Page 118 of The Oscar Escape
The child rubbed his arm gingerly. “You lost it.”
“I’m tired, Ives. We’ve done a lot of driving. We got into Denver last night, and now we’re on the road again.”
“Maybe you need to see Aria. You probably miss her a lot.”
“I do,” he answered, telling the truth—a rarity these days.
“She sent us VIP tickets for her concert tonight. Mommy showed them to me.” The child peered at the clock on his truck’s console. “We have to be back in Denver so Tula and I can get our nails painted and match our outfits. She’s been wearing her hotdog costume everywhere she goes. I told her there was no way I was dressing up like a hotdog, but she likes walking around looking like food. Did you know Sebastian wore a hotdog costume to make Phoebe happy?”
“Yeah, I saw the clip online.” That got the hint of a smile out of him. He wanted nothing but the best for his friends. But as quickly as his anguish lifted, it returned. He and Aria were supposed to be a match like Pheebs and Sebby. He knew this in his heart. Had his lies and deceit set them on a different course? Had his actions quashed the nanny-love-match magic that connected the people he loved most?
“When I did a video chat with Tula before we left, she said people are saying that Aria’s close to hitting double platinum. Is that why she’s working so hard? Is that what she wants?”
“More than anything.” He couldn’t hide the bitterness in his tone.
“Why don’t you want that for her, Ozzy Bear?”
This kid was too smart for her own good.
“It’s not that easy to explain,” he lied.
“Tula also said that people want to know where her bodyguard is. They call him the knight in hooded armor.”
“Aria has a lot of security. You’ve met Malik. He’s in charge and has a whole team.”
“This security guy wasn’t Malik. He was special,” Ivy answered.
“How do you know?”
“Tula said that a body language expert online said he cares about Aria. Like really cares about her.” The little girl leaned toward him. “You wear hoodies.”
This was not the time to come clean to his sister about being the knight in hooded armor.
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Lots of people wear hoodies, Ives.”
“Did something happen with Aria? Were you a butthole douche nozzle?” she whispered.
“Ivy!” he exclaimed.
“I had to say it,” she fired back. “I can’t foot-tap talk because you’re driving. So, were you a butthole douche nozzle?”
“Ives, Aria has to work. What’s happening between us is a complicated grown-up thing.”
“Do you love Aria?”
He could feel Ivy’s expectant gaze burning into the side of his face. “I do.”
“What’s complicated about love?”
How the hell was he supposed to answer? Luckily, he didn’t have to address that land mine of a question.
Ivy perked up and waved her lobster out the window. “Look! Daddy got here before us. He’s on the porch with somebody.”
Oscar pulled up beside his dad’s SUV and cut the ignition. Early this morning, his father had mentioned wanting to drive down to Telluride to be there when the sale was finalized. He didn’t need to come. Inez could run the show. Still, he couldn’t deny feeling relieved knowing his dad would be with him. The man had purchased the house for his mom. They’d had a rocky relationship, but this cabin was the start of their choice to work together to co-parent. Perhaps his father wanted to say his final goodbyes to the place. Not to mention, this was where his father came up with the Signature Charlotte sandwich—a sandwich that sparked his charity and helped win Charlotte back after he’d fallen on his hothead ways and had almost lost her.
The nanny-love-match magic had once worked its mysterious ways here.
A flicker of hope ignited in Oscar’s chest. Could the Telluride cabin jumpstart what he and Aria had?
