Page 138 of Down Knot Out
Quinn doesn’t answer.
Mrs. Reynolds steps forward, producing a round pig from the battered tote bag she carries.
Quinn releases Sprinkles to step closer and take it. “It’s cute. Thank you.”
“It snorts when you squeeze it,” Sadie says.
Quinn dutifully hugs the toy, and a loud snort breaks the tension. Quinn giggles, and Sprinkles comes over to nose the toy until she throws it into the grass for the dog.
With awoof, he bounds down the stairs to grab it, and more snorts fill the air.
Sadie’s hand hovers near Quinn, uncertain, then falls back to her lap. “How have you been, kiddo?”
“I love it here. I’m a member of Uncle Blake’s pack.” She turns desperate eyes on me. “He said so.”
"Yes, you are," I reassure her.
“I understand,” Sadie says, and the ball ofdread in my gut starts to loosen. “They take good care of you?”
“The best.” Quinn’s shoes scuff the porch, the rubber soles leaving twin marks on the boards. “Are you still sick?”
Sadie’s throat works. “Yeah, I am. I’m trying to get better, but this kind of sickness isn’t one that gets cured and goes away. It’s something I’ll need to work on for the rest of my life.”
Quinn looks at me with uncertainty.
“She’s doing the work to heal,” I say. “That’s why she’s here.”
Quinn’s mouth pulls sideways. “Are you going to leave again?”
Sadie shrinks, shoulders folding inward. “I don’t want to. But it’s…complicated.”
Quinn stares at her, the silence thick enough to choke on. Finally, she says, “Okay. I’m going to play with Sprinkles now.”
Turning away from her mother, Quinn runs down the steps to grab the pig from Sprinkles and runs around the patch of grass with it, the large Newfoundland chasing her.
Sadie rises with a wince, dusts off her knees, and blinks hard at the yard. I want to reach for her, to offer some bridge across the gulf, but I don’t trust myself to not make it worse.
Chloe rises from her chair. “The walk up from the docks is steep. Would you like some lemonade?”
Sadie stares at her for a moment before she responds. “That would be lovely. Thank you.”
As Chloe ducks inside, Sadie turns to me in question.
“That’s our Omega, Chloe.” Warmth blooms inside me. “She just joined our pack.”
“She’s pretty.” Sadie’s hand flutters to her braid, fingering the split ends. “Does she get along with Quinn?”
“She does.” I gesture to the tables. “Let’s take a seat where we can keep an eye on Quinn.”
Sadie walks over to join me, while Mrs. Reynolds goes to a different table to give us privacy. Not that we’re alone with my entire pack within hearing distance.
Chloe returns with a pitcher of lemonade, and Holden steps out with a tray loaded with items.
He sets glasses on the table and plops down a covered basket at the center.
Chloe fills the glasses, her hands shaking a little. “There’s banana bread, too. Quinn helped.”
Quinn doesn’t look back from playing with Sprinkles, but her shoulders tense. “Mom hates bananas.”
