Ask Me Why(69)

The instructions turn out to be very self-explanatory. We set up an efficient system and get most of the truck complete. The tips of my fingers are sore, but the sense of accomplishment takes the pain away. Ollie’s grin is the greatest gift.

“Wow, we almost finished the whole thing.” He stares at the object with wonder reflecting in his eyes. “Thanks, Miss Braelyn.”

I ruffle his hair. “Thank you for showing me how to play.”

He snickers. “That’s silly. It’s super easy to fit Legos together.”

“Is it? I couldn’t tell.” I smile at him. “You made it so fun.”

“Now what?”

I seek out a clock. It’s a quarter past seven. “Well, it’s time to eat.”

“Yeah, my tummy is talking.”

That gets a laugh from me. “That means you’re running on empty. Better fill you up with some good stuff. Should we check in with your dad?”

Ollie bobs his head. “M’kay.”

I reach for my phone and type out a message.



Me: Will you be home soon? Ollie is getting hungry.



“What do you usually eat on Monday evenings?”

He lifts a slim shoulder. “Whatever. How about grilled cheese?

I nod. “Okay. Hopefully we hear from him.”

Twenty minutes later, and there’s still no response from Brance. Ollie whimpers about his stomach growling. Mine echoes his pangs. I make the executive decision to whip up some sandwiches. Brance can yell at me later.



Me: Making dinner. Should I save you some?



I giggle while imagining him eating a gooey grilled cheese. That’d make up for his delay. His meeting must have run late. We head downstairs, and I settle Ollie at the counter. He doesn’t want to be more than two feet away from me. This kiddo loves attention. And he’s so darn polite. His father could learn a few things about that.

After finding all the needed supplies, I whip up two sandwiches. Ollie holds up the plates so I can drop one on each.

“Squares or triangles?” I poise the knife over his bread.

His button nose wrinkles. “Huh?”

“Do you want me to cut your sandwich in triangles or squares?” I trace the potential lines, showing him what each option is.

“What do you like?”

“I’m a triangle gal.” I slice mine diagonally.

Ollie’s claps and points at his. “Me too. I want mine to match.”

I make it happen with one swipe. He attempts to whistle. The breathy sound is adorable.

“And watch.” I lift both halves and slowly pull them apart. “Look at all the melty goodness in between.”

Ollie parrots my move with seasoned efficiency. Quick learner. He collects all the cheese around a finger and gives me a proud smile.

“Thanks, Miss Braelyn.”

“For what, sweetie?”

“Cooking. Playing. Hanging out. Taking care of me.” He ticks them off on his little hand.

“It’s my pleasure, Ollie. I’m having a blast. Too bad your dad isn’t here.”

He shrugs. “That’s okay. I don’t mind.”

That reminds me to check the time. Brance is almost an hour late. A prickle of concern climbs up my neck, making me shiver. I swallow a bite of my dinner and shove the worry away. But that doesn’t stop me from sending another text.



Me: Hey, me again. Are you all good? Starting to wonder where you are. :)



I add the smiley face for my own sake. There’s no reason to freak out. And I’m not. Brance is just working late. I’m sure this happens often. I look at Ollie for confirmation. He smiles wide. I blow out the weight on my chest.

He rests a chin on an open palm. “Should we play Uno?”

“That sounds great.” I inject extra pizzazz into my tone.

After cleaning up, we settle around the coffee table in the den. Ollie shuffles the cards and deals out seven in two piles. I grab a stack and fan them out in my grip. We drag through three rounds in thirty minutes. Just when he’d be down to one, I’d slap down a draw card. Our back and forth is fairly comedic. Turns out Ollie is quite skilled. He uses strategies I didn’t think of.

After completing his latest victory dance, Ollie flops down beside me. “Should we play again?”

It’s getting late. The sun has almost set. “When’s bedtime?”

Ollie’s expression deflates. “Eight thirty.”

“You little turkey. That was ten minutes ago.” I tickle his sides.

He giggles and collapses onto the carpet. “I was having so much fun.”

“We’ll do this again soon. Don’t fret.” Speaking of, my cell has remained silent. The blank screen mocks me. I do my best to keep my wits intact and not overreact.

Ollie hops up and bounds up the stairs. “I’ll put on my jammies. Then I’ll brush my teeth. We can read books after, ‘kay?”

His voice follows him down the hall. I stretch along the floor with a groan. If only I had his level of energy. My body is draining more by the minute. I shuffle along at a snail’s pace, shackles strapped around my ankles. The possibilities are beginning to swirl like poison in my veins. My cell trembles when I tap out yet another text.