guest.”
“No,” Juni said, and went back to her pouring.
Mac’s mouth fell open. Colin’s shoulders shook.
“No?” Mac tried again. “Not even if I promise to use my very best manners?”
Juni considered this seriously. She set the teapot down and tilted her head. “Do you know how to hold your pinkie out?”
“I do.” Mac demonstrated from the couch, pinkie extended with great ceremony.
Juni studied him. “Okay. You can sit next to Colin.”
“Thank you kindly.” Mac slid off the couch and folded himself onto the floor beside Colin. Colin handed him a teacup without a word.
Maren tried her best not to laugh out loud at the look of smug victory on Mac’s face, and the still-uncomfortable one on Colin’s.
“Saucer?” Mac asked.
Colin passed him one.
“Cookie?”
“Don’t push it,” Colin muttered.
Maren pressed her hand over her mouth to hold back her laughter, shoulders shaking, eyes tearing up.
Juni poured Mac’s tea with intense concentration. “You have to sip it like this.” She demonstrated, pinkie out, her face very serious.
Mac copied her exactly. “Delicious. Is this Earl Grey?”
“It’s… um, it’s pearl pink, Mac. Gray tea isn’t pretty.”
Maren snorted.
“Ah. My mistake.”
Juni went back to arranging her Play-Doh peddy-fours but the lightness in her expression flickered and went out. She picked up Mr. Kibble from where he sat propped against the sugar bowl and held him against her chest.
Maren straightened on the couch.
“Juni?” Colin’s voice had changed too. Gentler. “You okay, Junebug?”
Juni didn’t answer right away. She looked at the front door, then at the window, then back at Colin.
“You keep places safe,” she stated matter-of-factly.
Maren watched Colin give Mac a look that said Help! I’m out of my depth here. Mac said nothing, just stared back as he raised his teacup to his lips, pinkie out.
Getting no help from that quarter, Colin turned back to Juni. “Yes, Mac and I do.”
“How do you know if a place is safe?” she asked quietly.
Maren’s heart skipped.
Colin set his teacup down carefully. He shifted so he was facing her fully, not just sitting beside her. “That’s a really good question.”
“I had a nightmare,” Juni said.
“I know. I heard you. Do you remember your ma…your Auntie Mer and me coming into your room?”
Maren exhaled sharply.
Mom. He was about to say mom.
Juni shook her head. “What if the bad guys come here?”
Maren felt sick to her stomach.
Colin leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “Juni, I’m going to teach you three things. They’re the same things I use to know if a place is safe. Want to learn them?”
Juni nodded, clutching Mr. Kibble tighter.
“First thing,” Colin said, holding up one finger. “Know your grown-ups. If something feels wrong, you find Auntie Mer, or me, or Mac, or Aunt Arden, or Uncle Kyle, or Jodie. Any of us. We’re your safe people.”
“What about Camo?”
Colin’s eyebrows rose. Mac looked away in sudden discomfort. Maren didn’t know the connection Camo had with Juni’s father yet, but it was a powerful one, obviously. She would have to ask Arden.
“Yes,” Colin said softly. “Camo would keep you very, very safe.”
“What about Pretzel?”
Colin grinned. “Well, Pretzel’s still a pup. He hasn’t gone through his training yet, but after he does, he’d keep you safe, too.”
“Jodie says Pretzel’s going to be in the military like my uncles.”
“That’s the hope, kiddo. Your Uncle Kyle’s trying his best to get all the puppies into a place called Lackland where they’ll grow up to protect soldiers and sailors.”
“And Marines,” Juni said proudly. She looked at Maren. “Sem…sem…”
“Semper fi,” Maren told her.
“Sympathy. Got it.”
A giggle escaped Maren. The guys were hiding smiles, too.
“What else?” Juni asked.
“Second thing.” Colin held up another finger. “Know your exits. That’s a fancy word for doors. When you go into a room, you notice where all the doors are. Not because you’re scared. Just because doors are good things to know about.”
Juni looked around the room. “That’s the front door.” She pointed.
“Yep.”
“And that’s the back door in the kitchen.”
“Right again.”
“And there’s the bedroom doors, and the bathroom doors. And the basement door, but Auntie Mer says I can’t go down there without a grown-up.”
“Good rule.”
Juni pointed at the window. “The window’s not a door.”
“Also correct.”
“Unless you’re a squirrel.”
Colin’s mouth twitched. “Unless…you’re a…squirrel?” He looked at Maren.
Maren chuckled. “I opened the kitchen window back home to scare a stubborn squirrel off the bird feeder, and he decided to jump inside. Scared me to death.”
“That’d scare me too, eh?” Mac said, elbowing Colin in the ribs.
“Same.” He looked at Juni. “But I’d still catch it and get it out of there before it scared you.” He beeped Juni’s nose, then looked for all the world like he’d had no idea he was going to do it.
But when Juni giggled, Maren didn’t think she’d ever seen him look happier.
Not good with kids? He can’t seriously believe that.
Juni’s grip on Mr. Kibble eased a little. “What’s the third thing?”
“Third thing,” Colin said, holding up a third finger. “Use your big voice. If someone you don’t know tries to make you go somewhere and you don’t want to, you yell. Loud as you can. You say, ‘No! You’re not my grown-up!’ Can you say that for me?”
Juni’s eyes went wide. “Right now?”
“Right now.”
She took a breath. “No! You’re not my grown-up!”
“Louder.”
“No! You’re not my grown-up!”
“Even louder. Like you’re scaring that nightmare away again.”
Juni stood up. “No! You’re not my grown-up!”
Mac flinched. “I think the dogs at the kennel heard that one.”
Colin grinned. “Perfect. That’ll do it.”
Juni sat back down, breathing hard. But she was smiling now. “Those are good things to know.”
“They are. And you know what else?”
“What?”
“You already knew some of them. You already know your grown-ups. You already know your exits. You’re already pretty darn smart about being safe. You just needed someone to tell you that you’re doing a good job.”
Juni looked at him for a long moment. Then she set Mr. Kibble down and climbed into Colin’s lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her face against his shoulder.
Colin went very still. His hands hovered for a second, uncertain. Then he put his arms around her and held on. When Juni finally pulled back, she looked Colin right in the eyes. “You’re one of my grown-ups.”
Colin’s voice came out rough. “Yeah, Junebug. I am.”
Juni climbed off his lap and picked up the teapot. “More tea?”
“Sure.”
She poured. Colin took a sip, pinkie out. Juni giggled.
The tea party resumed.
Maren looked at Colin holding that ridiculous teacup, Juni chattering beside him about which Play-Doh treat was a cookie and which was a peddy-four.
Colin, you’re not good with kids. You’re phenomenal. Why do you deny it?
Maybe he just needed someone to tell him that he was doing a good job.
Challenge accepted.