Karim stopped mid-whine and stared at him wide-eyed, as if trying to decide whether to cry or cheer up.
Dan couldn’t help but grin at him.He looked so small.“How about a high five?”
The kid managed a smile and smacked his little palm against Dan’s, and then with a dramatic half-whine, half-cry, he buried his face against Libby’s legs, as if he’d just remembered he should be in a bad mood.
Libby pulled a despairing face.“Sorry we took so long,” she said.“Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.”She hoisted the grumbling child onto her hip.“And now even the sky’s the wrong color for you, isn’t it, honey?”She swiped at her forehead with the back of her free hand.Dark circles shadowed her eyes.“I didn’t get much sleep last night, either.”
Yeah, he could tell, but he kept that to himself and asked, “How come?”
“I was working.I had a deadline.”She told him about an article she’d had to write for a parenting magazine.No wonder she looked shattered.
“I didn’t realize you had work,” Dan said.“I shouldn’t have stayed so long last night.Libby, I—”
Karim whined again and thrashed around on Libby’s hip.
“You want to walk again?”she asked.
Karim shook his head and moaned, just like his sisters’ kids did when something had crawled up their backsides.Libby puffed out her cheeks and, with her free hand, pulled out a tub from the bottom of the stroller.“Here.Have some mango?”
Karim shook his head like she’d offered him a lump of mud.
“That figures that you don’t like them now that we’ve got a ton in the fridge.”
“Here, let me take him.”Dan stretched out his hands.
“Oh, no, that’s okay.”
“Let me help, Libby.”He patted his shoulders.“Come up here, kid.You’ll be up high.You can touch the leaves of the trees as we walk.”
Contemplating the offer, Karim gave him that wide-eyed stare again, but Dan didn’t wait for his answer.He took him from Libby’s arms.
“No, Dan, he—” But when the kid let out a little laugh, Libby gave Dan the same wide-eyed stare.“He doesn’t usually go with other people,” she said, frowning.“He can get heavy.Is the extra weight all right for you?Your leg…”
“He’s fine.”The dull ache was only a little worse, so Dan ignored the extra pressure on his hips.“I’ve run with sandbags heavier than him.”Karim’s giggles were worth the discomfort, anyway.Then, glancing at Libby, he added, “You’re not used to people helping you out, are you?”
“No, I guess not.”She wiped her brow again, then massaged her neck.“We haven’t had any help since we left my friend Rick’s place in London.”
Libby had mentioned this guy Rick before, but now Dan’s interest piqued.“Are you two involved?”
“Me and Rick?”Libby choked.“Oh, goodness, no.Not at all.He’s good-looking, if you like tattoos and blue hair.”
“Blue…?”
“Yeah, you heard.Blue hair.”
“Is he a Smurf?”
Libby giggled.“He’s shaved it off now, but when we lived with him earlier this year, the blue hair was his ‘thing’ for one of his channels.”She flicked her own hair.“That’s why I made it my thing too when he inspired me to start up my own.It not only makes you stand out on a thumbnail but also gives off funky vibes—if that’s the kind of crowd you’re trying to attract.”
“He certainly sounds funky.”
“But if you ever see his videos, don’t be fooled by the redneck persona,” she said.“Rick is a very shrewd businessman and one of the best investigative journalists out there.He’s—”
Someone jumped out of the bushes.“Hello there!”It was the colonel.
“Henry!”Dan held Karim’s hands tighter and stepped closer to Libby, who’d yanked the stroller as if she’d been about to chuck it at the old man in defense.“You nearly gave us a heart attack.”
“Gosh, I’m sorry, old chap.”Henry guffawed.“I was hacking back bushes when I heard voices.”His eyes were fixed on Libby as he spoke—or rather, Libby’s chest.But she was laughing now, one hand on Karim’s leg, as if to tell him everything was all right, and the other spread above her left breast, as if to calm her thumping heart.“Hello there, young lady.”
