Page 131 of Tell Me It’s Right

“She needed to go!” my dad yells. “If she can’t handle a single six-year-old, we’re better off!”

“It wasn’t her fault!”

“Liam!” Casey jumps up when he sees me. He lunges in for a hug, then practically collapses in my arms until I’m the onlything holding him up. His little face is bright red and puffy like the crying has been going on for a good long while now.

“Hey, bud,” I say.

Christine and my dad stop, apparently just noticing me.

“Finally,” Dad mutters, then turns and heads into the house without another word.

Christine is practically vibrating with anger, but she takes a deep breath before turning to me with a small smile. “Thankyou. I’m so sorry?—”

“Don’t mention it. I was already done with clients for the day anyway.”

She flicks her wrist and rubs her eyes. “He fired Casey’s nanny this morning, and I couldn’t get a hold of anyone else, and—” She glances at Casey, her face falling, and lowers her voice. “You really seem to be the only one he wants around right now anyway. I don’t think this will take longer than an hour…”

I wave her off. “Don’t worry about it. We can find something to do. Right, Case?”

She nods a few too many times and shoves her blond hair behind her ears. Now that I’m looking at it, I realize how messy and tangled it is, how wrinkled her dress is, how dark the bags beneath her eyes are. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her like this.

“Thank you, Liam.” She squeezes my shoulder and turns for the door. “I’ll text you when we’re done?”

“No!” Casey latches on to her leg before she can go inside, big, fat tears streaming down his cheeks. “Don’t leave. Please.”

Christine sighs and crouches down to his level. “I won’t be gone long, I promise. You’re just going to hang out with Liam for a little bit. Doesn’t that sound like fun? Then you and I can do whatever you want for the rest of the day.”

He sniffles but still doesn’t let go of her leg. “You promise?”

She gives him a serious nod. “I promise.”

“How about the arcade, Case?” I offer. “What do you think?”

That gets a smile out of him.

The door opens, and a woman in a crisp black suit steps one foot onto the porch. “Christine.” She glances at her watch. “We really need to get started.”

“I’m coming!” After giving Casey a quick hug, Christine stands and dusts her hands off on her dress. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear her eyes looked a little misty too.

“Go on.” I grab Casey’s hand. “We’re good here.”

Casey tucks himself against my leg and waves goodbye to his mom.

She gives him a watery smile before steeling herself with a breath and heading inside.

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to pry Casey off this motorcycle. I have no idea if this game has an age limit—his little feet can’t reach the footrests, and I had to pick him up to help him get on it—but he’s somehow still kicking my ass.

We don’t talk for the first game, or the second, but I wait for him to come to me. It pays off because after the third race when I suggest taking a break to get some water ice, we camp out on the bench outside the arcade, and he turns to me.

“Dad made Nanny Dina leave.”

“Did you like her?”

He nods, tears welling up in his eyes again. “She was the best at playing dinosaurs. She got in trouble because I was hiding and she couldn’t find me. I didn’t mean to get her in trouble. They were just yelling a lot, and I don’t like it when they yell.”

I sigh and wrap my arm around his shoulders. “I know. It’s not your fault, Casey. Dad shouldn’t have done that.”

“But he’s a grown-up.”

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