Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
T he playground was nearly empty, which surprised Matt since it was a sunny Sunday morning. Only two other kids were playing—two boys on the large climbing structure, who looked to be a few years older than Daisy. They were screaming their damn heads off while their mother stared at her phone, completely ignoring them.
Glaring at the boys behind his sunglasses, Matt carried Daisy to the opposite end of the play area. “Do you want to swing?”
“Yes!” she squealed.
He set her down and helped her climb onto the swing. “Here,” he said, taking Mr. Slothy from her and shoving half the stuffed animal in his back pocket. “You have to hold on really tight with your good hand, okay?”
He looped her casted right arm around the chain so it was snug in the crook of her elbow. Then he frowned. Shit. This had bad idea written all over it.
With a gentle push, he set the swing in motion. Daisy wobbled and let out a little yelp, and he swore his damn heart stopped. He scooped her out of the swing and had her back on his hip in under a second.
“Sorry, Otter Pop.” He ran a hand over her hair as she clung to him. “Swings aren’t a good idea when you have your arm in a cast, huh?”
“I almost falled down,” she whispered, eyes wide.
He met her bright-blue gaze. “I won’t let you fall.”
“Promise?”
The center of his chest ached, and he rubbed his fist against it. Damn, this kid... “Do you know what a pinky promise is?”
She shook her head.
“Do this,” he said, holding out his pinky.
She imitated him with her left hand.
“Now, a pinky promise is one of the most important promises. Ever.” He hadn’t thought her eyes could grow any wider, but they did. Biting back a smile, he hooked his much larger pinky with hers. “I promise, Otter Pop, that I won’t ever let you fall. Not on my watch. Now we shake.”
Daisy giggled as they shook pinkies. “Pinky promises are funny, Mr. Matty.”
“They are, but they’re also a pretty big deal. And you know what? You can just call me Matt from now on. You don’t need to call me mister.”
“Okay, Matty.”
He couldn’t help his grin. Matty it is.
Pulling Mr. Slothy from his back pocket, he gestured to the playhouse behind the swings. Given the shorter slide and the structure’s lower height, it seemed geared toward smaller kids. “Want to take Mr. Slothy and play over there?”
She nodded, and he handed the stuffy over as he placed her on her feet.
At the playhouse, he stood to the side of the structure. His position provided a visual on Daisy no matter which part she played on. “I’ll be right here, okay?”
Waving, she took off to explore the playhouse with Mr. Slothy.
“Uh, hey. What’s going on, dude?”
Matt glanced to his right and saw Four walking toward him. He lifted his chin in greeting. “How’s it going, Four?” He shifted to face his friend, but he still had Daisy in his sights. “Wait, what the hell are you doing here?”
Four smirked. “I’d like to ask you the same thing. I mean, there I was, driving down the street and minding my own damn business, when I spotted you. At the playground . I’ll ask again, dude. What’s going on?”
Matt motioned toward the playhouse.
Four’s eyes narrowed. “Is that Scarlet’s daughter?”
“Yup.”
“Ahh. Rumor has it they’re staying with you. I didn’t quite believe it, though.”
Matt shrugged. The gossip train in this town was often scary accurate.
Four scanned the playground, then dropped his voice. “I heard about the break-in at Scarlet’s. Are they doing okay?”
“I think it shook Scar more than she’s letting on, but she’s hanging in there. I don’t know if she’s talked much with Daisy about what happened, but the kid hasn’t brought it up. Thankfully, neither of them was hurt.” He ground his molars together as a surge of anger washed over him. “They had to hide out on her fucking balcony.”
Four cursed under his breath. “Man, that’s totally fucked up.”
“Tell me about it.” He had seen the outdoor chair they’d hidden behind. It was fucking tiny. God, he couldn’t imagine what would have happened if the sirens hadn’t scared off that asshole...
“Where’s Scarlet?” Four asked, looking around the play area.
“She’s meeting with Wayland at her place. Figured while Scar was doing that, I’d take the little Otter Pop over here and let her burn off some energy.”
“‘Otter Pop’?” Four laughed, elbowing him in the side. The fucker.
“What? The kid loves Otter Pops.” Matt knew his comeback was lame. But whatever. It was the truth. The nickname fit.
“Sure, bud.” Four snorted. “You keep telling yourself that.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to tell his friend to fuck off—nicely, of course—but Daisy came running up. “Matty, I gotta go potty.”
He froze. “Uhhh...” His gaze swung to Four. Who burst into laughter.
“Don’t look at me, dude,” Four said, holding his hands up. “I know less about kids than you.”
Fuck .
Daisy began hopping from foot to foot, her cute little face scrunched up. “I gotta go bad.”
“All right, let’s go,” he said, scooping her up and scanning the nearby buildings. His eyes landed on Ray’s Diner. “Oh, thank fu?—”
He slammed his mouth shut. Shit, that was close .
Taking her stuffed animal from her hands, he tossed it to his friend. “Four will watch Mr. Slothy while we get you to the bathroom,” he said, striding toward the diner with Four on his heels—laughing like a damn hyena.
