Page 30 of Bone Dust

“Not everybody expects something from you, you know? Sometimes, people do something nice without expectation of payback. They do it just because they want to.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Ian

Savannah exits the car and I follow in her footsteps, keeping with her pace. As we approach the home of Gigi’s caregiver, the door swings open wide, revealing the little girl eagerly waiting inside.

“MOMMA!” The high-pitched squeal cuts through the air like a knife.

“Baby love!” Savannah responds with equal enthusiasm, her arms outstretched for her daughter. Gigi runs into them and melts into her chest.

“I missed you, Momma. You’s late again.”Gigi pouts.

“You’re late, Gigi,” Savannah gently corrects.

“No, I not.”

“I’m not.”

“Yes, you are, Momma. You. Is. Late.”

“You are late.”

“No, I not, Momma!” Gigi stomps her foot in frustration and steels her gaze as she locks eyes with her mother. “You is! You is!”

She buries her face against Savannah’s body, her tiny shoulders shaking with angry tears.

“Gigi …” Savannah’s gentle, coaxing tone is filled with love and understanding. She lifts the girl onto her hip. I spy her quivering bottom lip and it tugs my heart. “Gigi, it’s okay. It’s not important.”

She pushes herself back to see Savannah’s face. “But it is impo-tant. Momma. I wanna be a big gal. I not—don’t—wanna talk like a baby.”

I chime in, the empathetic squeeze inside my ribs compelling me to interject. “Kiddo, I don’t think you talk like a baby at all. You just corrected yourself. Just like a big girl.”

Savannah turns to look at me over her shoulder. “Sorry. Maybe you should’ve waited in the car.”

Gigi wriggles out of her mother’s arms and skips to me. Her bright smile replaces her distress from a moment ago. I can’t help feeling shocked at how quickly she bounces from one emotion to the other and the emotional whiplash leaves me dumbfounded.

She looks up at me with wide eyes, her head falling so far back she reminds me of a Pez dispenser. She takes my hand firmly in hers and, suddenly, I’m putty in her grasp.

“Hi E-ban, you’s not a stwanger no more. I can say hi.”

“I guess I’m not,” I reply, a lopsided grin forming on my face. “How are you, kiddo?” I sneak a look at Savannah, certain my smile has turned into a lopsided grin. “Bet she gets away with a lot, huh?”

“She sure tries, and most of the time, she succeeds.” She glances down at Gigi. “Don’t let that cute little face fool you. There’s definitely a mischievous gremlin hiding inside all that adorableness.”

“You’re doing great as a mom, Savannah.”

“I try.” Defeat creeps into her tone. “But she gets her way a lot.”

Gigi raises her arms toward me. “Pick me up, E-ban!”

I shoot a quick glance at Savannah for permission, and she nods with a small smile.

“Yes, ma’am.” I bend down to lift Gigi into my arms. She’s barely the weight of the buckets of ice I lift at the bar. It dawns on me that I’ve never held a child, but she wiggles in my arms until she fits against me. Savannah’s eyes meet mine and her expression softens.

“She may only be three, but she knows what she wants and how to get it,” she says with a mix of exhaustion and pride. “I just hope I can make it through her teenage years.”

“Excuse me.” As I stand by Savannah, a woman with gentle brown eyes approaches us. Her voice is a melodious blend that sounds somewhere between a purr and a coo. Although she appears older than Savannah, she’s fit and stunning. Cascading down her shoulder are soft curls of copper-colored hair that only adds to her allure. With a warm smile, she extends her hand. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”

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