“Of course you can. Do you want a spoon?”
“No, I can eat with a fork. I’m five!” Mindy clumsily speared her fork through her pasta and immediately dropped half of it over Riley’s pants before it even reached her mouth.
“I’m so sorry.” Jane beckoned Mindy over. “Come sit next to me, honey. You’re ruining Aunt Riley’s white clothes.”
“It’s okay, it doesn’t matter.” Riley waved it off and laughed when another heap of spaghetti landed in her lap. “You’re doing so well, Mindy. I can’t believe how good you are with your fork.” She kissed the top of Mindy’s head.
Quinn’s heart swelled at seeing Riley’s love for her niece. She could relate to that; she loved Lila and Tommy with all her heart, and she loved spending time with them and spoiling them when their parents weren’t watching.
“If I finish my food, will you come on the swing with me?” Mindy asked Riley.
“Of course! It’s a cool swing, isn’t it?” Riley glanced at the double swing under the biggest willow. “Quinn made it. She’s very good at making things.”
Mindy nodded while she focused on her pasta. “It’s big like my bed.” She looked up at Quinn, then gasped when an idea suddenly hit her. “Can you make a pool?”
“A pool?” Quinn laughed. “It takes a lot of time to build a pool, but we could order one?” she suggested, turning to Riley. “It’s supposed to get warmer this week.”
“Please don’t go to any trouble,” Jane said. “I saw there’s a community pool in town. I can take her—”
“Yes, a pool!” Mindy bounced on Riley’s lap, causing the pasta on her fork to land everywhere, including on her dress and in Riley’s hair. “Can we have a pool? Please?” she begged, drawing out her voice and putting on her most manipulative cute-angel face.
“Oh, boy, here we go…” Jane sighed and shook her head. “You’ll certainly need a dip after dinner, but it will be the bathtub kind, I’m afraid. I think Aunt Riley might need one too.”
Riley chuckled. “It’s all good,” she said. “I’ll tell you what. If you eat all your pasta, we’ll have a look online for pools after.”
What followed was an explosion of excited shrieks before Mindy started stuffing the food into her mouth like her life depended on it. Quinn took a sip of her wine, watched her in bemusement and smiled when she locked eyes with Riley. There was so much more to discover about her, to discover about each other, and so much they hadn’t discussed. Children, for one. Didshewant children? Did Riley? Watching her with Mindy sparked questions as much as it made her crave more, but more of what, she wasn’t quite sure.
64
RILEY
Riley understood what Quinn meant now when she’d described her childhood at Aster House. It was adorable to watch Mindy and Lila play on the lawn. They’d spread out a blanket and were playing “family picnic” with two dolls and a stuffed animal, and they were terribly serious about it, insisting the dolls would eat their vegetables and drink their milk so they’d grow big and strong. Lila kept begging Tommy to be the father, but he refused and told them it was a stupid game.
It wasn’t just Riley who was amused; listening in on them made everyone at the table laugh. She was siting among Quinn’s parents, Mary and Rob, Lindsey, and Jane, who seemed to be having a great time, and of course, there was Quinn by her side. She loved seeing her sister so animated, and the few days she and Mindy had been here had been healing to Riley. The heavy weight of guilt in her gut was slowly subsiding, and she and Jane were getting to know each other all over again. Her sister was kind and surprisingly fun, and Riley wondered why she’d never come to that conclusion before. She’d always seen Jane as a chore; someone she had to keep in contact with because it was the right thing to do. How selfish and foolish.
“Eat your spinach, Britney,” Mindy said, stuffing a few sprigs of grass into the open mouth of one of the dolls. “You can’t leave the table before your plate is empty.”
“She’s been so difficult lately,” Lila said, shaking her head. “I’m having a really hard time with her.”
Mindy nodded and let out a dramatic sigh. “Kids are always difficult at this age, but it will get better. Just give her some time.”
At that, the whole table burst out in floods of laughter. Mindy and Lila were so engrossed in their game they didn’t realize they were the center of attention until Tommy pointed it out.
“Stop talking like Mom and Dad, Lila. You sound like a grandma,” he said, looking up from his video game for a split second.
“Hey, I’m notthatold,” Mary exclaimed, turning to her son.
“And I’m the grandma, but I sure as hell don’t sound like that either,” Quinn’s mother chipped in. She looked at Quinn and narrowed her eyes. “Do I?”
“They must get it from somewhere.” Quinn grinned and held up both hands. “Anyway, I’m staying out of this. I think the burgers are ready, so I’d better go check on them.”
“Avoiding confrontation, huh?” Mary raised a brow at her. “Just like in high school when you never picked sides.”
“Hey, I’m a lover, not a fighter.” Quinn shot Riley a wink as she got up, and Riley followed her to the barbecue by the water’s edge. It was their first purchase together, and Riley loved the big workspace it came with. Already, she knew they were going to get a lot of use out of it.
“Need some help?” she asked, inching close. “I can unwrap the corn and the baked potatoes.”
“Yes, please. I put dishes underneath. You can use those.” Quinn kissed her and put an arm around her as she flipped the burgers and inspected them. “It’s a good day, right?”
