Page 8 of Prospect
"You ready to get back to it for another three hours?" Amy shoves her leftovers in her bag, stands and chucks it into the trash bin nearby. Placing my uneaten food into the paper bag, I roll the top down. Lending a hand, Amy pulls me to my feet.
Sensing my mood has shifted, Amy keeps hold of my hand swinging our arms back and forth between us as we begin to walk back toward the restaurant. "Remember last summer at the fair when you sat on a melted chocolate ice cream cone?" she laughs.
"I looked like I sat in caca, that was not funny," I start laughing along with her, and just like that my best friend makes me smile.
"Yeah, but you didn't let that stop you from having fun," she says making her point loud and clear.
"Thanks, Amy."
"That's what friends are for."
A few hourslater I'm pulling up to the clubhouse. Laughter can be heard coming from the back of the property, and the smells of food cooking on the grill permeates the air around me. The Kings throw parties, mostly family gatherings more than anything almost any chance they get. Besides the brotherhood, the family is the core foundation amongst them all, and to them, I am a part of that.
As I'm reaching in the backseat for the sheet cake Carol helped me bake today; I'm startled. "Hey there, darlin'." Clutching my chest, I spin around. "Shit. Sorry, Sofia, I didn't mean to scare ya. Here, let me grab that cake for you." Quinn lifts the cardboard lid.
"Don’t stick your finger in the frosting," I fuss the moment his finger is about to swipe some of the icing from the corner.
"What kind of cake is this?" Quinn closes the lid.
"Chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream icing."
"My favorite," he says as I walk beside him heading toward the backyard.
Throwing my head back, I laugh. "Every cake is your favorite, Quinn."
"You make it?" he asks.
"Yep," I beam.
"Then today it's my favorite," he gives me his megawatt smile.
Rounding the corner of the building, Breanna Bella's daughter spots me and makes a beeline in my direction. "Sofi, Sofi, Sofi," she giggles as she calls my name. With outstretched arms, I scoop her up.
"Hey, munchkin. You having fun?"
"Yep," Breanna smiles. I adore her. I love all the kids in my big crazy adopted family. Giving my neck a squeeze, Breanna wiggles free wanting to join the other kids again. I scan the yard noticing everyone, but Leah has arrived but to be honest, I'm searching for one person in particular—Sam.
"Sofia," Bella waves catching my attention. Her and the other women are sitting in aderack chairs around the fire-pit. Crossing the lawn, I join them.
"Hey guys," I wave to them, then sink into one of two empty chairs next to Alba.
"You look tired," Alba mentions taking a sip of her drink.
"Yeah. The first day of Party on the Bay festivities," I tell her.
"You know, we were all thinking of signing up for the 5k run. The charity they are giving to is our very own New Hope House," Mila announces.
I lean forward in my seat. "Really?"
"Mhmm," Mila sips her wine. "We've been trying to talk the guys into doing it too."
"How'd that go?" I giggle knowing the outcome a conversation like that would be like. Not that The Kings don't want to give back. Those men do a lot for this community.
Alba laughs. "The only response I got from Gabriel was a grunt." We all laugh with her.
I watch Logan approach walking behind Bella's chair. Tugging on her ponytail, he tips her head back and kisses her. "You ladies need another round of drinks? It looks like you could use some more wood on the fire as well." Turning he shouts across the yard to Quinn. "Hey, Quinn, tell Sam the ladies need drinks."
"You got it," Quinn calls out.
