Page 82 of A Very Un-Shakespeare Romance
Lily glanced over at Billie as she pulled out her phone. His face looked set in stone now, and she wondered whether there was anything to do. If he wanted to see Sheila again, he could ask her, right? Interfering didn’t seem like a good way to kick off her new relationship with the O’Connor clan. Also, just because Billie looked jealous didn’t mean he wanted to date her partner. Everyone knew his reputation.
“Agent Petris is going to be here in thirty minutes,” she said after reading his text.
“I’ll tell Tim and Reagan they need to get changed and ready for our road trip,” Billie practically growled, shoving his hands in his pockets and striding off.
“Ignore him.” Robbie jerked his head in his brother’s direction. “He’ll get his head on straight. I know he’s not happy we’re splitting up.”
She laid her hand on his arm. “Neither are you. You look like you tossed and turned all night after you left me.” They’d agreed it was better for him to continue sleeping in the O’Connor house, which meant no sleepovers.
He shrugged. “I missed you. We haven’t woken up together yet.”
She leaned a little closer to him, aware they were in a public space. “You have a standing invite to sleep over at my apartment back in Boston.”
His eyes narrowed. “I’m in love with you, and I don’t even know where you live.”
She’d suspected how he felt about her, but hearing the words made her heart zing. “I’m in love with you too, but I know whereyoulive,” she joked.
“I’m glad we’re in agreement on how we feel, but I still don’t—”
Oh, he was so serious suddenly. “So, we have a lot of details to share. Like the fact that I live alone and don’t have pets. Near Harvard. Kidding!”
He didn’t laugh.
“Come on. That was funny.”
“Robbie!” Reagan cried.
They turned to see the little girl running toward them, covered in sand, her ruffled purple swimsuit still wet in spots from her surfing attempt earlier with her uncles’ help.
“Billie says we need to get ready to go.” She arrived with repressed tears in her eyes. “But I really don’t want to leave Mommy and you here. Why can’t you come with us?”
Lily’s heart broke for the little girl. Since Tara had arrived, Reagan had been practically glued to her side, while Cassidy had preferred to be held more. Even Miss Purrfect hadn’t been far away, either weaving figure eights around Tara’s legs or resting beside her feet. She glanced over at Robbie, whose face seemed to get harder before he crouched down to his little cousin’s level.
Cupping her slender arms gently, he said, “Because I have to stay here and help your mom fix some of the things your daddy did with our little play. Remember how she told you that last night?”
She nodded fiercely, biting her lip. Lily admired Tara for being as honest as she could with the two girls about why things were the way they were. She knew some parents just wanted to gloss over things and tell their kids everything was fine, but they always sensed it when something was wrong. She’d felt that way at Reagan’s age.
She hoped Reagan and Cassidy would only remember this short trip as a blip on the screen away from their mother, not knowing until they were much older, perhaps, how dangerous things had been. Of course, losing their father was likely to be a continued reality, and Lily hoped she could find some way to help soften that now that she was in Robbie’s life.
“Your mom will be back with you tomorrow night, okay?” He tipped her chin up. “Billie and Tim will make sure you and Cassidy have a ball until then, along with Lily’s work friend, who’s going to be with you guys.”
“It won’t be the same without you,” Reagan whispered softly, and Lily laid her hand on Robbie’s shoulder. If she had a ball of emotion lodged in her throat now, she couldn’t imagine what he must feel.
This little girl was losing her protector, the one who’d been there from the beginning of this misadventure. Separating from him would be like ripping off a Band-Aid. But Robbie had been resolute in his desire to stay in the Outer Banks and be on-site when the Kellys sent their men for Tara. She’d given him the option, even though she’d already known what his choice would be.
“I’ll be with you soon enough.” A smile flickered on his face. “But I need to stay here with Lily and Sheila until you guys can go back to Boston. It’ll only be for a little while longer.”
Reagan lowered her head again, studying her sandy feet.
Tim arrived with Billie, holding the red bucket and shovel. They shared the same grim expression as Robbie, but then Tim shook himself and stuck the bucket on his head.
“What ho!” he cried in his fake British accent, spitting sand out of his mouth as the dregs rained down on his face. “What doth thou think of my new hat? Does it suit me? Or is it missing a feather?”
Reagan slowly raised her head, but her young face was pale and strained. “You don’t have to cheer me up, Tim. Mom says it’s okay for me to be sad sometimes.”
The men all seemed to jerk as if they’d been electrocuted by her honesty. Time for Lily to step in. She lowered herself to a knee. “She’s right, and I’d be sad and a little scared if I were in your shoes—even though you aren’t wearing any.”
That had her mouth tipping up. “I know what you mean. Mom says you have to walk in someone’s shoes sometimes to understand them.”
