“You’re taking the kids to the Mall of America, Great Wolf Lodge for a few days. When you get back, you’ll be all moved in, carpet changed out, bathroom done.”
I blinked at him. “I thought the kids were going with Jane. I have to help with the move, I can’t let you guys do it by yourself—”
“Brad and I talked about it,” Benny said. “The kids need to be with you right now. It doesn’t make any sense to separate you. We got you a family suite at the water park. Jane and I will take the dog.”
Brad put a hand on my shoulder. “They’ll have fun. They’ll be distracted. It’s what everyone needs right now. We’ll get your new room set up, make this place feel like home. Benny knows how to put together your computer shit. I know how your room should look. We got it.”
I didn’t even know what to say. “Thank you” was all I could manage.
“Don’t thank us,” Brad said. “Just get the hell out of here.”
CHAPTER 22 EMMA
Justin’s phone rang twice before he picked up. “Emma.”
“Hey, Forehead Kiss Guy.”
“I’m Forehead Kiss Guy now?” he said. There was a smile in there.
“You are around here,” I said. “That’s what everyone on the island calls you.”
“So you’ve been telling everyone. My plan worked, you can’t stop thinking about it.”
“I keep thinking about it because I can’t believe you had the nerve. It used to be that you could break a curse with a guy and he’d keep all his promises.”
“I’m going to keep my promises. I promise.”
He got a laugh out of me.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
I leaned over the railing on the second floor of the mall watching him walk in front of a shoe store with Chelsea. “Nothing. How was it this morning?”
I heard him blow out a breath. “Not great. I’m at the Mall of America with the kids. I have been sent by my best friends and the women who tolerate them, on an all-expense-paid trip while they remodel my new bedroom. We’re staying at the water park across the street until they’re done.”
“Awwww, that’s actually really nice of them.”
“Yeah. I might have to rename my dog after all.”
“Well, I don’t know that you need to go that far.”
He chuckled.
“Hey, would you like to join me?” he asked. “Meet me where I am? Help me forget about my crappy day.”
“At the mall?”
“Yeah. We have one of the world’s largest malls with an indoor amusement park in it. It’s got an aquarium and a mirror maze. One of those giant bean bag places. Every store known to man. There’s one that sells nothing but hot sauce. Mini golf, old-timey photos—”
I gasped. “I love old-timey photos.”
“Great. Come and we’ll take some. We can be pirates. Bring Maddy. She can make me walk the plank.”
“I want to do the 1920s one with the tommy gun and the bag of money,” I said.
“I look great in a fedora.”
I could see him smiling from all the way up here.
“I can promise you chaste forehead kisses and fine dining at Bubba Gump Shrimp…” he said, trying to sell it.
“You know what? Yeah. I think I would like you to chastely kiss my forehead today. I can be there in… fifteen minutes ago?”
I watched him halt to a dead stop and I grinned.
“You’re here?” he asked.
“Jane texted me last week. We’ve been conspiring to cheer you up for quite some time.”
There was a beat of silence.
“Did you just fist pump?” I asked.
Another pause. “How did you know that?”
“You’re getting predictable, Justin. Also, I can see you. Look up.”
He raised his head and beamed. Maddy popped over the railing next to me and waved.
