Page 66 of Sweet Thing

Hatch grinned. “She’s got my number.”

My guitar appeared courtesy of my father. It looked a little different. Shinier.

“You got it restrung for me?”

“Sure I did. Oiled, too. You’ve been so busy, stepping up and helping us all out.” He meant Lars, and I didn’t dare look in his direction. “This is the least I could do.”

“Thanks, Dad. I really appreciate it.”

Hatch scooped up a giggling Tilly and set her in his lap on the sofa beside me. “What song do you want, Tilly-Billy?” he asked.

Don’t say it.“Duckman!”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lars turn his head. The faint scent of linseed oil, used to condition the guitar, tickled my nostrils.

“I only have one verse for that one.”

“You wrote a song about Lars?” Aurora asked, eying me over her martini glass. Hatch was staring, too, so I busied myself with finding a guitar pick in my pocket.

“Just a throwaway ditty. A couple of lines because Tilly issoobsessed.” Unable to avoid him any longer, I made a face at Lars to make it clear the obsession was Tilly’s and Tilly’s alone.

His raspy chuckle poured water and sunlight on the withering roots of my crush.

“I want the Duckman song!”

“Okay, you got it.” Tilly lay her head against Hatch’s chest, waiting patiently for me to start. “Remember it’s theTwinkle Twinkle Little Startune.”

I strummed a C chord, enjoying the resonant sound produced by the new strings.

“Duckman, Duckman, on the ice … Skating faster than the … mice.” Everyone chuckled at that.

“With your silly beard so …”

“Thick,” Tilly chimed in.

“How you move about so …”

My clever girl had no problem recalling the rhyme. “Quick!”

I didn’t dare look at Lars, lest he think songs about his beard and speed might be further evidence of my why-won’t-you-die-already crush.

“Duckmaaaan …”

I strummed and waited until Tilly joined in, “Duckmaaaan!”

“On the ice,” I continued. “Skating faster than the …”

I sustained that final C chord, until Tilly and the rest of the room yelled, “Mice!”

We all exploded in laughter, but of course I was interested in only one person’s reaction.

Which was why I avoided looking at him and instead launched into a song about Eggsbee’s farts.

ChapterEighteen

Adeline

One last checkin the mirror, though I wasn’t sure what good it would do. I looked tired, but that was the lot of the nanny.

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