you Jennifer?”
“Yes,” I answered, studying her strange eyes. They looked Asian in shape, but they were a wild mix of yellow and green. And who ever heard of an Asian red-head? With curly hair? “But I don’t know who you are.”
“I’m Darcy,” she said, clearly annoyed at my thick-headedness. She rolled her eyes when I continued to look perplexed and said slowly, as if I spoke another language, “Darcy Cass .” She took a deft step past me, pushing me aside to make room for herself while she looked around. “Where’s Sarah?”
“In the shower. Did she know you were coming? Are you here alone?” I stuck my head back out the front door and scanned the street and yard looking for an adult. Nobody.
She walked past me and flopped on to the couch, her short legs sticking straight out in front of her. “I always come,” Darcy said. She looked at me curiously and I returned the stare. “Nathan said you weren’t pretty,” she said flatly.
Her words had the force of a physical blow, but I managed to hide the shaking in my voice. “You know Nathan?”
“He’s my brother,” she said the entire sentence in the exact voice that a person would say “Duh!” I didn’t like this kid any more than I liked her brother.
“But I think you’re pretty,” she said, giving me her first smile, complete with two dimples that reminded me of Cleo.
Okay, a little better. “Thank you.” The shower turned off and I breathed a sigh of relief. I could go get Sarah and let her deal with the little one. Then realizing this might be my last minute alone with the girl I spun around and said quietly, “Your brother said I wasn’t pretty?” She nodded with glee. “Why would he just say that?”
Darcy bobbed her legs up and down against the cushions and said, “Because Claude kept asking about you and kept asking if you were pretty and he said ‘knock it off. Shut up. No.’ And he said that you were scared of crabs.” Her words rushed out without pause and my face went red.
“I’m not afraid of crabs.” I whispered vehemently. “Who’s Claude?”
“My biggest sister.” Darcy smiled, enjoying the question game.
“Your big sister asked about me?” None of this made sense yet.
“No. My biggest sister. Hester is my big sister and Claude is my biggest sister.”
“How many of you are there?” I asked. Are you all this rude?
“Four,” we answered simultaneously, because I suddenly remembered Sarah saying she cooked for her friend with four children. That made Darcy giggle and I couldn’t resist smiling back. Manners completely aside, I’d rarely seen a more adorable child, despite having taught swimming lessons to hundreds of kids in the Optimist Club for two years.
Before Darcy could say anything else, Sarah appeared in her robe. “I thought I heard you, Darcy,” she said as Darcy sprang up to hug her. “Are you being good?” Sarah asked in a doubtful tone.
Hardly.
“Yep,” Darcy said in a sing song voice.
“That’s good, and I would love to play, but Jennifer and I are going out now. You can visit until I’m dressed, but that’s all today.”
Sarah gave me a sympathetic look and hurried back to her room. Darcy turned her pout on me and I muddled through the next ten minutes asking her age, (five), her favorite game, (red rover), her favorite animal, (hedgehog), and her favorite color, (pink … or heliotrope). Just as I was about to ask what color heliotrope is, Sarah’s door swung open and she saw my puzzled expression. With a slight groan she put her hands on Darcy’s shoulders and steered her forward. “We are going now, dear. I’ll see you later.”
“Where are you going?” she demanded, her strange eyes pulled together with worry.
“Lots of places. Town. The ferry. The island. Maybe the lighthouse. Lunch, dinner. Who knows,” Sarah said as she swept through the room, retrieving her keys from the coffee table and her purse from the floor. She stopped, looked me over to
“Yes,” I answered, studying her strange eyes. They looked Asian in shape, but they were a wild mix of yellow and green. And who ever heard of an Asian red-head? With curly hair? “But I don’t know who you are.”
“I’m Darcy,” she said, clearly annoyed at my thick-headedness. She rolled her eyes when I continued to look perplexed and said slowly, as if I spoke another language, “Darcy Cass .” She took a deft step past me, pushing me aside to make room for herself while she looked around. “Where’s Sarah?”
“In the shower. Did she know you were coming? Are you here alone?” I stuck my head back out the front door and scanned the street and yard looking for an adult. Nobody.
She walked past me and flopped on to the couch, her short legs sticking straight out in front of her. “I always come,” Darcy said. She looked at me curiously and I returned the stare. “Nathan said you weren’t pretty,” she said flatly.
Her words had the force of a physical blow, but I managed to hide the shaking in my voice. “You know Nathan?”
“He’s my brother,” she said the entire sentence in the exact voice that a person would say “Duh!” I didn’t like this kid any more than I liked her brother.
“But I think you’re pretty,” she said, giving me her first smile, complete with two dimples that reminded me of Cleo.
Okay, a little better. “Thank you.” The shower turned off and I breathed a sigh of relief. I could go get Sarah and let her deal with the little one. Then realizing this might be my last minute alone with the girl I spun around and said quietly, “Your brother said I wasn’t pretty?” She nodded with glee. “Why would he just say that?”
Darcy bobbed her legs up and down against the cushions and said, “Because Claude kept asking about you and kept asking if you were pretty and he said ‘knock it off. Shut up. No.’ And he said that you were scared of crabs.” Her words rushed out without pause and my face went red.
“I’m not afraid of crabs.” I whispered vehemently. “Who’s Claude?”
“My biggest sister.” Darcy smiled, enjoying the question game.
“Your big sister asked about me?” None of this made sense yet.
“No. My biggest sister. Hester is my big sister and Claude is my biggest sister.”
“How many of you are there?” I asked. Are you all this rude?
“Four,” we answered simultaneously, because I suddenly remembered Sarah saying she cooked for her friend with four children. That made Darcy giggle and I couldn’t resist smiling back. Manners completely aside, I’d rarely seen a more adorable child, despite having taught swimming lessons to hundreds of kids in the Optimist Club for two years.
Before Darcy could say anything else, Sarah appeared in her robe. “I thought I heard you, Darcy,” she said as Darcy sprang up to hug her. “Are you being good?” Sarah asked in a doubtful tone.
Hardly.
“Yep,” Darcy said in a sing song voice.
“That’s good, and I would love to play, but Jennifer and I are going out now. You can visit until I’m dressed, but that’s all today.”
Sarah gave me a sympathetic look and hurried back to her room. Darcy turned her pout on me and I muddled through the next ten minutes asking her age, (five), her favorite game, (red rover), her favorite animal, (hedgehog), and her favorite color, (pink … or heliotrope). Just as I was about to ask what color heliotrope is, Sarah’s door swung open and she saw my puzzled expression. With a slight groan she put her hands on Darcy’s shoulders and steered her forward. “We are going now, dear. I’ll see you later.”
“Where are you going?” she demanded, her strange eyes pulled together with worry.
“Lots of places. Town. The ferry. The island. Maybe the lighthouse. Lunch, dinner. Who knows,” Sarah said as she swept through the room, retrieving her keys from the coffee table and her purse from the floor. She stopped, looked me over to
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