Page 113 of Desolation

“Of course, angel.”

“In a chocolate cone.”

“We’ll see.”

She looks over at Landon. “Who are you?”

He smiles at her, that smile that melts my insides, and I swear it does the same to her. “I’m Landon. I’m a friend of your mom.”

“Where did you meet her?”

Landon looks to me and I nod. “I met her when she was working. We have a mutual friend.”

“Mark?”

He nods. “That’s one of them.”

“Mark scares me,” Olivia whispers, her loose brown curls falling in her face.

“Do I scare you?”

She shakes her head and giggles. “You look like a teddy bear.”

I can’t help but laugh at that. Landon is the furthest thing from a teddy bear. Although I know he secretly likes to cuddle.

Olivia scrambles off my lap and stands in front of him. She reaches up her arms like she wants him to pick her up and I am surprised he does. “You have big arms like Mark but his are covered in pictures.” Olivia says as her tiny hands grab Landon’s biceps.

“Good thing I am a teddy bear. And they don’t have pictures drawn on them.”

Olivia giggles and my heart warms at it. This is the first time I have ever seen her open up to a stranger.

“Do you want to go to the beach with us? I can teach you how to build a castle with a moat. That way you can protect the princess. She always needs to be safe. Have you ever been to the beach?”

Landon adjusts her on his lap then leans over and whispers in her ear. “The beach is my favorite place.”

That makes Olivia squeal. “Mine too! I love coming to Abuelita’s. I could spend all day in the sand. I don’t like it at Grandma and Grandpa’s. They don’t have sand. Just horses. And they smell.”

Landon chuckles and I can’t help but laugh too. Even though I feel sad she doesn’t like being at her other grandparents. She never puts up a fight about going unlike other things. I guess I never knew. Maybe that is why she’s been so withdrawn.

“Moooommmmm!” Makayla screams. I flinch because it is the worst piercing noise. Good God, I am scared when she becomes a teenager. “Abuelita says she needs help bringing out breakfast!”

I stand up and grab Landon’s coffee. “More?”

“Sure. I can help.”

I shake my head. “No, you stay. Hopefully she didn’t cook enough for ten.”

I head into the kitchen and see my mom stacking plates on the counter surrounded by at least six breakfast dishes. “You realize there are only five of us? And how the hell did you cook all this in half an hour?”

She props her hand on her hip. “Well, if you spent anytime in the kitchen with me when you were younger you would know!”

“I did help you in the kitchen!”

“You helped. You didn’t learn. Now pick up some of these and take them outside,” she demands.

I roll my eyes at her. She is just as demanding when I was a kid as she is now. If not more so. Her mom was bossier and I think she rubbed off on her.

I make three trips in and out of the house, setting the obnoxious amount of food on the table. Chilaquiles, tamales, enchiladas, eggs, sausage, bacon, hash browns, guacamole, salsa. I know she must have made half of this yesterday afternoon when I took the girls shopping.

---