Page 72 of Whisper of Temptation (Whisper Lake 4)

“Here, let me take her.” Sara began to lift Charlotte out of his arms, but in doing so it woke her up.

“No!” Charlotte groggily protested not fully awake as she tightened her grip on his neck. “No!”

“Go see Mommy, sweetie.” Austin said in a soothing voice.

Trevor stirred when he heard Charlotte getting upset and he asked where Austin was going.

“He has to go talk to his friend,” Sara’s voice was soothing and calm.

Trev looked up at Austin with panic in his eyes. “Are you still taking me down to the lake after breakfast?”

He’d promised Trevor that they’d go collect rocks this morning before the talent show rehearsal. Austin wasn’t sure what to say, he’d promised him but that was before Brielle had shown up.

“I’ll take you,” Sara chirped cheerily.

“No!” Trevor exclaimed. “I want Austin to take me! He promised!”

“Trevor Paul,” Sara spoke in a clipped tone as she worked to pry Charlotte’s arms from around Austin’s neck. He was trying to disentangle himself, but she was like a spider monkey.

He looked at her at a loss of what to do. Trevor was starting to get more worked up, Charlotte was crying, and he’d caused it.

“Just go, we’re fine.” Sara instructed with an assuring smile on her face when she was finally able to tug Charlotte onto her lap. Without waiting for him to respond she bent down and began speaking to Trevor quietly in his ear.

He hated walking away from them. Hated it so much it made him sick to his stomach. But he knew that he had to deal with Brielle. And he also knew that Sara had been right. He should’ve answered the phone.

---