Forever Curves - Piper Sullivan Page 0,30

her.

Nothing. Nada.

Not a damn thing.

“I’m hungry.” Mariana’s soft voice sounded behind me and pulled me from thoughts of Brenna and I looked behind me to find familiar brown eyes staring up at me. She spoke so infrequently that I wasn’t used to the sound of her voice, mostly because she only spoke when she needed something she couldn’t get for herself. Otherwise, she stayed in her room. Alone.

Shutting me out.

I turned completely to face her and dropped to my haunches so that we were eye to eye. “What do you want to eat?”

She shrugged. “I dunno. Breakfast.”

That wasn’t exactly helpful but I suppose you couldn’t say something like that to a little kid. “I usually eat toast with a cup of coffee, Mariana, so what do you normally eat for breakfast?” I didn’t think Bread Box was the ideal breakfast for a growing child, and that was what I had when toast and coffee just wouldn’t cut it.

Her pink lips parted into a mischievous smile. “Eggs and waffles and bacon!”

“I think there are eggs in the fridge?” My culinary skills would allow me to scramble them or make’em sunny side up but that was it. “How does that sound?”

Mariana shrugged but I didn’t miss the disappointed droop to her shoulders. “Fine.”

She was too young to know the power that word had when wielded by a woman, but I felt her disappointment viscerally. “All right, let’s get some breakfast in your belly.”

She flashed a small smile that did nothing to minimize her dissatisfaction before she turned and climbed into a chair at the kitchen table and stared off into space. Utterly silent.

The doorbell sounded and as much as it shamed me, I took the out it gave me with a satisfied sigh. On the other side of the door was Miles and Shannon, wearing matching, worried smiles. “Hey guys. What are you doing here?”

Shannon took a hesitant step forward and scanned the hall with a smile. We just came to check on you guys, to see how you were settling in?”

“Are you asking me if that’s why you came?”

“No,” she sighed and shook her head. “I insisted we come to check on you guys. So, how’s it going?”

I took a step back and waved Miles inside. “Honestly? Not good. I’m pretty sure she hates me and doesn’t trust me as far as she can throw me.” It was like pulling teeth to get her to even acknowledge and when she did, it was as if Mariana was scared of me for some reason. I was half tempted to call Luna and demand she admit all the horrible shit she’d said about me.

Shannon nodded around a sigh, rubbing her belly and lost in thought. “She needs time, Grant. I know you’re used to your charm working on every female from age zero to ninety-nine but this isn’t the same. She’s lost her mother and her godmother, it’s a lot of change for kid. She needs you to be kind and patient and loving. Most of all, she just needs you to be there. Always there.”

“I am.” That was about the only thing I was good at, showing up and being there. The rest would take some time. And plenty of effort.

“Good.” She gave my chest a pat and gifted me with a wide, warm smile. “I brought brunch.”

“You are the best, Shannon!” I pulled her into a hug, ignoring the disapproving groan from Miles. “What did you bring?”

“Let’s find Mariana and see.”

Giggles sounded from the kitchen, a sound that surprised me but not as much as finding the little girl wearing a bright smile as she chatted on the phone. On. The. Phone. “You gonna come over?”

Shannon smiled and turned to me. “She’s already making friends? That’s good.”

I shrugged. “If so, it’s news to me. We haven’t been anywhere other than your party and a big box store since she got here. Maybe it’s Luna.”

“Interesting.” Miles stroked his chin, smiling as if Mariana’s smile was contagious.

“Okay,” she said and bopped her head from side to side. “I won’t forget. Mmm-hmm, I promise.” She nodded even though the person on the other end of the call couldn’t see her. “Bye Brenna. See you soon, right?”

Brenna? The same Brenna who basically ghosted me since the party this past weekend? I figured she vanished because of Mariana but here she was, chatting like they were old friends. Which meant it was me. Right? I looked back at Shannon who wore an equally shocked expression. Miles