“She can stay if you’re okay with it,” I tell her.
“Okay, sure,” Jane says quietly.
Emily and I watch her mother cross the yard and head into their house.
“Want to help me carry food out?” I ask Emily.
“Okay,” she says as she slides out of her chair.
We head into the house, and I grab the burgers and brats from the fridge. I give her the package of brats and let her carry it as I grab a spatula from the drawer. When we get back outside, Emily sits back down in her chair with the brats in her lap and looks around.
“What are you looking for?” I ask as I set the plate with burgers down and turn on the grill.
“Do you have any colors?” she asks quietly.
“Colors?”
She nods. “Yeah, for the ground.”
Chalk. She means chalk.
“I don’t. Do you have some at home?”
She shakes her little head as her bottom lip wobbles.
Shit.
I move to her and kneel down. “Hey, don’t cry. It’s okay. How about the next time you come over, I’ll make sure I have some for you to play with, okay?”
As soon as the words leave my mouth, I want to take them back. I have no right to promise this child anything, and who knows, maybe she will never come back here.
That’s a lie. I know for a fact this won’t be the only time I hang out with them, and next time, I’ll make sure to have all the yard toys that they could possibly want.
I mean, I won’t go overboard, but they are kids. Surely they need something to do while the adults talk.
“Promise?” she asks quietly.
“Promise.”
Before I can ask her if there’s anything else that she specifically wants, I hear a door open and close. Turning, I watch as Jane and Tanner walk across our yards, side by side.
“Hey, bud,” I tell him, standing up.
Tanner looks at me with suspicion but nods.
Alrighty then, I guess it’s like that. As much as it stings, I don’t take it personally. The kid has been through a lot, and he doesn’t know me from Adam.
“Who wants a burger and who wants a brat?” I ask.
“Brat,” Emily cheers.
“Good choice.” I wink at the little girl, making her giggle. I turn back to her brother. “Tanner?”
“Brat,” he says quietly.
“Tanner,” Jane hisses.
“Please. Brat, please,” he corrects himself.
