Page 43 of Endless Love

“YAY! I’m starving!” shouted my niece. “And I love hot dogs with mustard and ketchup!”

A big smile beamed on Willow’s face while my sister frowned.

“Since when do you eat hot dogs, young lady?” she asked her daughter.

“Marta buys them for me all the time from the hot dog man in the park.”

Marta was their nanny. Mimi and Beth exchanged what-the-fuck looks while Willow waltzed up to us.

“And, sweetie, I also made you chocolate milk.”

“Wow!! I love chocolate milk. My mommies never let me have it.”

My strict as hell sister shot me a guilty as charged look. Holding back a laugh, I introduced Willow to everyone.

“Guys, this is…” I paused, not quite sure what to call Willow before continuing. “… my new friend, Willow.” I then introduced her to my sister, Beth, and Violet.

“You’re SO pretty!” gushed my niece. “Like a Disney princess.”

Thanking her for the compliment, Willow blushed, but indeed she was as beautiful as any princess. In fact, that was an understatement. She was exquisite with her fine-featured porcelain-skinned face and her riotous red hair that was held back with a headband. My eyes stayed on her lithe, fuckable body as she set the platter down on my dining table. A few moments later we all sat down to eat. To my relief, conversation flowed, and though my sister was asking Willow lots of questions, the kickass trial lawyer that she was, the mood was relaxed. And my stunning companion was handling the interrogation well.

“So, Willow, what do you do?” asked my sister.

Willow set down her sandwich. “I’m a dancer.”

“You mean like Angelina Ballerina?” asked wide-eyed Violet.

Willow smiled. “Yes, I’m a ballerina, but I’m not a mouse.”

My niece burst out into laughter. Her laughter was contagious and we all followed suit.

Calming down, Violet sipped her chocolate milk through a straw and then said, “When I grow up, I want to be a ballerina just like you.”

“We’ll see about that.” My sister rolled her eyes. Knowing my ambitious sister, she probably had plans for Violet to become come President of the United States. I silently laughed. How ironic that my lesbian sister would give birth to the girliest of girls. My mother’s genes must have slipped in there somewhere.

A connection, however, was forming between my niece and Willow. Chatty Violet fired one question after another at Willow, who answered every one.

“Willow, can you teach me how to do ballet?”

Willow winked at her. “If you eat your whole hot dog and finish your milk, I think I can do that.”

“YAY!” Eagerly, my niece took a couple of big bites of her hot dog, finishing it, and then depleted her milk. My sister glanced down at her watch.

“Ryan, our flight departs at four o’clock. We need to leave soon.”

Beth offered to help Willow clean up. My niece, already so attached to Willow, tagged along, leaving my sister and me alone.

“I really like her,” began my sister, wasting no time to give her opinion of Willow.

I smiled with relief. I valued my sister’s opinions, and it wasn’t easy for her to approve of someone.

“Where does she dance? Is she part of a company?”

“She was.”

“Which one?”

“Some company in Latvia.

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