Page 113 of Fun Together
Florence comes rushing into the kitchen, her poofy green dress twirling around her.
“Flo, no running in the house,” Emmett chides.
“Sorry,” she says. “I’m playing hide and seek with Pebbles.”
“Pebbles is surprisingly good at hide and seek,” Eli says.
“She’d probably like to stay hidden to keep you from trying to ride her like a horse,” Emmett says. “You have to stop doing that.”
She jerks a thumb at Eli. “Eli said she’s my trusty steed!”
Everyone looks at Eli for an explanation as to why he’d allow a child to ride a dog like a horse, but he just shrugs and steals a carrot from the veggie tray. “Sue me for enriching the kid’s imagination.”
Florence pulls at my hand. “Faye, will you help me find her?”
I squat down so that I’m at eye level with her. “Where was the last place you saw her?”
Eli removes his apron and tosses it over a bar stool. “I’ll help too.”
Florence leads us outside to the front porch. “There. By that chair.” She points to one of the white rocking chairs.
Eli slowly marches around the chair and mimics the action of bringing a magnifying glass up to his eye.
Florence giggles. “What are you doing?”
“Looking for clues. Aha!” He points to the corner of the porch. “Paw prints.”
Florence gasps and rushes over to take a look. “Those aren’t paw prints. That’s just dirt.”
Eli smiles over at me. “Guess I need to get my eyes checked.” He looks around some more, continuing the pretend detective game. “Hey, Flo. Maybe she went into the backyard. Go find your grandpa and we’ll meet you there.”
“Good idea!” She jogs around the side of the house, leaving Eli and I on the porch.
He comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. “How are you doing so far?”
I turn my head slightly, feeling the scratch of his stubble against my face. “Surprisingly good.”
He nuzzles my neck. “Surprisingly?”
I shake my head but can’t keep from smiling and leaning into him for a split second before extricating myself. I turn to face him. “I’m a little nervous, but loosening up. How are you?”
He seems confused that I’d ask. “Me? I’m great.”
“Food’s almost ready!” Evie shouts from the side of the house.
“I like this dress, too,” he says, running his hands over my sides before squeezing my waist. “It’s the same color as your eyes.”
I give him a quick kiss. “We should head back.”
Eli places a hand at my back and guides me down the path to the backyard. I feel him messing with the line of bows that run down the back of my dress. “Don’t mess with the bows!”
“I like them. This is like a present I can unwrap later.”
“I’m serious!” I swat his hands away, unable to stop giggling at his playfulness. We’re still laughing together as we round the corner and step through the gate into the backyard.
And the first person I see is Andrew, standing there watching us.
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