Page 51 of Wild Love

Marigold's eyes lit up. "Are you serious?"

I hopped off the stage. "You have me intrigued. I love this old theater. Brings back a lot of memories."

"We used to come here as kids," Chance said as we walked out.

"Every year for the holiday show," I added once we were on the sidewalk.

Chance dipped his chin slightly. "You loved it."

I hadn’t wanted to be interested in anything back then. It was a persona I bought on in front of my parents. "Hmm. Pretty sure I pretended I didn't."

Chance wrapped an arm around me. "I could tell."

I poked him in the rib. "You couldn't."

He pulled back to look at me. "You loved the shows."

"Humph," I said as I pushed away from him. "I'm starving."

Marigold was watching us with great interest.

"You two stay out of trouble," Chance called after me.

When he was out of sight, I said, "He's ridiculous."

Marigold hooked her arm through mine. "That's sweet that he remembered how much you liked the shows."

He always saw me when my parents didn't. They wanted me to be more like him, studious and quiet, whereas I was the exact opposite. "He's still a pain in my ass."

Marigold laughed. "I'd love to have a big brother to watch over me."

She was an only child, and her parents worked a ton. I knewshe was lonely, so I invited her over to my place as often as I could. "How are your parents?"

"You know them. Still working hard." Her voice was deceptively light.

My forehead creased. "No plan to retire?"

She shook her head. "Not anytime soon."

"That sucks."

Marigold glanced over at me. "They made their choices, right?"

"I suppose so." It had to hurt that they didn't take much time out of their schedule to sign her up for activities, much less drive her to anything.

"It's their loss. I've tried to tell them, but they're happy doing what they do."

"What if you get married and have kids? You think they'll be more involved then?"

"I don't see that happening," Marigold said a little too brightly. "I wouldn't get my hopes up."

"You're smart, gorgeous, and fun."

"Not sure about the fun part. Maybe when you're around."

I frowned. "Who says you're not fun?"

She scoffed. "Just about everyone."

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