Page 58 of Patio Lanterns

“He took up space in my head for a long time, so I suppose he’ll always have a place in my hall of fame as my first crush. And to be honest, when I saw him for the first time after all these years, my heart did skip a little. But I’m pretty sure that was just an old reflex,” she said. “So, how do I feel about him now? I love him as a friend, or maybe like a cousin once removed.”

Rick mustered a half smile. “A cousin?”

“Which is not remotely how I feel about you,” she admitted. “I may have come here looking for a fantasy, but what I found instead is oh, so much better. Because this time, it’s real.”

Her words rang happily in his heart, and he drew her to him, placing a soft, lingering kiss on her lips. “Stay the night with me. Please?”

She bit the corner of her lip. “Are you sure?”

“It’s late. Everyone at your place is long asleep,” Rick said. “If you and Mutt go back now, you’ll probably wake the baby, and that’ll really piss off Lark.”

She nodded. “Okay, I’ll stay, but I’ve really got to head back first thing. I have to change before I work at the store in the morning.”

“Then I’ll set the alarm for six,” he said. “Five, if you want to bring another one of those condoms upstairs with us.”

20

Robin

A pinky-peach sunrise shimmered across the calm lake in pastel ripples, making for a dreamy, tranquil start to the day. Robin hiked back up the hill to the Blue Canoe with Mutt hop-limping beside her, this time on his leash to make sure he didn’t detour back to the dead fish or whatever other putrid junk he’d find to roll around in.

She was still amazed how Rick managed to turn things around. He was handed a last-minute disaster and somehow made it into a date night to remember. He really was sweet, that was the only word for it. The way he pitched in with Mutt, the way he made sure that they were both fed, cozy, and taken care of. In every way. Truth be told, she was glad he invited them to stay the night, even though it had been much harder leaving his bed than it had been the time before.

She waited as Mutt took care of his business, making a mental note of where she had to scoop the poop later, then stealthily ascended the front steps one by one. “Shhh… be quiet, everyone’s still asleep.”

Slyly, she slid the spare key into the lock. Opening and closing the squeaky front door as quietly as possible, Robin tiptoed inside, treading lightly so as to not make a single creak or crack as she crept across the wood floor.

“Where the hell have you been?”

“Oh, motherfucking fuck!” Robin jumped, her heart in her throat. She spun around to find Miss Scarlet, in the kitchen, with the candlestick—or, looking almost as likely to commit homicide—Lark, arms folded tightly, with a scowl that could kill.

“Well?” Lark asked.

“Well, what?” Robin snapped.

Lark shook her head. “Robin Jane Pelletier. It’s twenty after six in the morning. Are you seriously just getting in?”

“I took Mutt out for a walk, okay?”

“Uh-huh. You expect me to believe that you woke up at the crack of dawn to walk your dog. The same dog that mysteriously went missing last night?”

“Yeah, that’s right,” Robin sniffed.

“Well then, maybe you could explain why your freaking shirt’s on inside out.”

Robin looked down. Shit. Serves me right for getting dressed while still cum-dumb at dawn. “I just threw it on, went out, and now I’m back. End of story.”

“Where were you really?” Lark huffed. “You came back last night, then raced out again with a change of clothes but no explanation. Were you at a party? Did you hook up with some rando? Are you on drugs? Are you high right now?”

“Fucking wish I was,” Robin grumbled under her breath. She pulled a mug down from the cupboard and poured herself a coffee. “Can we please save the interrogation until after I’ve had my coffee and Cheerios?”

“It must be nice to live life without a care in the world. No rules. No responsibilities. No fucks given.”

“Oh my God, Lark, get off my back already. Is your perfect life so dull that you have nothing better to do than pick apart mine?”

“My life is not perfect, believe me,” Lark said. “And stop trying to change the subject. Where were you last night?”

“None of your damn business.” Robin slurped the high-octane black coffee. It tasted godawful bitter, but Lark was blocking the fridge, and she didn’t want to have to ask her to pass the half and half. “Who died and made you Mom, anyway?”

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