Page 30 of Score on You

“Yayyyy!” Sydney twirls to show off her ballerina talents.

“We just need to get this little cutie logged in for an hour or two.” Harper points to where their Pomeranian is patiently sitting by the gate. “She’s ready to play.”

“I’ll take care of checking her in,” Stacey smoothly interjects. “Enjoy your lunch.”

“Thank you,” I reply.

Sydney swoops down to pepper her beloved pooch with several kisses. “Be back soon, Glitzy. Don’t miss me too much.”

“She’ll have a blast,” Staceyinsists.

In response, Glitzy yips and begins scratching at the gate.

My boss grants her entry into the small breed room, temporarily flooding the lobby with happy barks. “As for you three, go feed those bellies.”

We wave to her and walk out into the warm spring weather. I tip my face to the sunny sky. “Where to?”

“Bent Pedal is next door.” Harper motions at the building.

My brows shoot to the clouds at her treason. “Isn’t that a direct competitor of Roosters?”

“Yeah, yeah. I thought that once upon a time, but it’s more about supporting our local businesses.”

“I dunno. Feels unfaithful.” My mind immediately goes to an image of Ridge seeing me at another restaurant when I rarely go to his.

“Would you feel better about Bean Me Up? Their patio is open.”

“Oh, yessss!” Sydney bounces on her toes as we start strolling in the direction of the bistro. “They have the bestest ice cream. Maybe Bradley will be there.”

I squint at the unfamiliar name. “Bradley?”

“You’ve met Garrett’s fiancée, right? Grace is Bradley’s nanny and we bumped into them At Bean Me Up once. Now he’s in kindergarten at the same school as this smitten kitten.” Harper rolls her eyes toward the little girl skipping along beside us.

“He’s super cute.” Sydney flutters her lashes to confirm her mother’s claim.

“Don’t even get her started,” my friend murmurs to me from the corner of her mouth. “And if your daddy hears more about this crush, he’s never gonna let you leave the house again.”

Sydney wrinkles her nose. “He’s a fun sponge.”

“What?” I laugh as we arrive at the patio entrance and find a table.

“He soaks up all the fun.” She makes a slurping noise that resembles moisture getting sucked into a hose.

“Oh, I see what you mean. Well, to be fair, you’re very young. Maybe it’s better to wait several more years before you thinkabout boys that way.” I choose the chair that has a view of the lake in the distance.

She parks her little fists on her hips before sitting down. “I’m seven.”

“No way. When did that happen?”

Sydney frowns. “Did you forget my birthday? You were at the party.”

“I would never,” I rush to say. “November twenty-first is a very important date. It should be a holiday.”

Her eyes sparkle. “That’s a fantabulous plan. How do we make a holiday?”

“We just declare it as such.”

Harper claps while Sydney leaps from her seat to perform several impressive dance moves. “Okay, superstar. Let’s fix those hungry pains before this celebrity status goes to your head.”

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