“I’m not a bean. I’m a nut.”
“Ah, yes. You’re a Hazelnut,” I say to her, giving her a squeeze as she squeals. I love this kid. She’s a hoot. Smart as a whip and has the best sense of humor.
“Did you see me throw the flowers?” she asks as she situates herself in my lap.
“I did, and you did an excellent job.”
“Thank you,” she says as she beams up at me with the biggest smile.
“Have you met Iris yet?”
“Iris?” she asks as her eyes slide to my side, where Iris is seated.
“Iris, this is my niece Hazelnut, and Hazelnut, this is my girl, Iris.”
“Ooooh,” Hazel sings. “You’re his girlfriend?”
Iris nods. “It’s nice to meet you, Hazelnut.”
“It’s Hazel.”
Iris smiles. “Hazel.”
“Only he calls me Hazelnut.”
“Oh,” Iris says. “I’m sorry.”
“Be nice, Hazel,” I tell her, but I know her well enough to know there’s no malice in her words.
“I mean, I like my name, but I let you call me Hazelnut sometimes, but I really like bean.”
“You move around enough to be one,” I say to her.
“You’re really pretty,” Hazel says to Iris, touching the material of her dress. “He likes you.”
Iris’s eyebrows rise. “You think?”
Hazel nods. “He never brings any other girls around. Just you.”
“How did you get to be so smart?” I ask Hazel.
She peers up at me and, with a straight face, says, “I was born this way.”
Iris covers her mouth to hide her laughter. Damn kid. She’s too much at her tender age. When she gets older, she’s going to be a force to be reckoned with.
Before I can say anything else, Hazel wiggles off my lap and takes off across the room to where Maddy’s standing.
“She’s something else,” Iris says at my side.
“She’s trouble in a few years,” I say, watching her and Maddy giggle about something.
“She’s going to break a lot of hearts,” Iris adds.
“More like she’s going to crush a lot of souls and pulverize a bunch of egos,” I reply, turning my attention back to my date. “So, you want to elope?”
Iris’s eyes go wide. “Now?”
Well, crap. I didn’t mean it like that. Sometimes my mind doesn’t work the way I want it to, and my mouth definitely does its own thing too. Her answer wasn’t a flat-out no, which is kind of nice.