Matt burst through the diner’s front door, knowing he looked like a crazy person. “Martha!” He hustled to the older woman. “Daisy has to go to the bathroom. Bad. Can you please take her?”
Setting a dish towel down on an empty table, Martha reached for Daisy.
The little girl shook her head and burrowed into his chest. “No, Matty. You!”
Fuck . He patted her back. “Sorry, Otter Pop, but I’m not allowed to go into the bathroom with you.” Nor did he think it was appropriate. As much as he adored the kid, no way was he helping her in the bathroom without explicit permission and instruction from Scarlet.
Daisy’s lower lip popped out, and panic rushed through him. Shit . “I’m not a lady, sweet girl. I’m not allowed to go into the ladies’ room.”
“But I’m not a lady. I’m just a little girl,” Daisy whined.
He shook his head and tapped her nose. “No, you’re a little lady. Now please go with Martha.”
Heaving out a giant sigh, Daisy turned in his arms and reached for the older woman.
“We’ll be right back,” Martha said in a singsong voice.
Matt grimaced at the shit-eating grin she flashed him on her way to the bathroom.
“Don’t look now,” Four murmured, elbowing him in the side. “Gossip train. Ten o’clock.”
Matt peeked over his friend’s shoulder and bit back a groan. Mrs. Abbot, Mrs. Yoshida, and Mrs. Green—the head honchos of Hudson Island gossip—sat together at a table with their attention glued to him. They all had matching knowing smiles. Damn.
Four held out Daisy’s stuffy. “Mr. Slothy ? Creative.”
The fuck? Matt’s hackles rose, and he snatched the stuffed animal from Four. “Don’t be a dick, man. Daisy’s four , and the name’s fucking cute.”
There were three seconds of absolute silence before Four howled and the women at the nearby table tittered in delight.
“Shit, that was too fucking easy,” Four said, slapping him on the back. He glanced at the women. “You ladies catch all that?”
“We sure did,” Mrs. Yoshida said.
“Oh yes, we did,” Mrs. Abbot chimed in.
Matt swore they had hearts in their damn eyes. Christ .
“Little ears are coming back,” Mrs. Green warned, nodding toward Martha and Daisy. “Watch those mouths of yours, boys.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Four said, suppressing a smirk.
“Yes, ma’am,” Matt echoed.
“Matty, I went potty and washed my hands,” Daisy said, standing in front of him. She raised her arms, and he picked her up.
“Feel better?” he asked, handing her Mr. Slothy.
She nodded, then placed her head on his shoulder. “Matty, I’m hungry.”
He glanced at his watch and frowned. “We just had breakfast not too long ago.”
“I’m hungry.”
Before he could respond, his phone buzzed.
Scarlet
We’re just about done here. Probably another ten minutes or so.
He tapped her name and held his phone to his ear. No way could he text her back while he was carrying Daisy.
“Um, hello?” He could hear the surprise in Scarlet’s voice. Apparently, she wasn’t a phone talker.
“Hey, Scar. Daisy and I are at Ray’s. Daisy’s hungry?—”
“I want Miss Martha’s nuggets, Mama.”
Scarlet chuckled, obviously hearing her daughter. “Why don’t you guys stay put, and I’ll meet you there. I’m almost done here.”
“Daisy and I can come get you at your place, and then we can all come back here for lunch.”
“Matt, you know the diner’s, like, two blocks away, right? Maybe two and a half, if you’re gonna get technical.”
Matt looked around and noticed all eyes staring at him. Everyone was listening to their conversation. He stepped away from the group. “I do. But?—”
“Oh, look at that,” Scarlet interrupted. “Mr. Wayland said he’s heading to the diner, too, so I’ll just walk over with him. When we’re done eating, we can come back here and load up my car. How does that sound, Mr. Overprotective One?”
He pressed his lips together and fought a smile. Smart-ass. “Do you promise he’s walking with you?”
“Yes, I promise, Matt.” She chuckled, and he was pretty damn sure she’d just rolled her eyes.
“Okay, then. See you soon.” Hanging up the phone, he sighed. Four and the ladies were beaming.
What was that saying...? If you can’t beat them, join them ? Yeaaah.
He pointed at the table next to the ladies. “Martha, can we sit there?” He met Four’s gaze. “You eating with us?”
Four barked out a laugh. “Nah, man. I’ve got to get to the restaurant. But it has been a fucking pleasure witnessing these lovely Hudson Island mavens in action.”
“Ahem, young man,” Mrs. Green said, glaring daggers at Four.
He cringed. “Sorry.”
Mrs. Yoshida tsked. “It’s not us you need to worry about.”
“That was a very bad word,” Four said, looking at Daisy. “You shouldn’t say it, sweetie.”
“What word?”
“The f-word I just?—”
Mrs. Abbot smacked him on the head.
“I was only joking,” Four said with a laugh, rubbing the spot she’d hit. “I wasn’t actually going to say it.”
“What’s an f-word?” Daisy asked, head still on Matt’s shoulder.
Covering Daisy’s exposed ear with his hand, Matt mouthed fuck you to his friend, who simply grinned back at him. “Don’t worry about it, Otter Pop. Four was just leaving.”