“I want four dickers,” her niece says.
“How about two?” Goldie says.
“Four.”
“We have to leave some stickers for the other birthday girls and boys.”
“I da birfday girl.”
“Honorarily since I’ll miss your real birthday next month. And you share your birthday with approximately twenty million other people. So if you have two birthdays this year, does that mean you technically share it with forty million other people?”
Ah, that mulish look.
I recognize that mulish look.
The kid’s father wears it all the bloody time.
“I want a doggie,” Hallie says.
“I’ll buy them,” I say. I grab a random romance novel off the nearest shelf and step up next to Goldie. “This and ten stickers, please. Birthday girl’s choice.”
Heh.
That’ll piss off Silas.
And Goldie’s giving me a look that says she’s aware of exactly where my brain is, and she agrees.
Look at that.
I’m smiling again.
“So are you two real, or is this a PR move?” Ingrid says while she tears a bunch of stickers off and passes them to the kid.
“I’mleaving the countryin nine days,” Goldie says.
I sling an arm around her while her niece tries to take advantage of being on the stool to reach up and pet Sweet Pea again. “To go to my adopted second country.”
Ingrid’s entire face appears to be battling a smile. “Silas must love this. Considering how much he adores you dating in general…”
“Best news he’s had all year,” Goldie replies perkily. “If he comes in, will you tell him you caught us making out in the storage closet and had to break us apart with one of your yodeling pickles or something?”
Ingrid stares at her, goes beet red, and then stutters out a quick, “Of course,” before ringing up the zombie kid books that the birthday girl apparently picked out.
“I got this.” I hip-check Goldie out of the way and open the credit card app on my phone. “Put my book and stickers on it too.”
“I can pay for Hallie’s birthday presents myself,” Goldie says.
“I do a good deed a day. This is today’s. Can’t argue or you fu—screw up my karma.”
I don’t believe in karma.
Goldie knows it. You can tell by the look she’s giving me.
“If he’s buying…” Ingrid murmurs with a grin.
“I’mmovingand I already need a second storage unit for all of my books. I don’t need anything else, regardless of who’s paying.”
I grab three chocolate bars that are in a little display on the counter. “Add these. They’re consumable. You like chocolate, Hallie?”
