Page 87 of 5 Golden Flings

Lifting the lid of the box she had kicked, he let out a whistle. “Looks like some old kitchen appliances.” He winced. “No wonder that hurt.”

She had to laugh but quickly said as he moved to the next box, “Maybe we shouldn’t go through her stuff.”

“It may not be hers. Who knows?” He grinned at her. “Besides, I’m bored.”

A couple of boxes over, he said, “Some baby stuff. It has to be someone else’s, because Maria didn’t have any girls.”

Brynn peeked over his shoulder to see some pictures of a baby girl with a head full of blonde curls in a long nightgown-like dress.

“Oh...that’s me.”

He glanced at her with a grin. “Really?”

The unexpected emotion of seeing some of her baby treasures only allowed her to nod. She brushed her fingers over a hand-crocheted pink and white blanket and a few framed photos. “I didn’t even know this was here. The only thing I have from that time is my birth certificate and Rocky.”

She glanced up to find him watching her so intently that it sparked a moment of panic. All her life she’d blended into the background, but Colby seemed to truly see her.

“Who’s that?” he asked.

She half smiled. “It’s a stuffed dragon that my father gave me for my fifth birthday.” That she’d told her secrets and fears to. Hugged when she was afraid. Fell asleep with every night.

Her only link to the past after they’d run across the entire country to find safety.

As if to give her some privacy for her emotions, he moved on to the next box. “Oh yeah! Some comic books. Not my favorite genre, but this might help pass some time. And look, some playing cards.” He held them up. “Do you know any games?”

She shook off her emotions as she replaced the lid on the baby box.

“Do I? My father and I played all kinds of games when he was sick, but poker and rummy were his favorite. I also deal a mean deck of solitaire.”

“Same,” he said with a grin.

Getting into the spirit of things, they looked through several other boxes, some of which Brynn vaguely remembered as her family’s and some not at all.

Raising the lid of the trunk, Colby started digging through the clothes. He lifted an adult-sized pair of sweatpants from the pile. “Yes, sir!”

“That’s odd. Maria wasn’t married when she lived here.”

Colby kept digging. “You obviously never met Maria’s boys. They towered over her five-foot-three frame before they even entered high school. Might be a little short but it will be nice not to have to wear the same clothes for however long this lasts.”

Brynn was a little worried—the idea of being stuck here with Colby for days on end wasn’t carrying quite the same punch as it had before.

Peeking into another box, Colby yelled, “Jackpot!”

“What is it?” She leaned over to look inside.

He held up a tangled strand of lights. “Christmas decorations.”

“I seriously doubt those work,” she said with a shake of her head. Who knew how long they’d been up here.

“We shall see. We’re two days from Christmas. Can’t have the house naked of decorations!” He gathered up a couple of boxes of the decorations and headed for the stairs. “I’ll come back for the comics.”

As he carefully maneuvered down the ladder, Brynn took a quick look around. Definitely not what she’d come up here for, but she’d have to find a way to do a more thorough search of the walls. At least this would keep him occupied. Maybe he wouldn’t be so hungry if he had something to do.

And she could keep her mind off all the other thingsshewas getting hungry for.

CHAPTER 8

Colby could seehis enthusiasm was rubbing off on Brynn, even if she didn’t want to admit it. He carried the oversized box into the living room and set it in the middle of the coffee table. Then he returned to the kitchen for the Christmas tree ornament.

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