Page 76 of Summer Heat
She rolled her eyes. "Everyone has crushes."
My mind was racing with questions. Since when did kindergartners have crushes? "School sure has changed from when I was a kid. I'm fairly sure I was still playing in the dirt at your age."
She gave me a look. "That's why you're not married."
A loud guffaw erupted from my throat, and I tried to cover it with a cough because she was so serious about this. "I guess so."
Kinsley stepped out, her eyes narrowed. "What are you two up to out here?"
"Nothing," we both said at once, looking guilty as hell.
Kinsley placed her hands on her hips, looking from Maya to me. "No critters in the house."
I was fairly certain the clarification was for me.
To her credit, Maya rolled her eyes and pulled off a disgusted, "Duh."
Kinsley lowered her gaze to Maya, relaxing her stance. "And don't say duh. It's rude."
"We put the crab back in the sand where he belongs," I said confidently. Whether Maya would sneak him back into the house was another matter entirely. My brothers and I had entire ecosystems under our beds. We'd create habitats in shoeboxes, then promptly forget we were supposed to be keeping the creatures alive.
"I should hope so." Then she lowered her shoulders. "Dinner's ready. I had time to toss a salad too."
"Yay! Salad." Maya ran inside, leaving us alone.
Maya loved eating salads topped with croutons and gobs of ranch dressing. I couldn't blame her for loving that combination.
"You're not corrupting her, are you?" Kinsley asked, her voice amused.
I covered my chest with one palm with an aw-shucks expression. "Why would I do that?"
Her lips quirked. "You had four brothers. I'm sure you got into all kinds of trouble. But Maya can't hide behind any siblings. I'll know if she sneaks a bug into her bedroom."
"First of all, he wasn't a bug."
Now Kinsley rolled her eyes at me.
"And we didn't sneak him anywhere. We placed him in the sand over there."
Kinsley didn't bother to follow my finger where I pointed to the location.
"See that you don't sneak any critters into the house.”
I grabbed her hand before she turned to leave. "I've got your back. You don't have to worry."
She raised a brow. "So you weren't coming up with a plan to convince me to get a pet?"
Guilt slid down my throat. "Not exactly. I told her that some pets require less work than others, and that maybe when you were more settled, you'd be inclined to get a fish."
She winced when I said the word settled.
A line formed between her brows. "I have no idea what it would entail to keep a fish."
I shrugged easily. "I can help you."
Kinsley sighed and turned toward the slider. "The lasagna's getting cold."
I was starving, and I didn't want to eat cold food, so I followed her inside. I should have asked her about her intentions to move, but I wasn't sure I wanted to hear her answer. And I didn't trust myself not to beg her to stay.
