Page 98 of Pin-up Girl

Adam sat next to him. “What’s the one thing you take with you when you run?”

Sylvie looked between the men, shook her head, and walked away.

“What did we say?” Adam asked.

Deacon lightly smacked Adam on the back of the head. “She knows the giant robots will save us.”

The exchange made me smile, but Sylvie’s response had me worried. Was it a mistake to invite her?

“She could have said no if she didn’t want to come.” There was Brodie in my head again.

I expected her to leave. To keep walking to the edge of the park and back to her motel room. Instead, she headed toward Elaina. Sylvie muttered something I couldn’t hear, and Elaina smiled and nodded and patted the seat next to her.

Sylvie took a seat, and kept her gaze directed at Evie and the kids, as they played with Kurt’s plane.

It wasn’t as though I thought she was more likely to talk to me in front of all our friends than she had been before, in private, and it was good to see her out. I wouldn’t yank her back to sit with us.

“Aubrey.” Alys waved the frisbee at us, from where she and Onyx were playing. “Come on. Bring your toys.”

“We’re not really a secret, are we?” Brodie asked softly.

I shook my head. I should’ve known my friends would pick up on all of this.

“I’m in,” Clint shouted to Alys.

“I’m just going to watch,” I said.

Brodie chuckled.

Clint climbed to his feet. “And I’ll mention to them that Dee…”

Didn’t know yet that her dad was dating two people. Though, she was observant and probably had a good idea, even if she hadn’t put words to it.

Brodie and I settled back on the blanket, me leaning against him, as we watched the friendly chaos around us. Each time the conversation drifted toward us, one or both of us would chime in, until whoever it was moved on again.

“Sorry you left?” My question to Brodie was light.

He laughed.

“What?” I didn’t get the joke.

“Clint asked me almost exactly the same thing.”

“What did you tell him?”

“Same thing I’ll tell you,” Brodie said. “No. I’m not sorry I left.” Before I could react, he added, “But I’m also glad I came back.”

I leaned more weight against him. The relationship that people thought was real that was supposed to be fake that was real… that was confusing, but being with him, talking like this, felt good. “I’m glad you came back, too.”

Joystick and Sebastian had joined the frisbee game, and when Joystick threw the disc, it flew right over Sebastian’s head.

The entire group groaned, and Onyx teased Joystick about the bad shot.

The toy landed at Sylvie’s feet, and that awkward silence was back.

“Toss it back,” Sebastian shouted.

Or maybe I’d imagined the quiet. Sylvie did exactly that, and the game resumed.

---