No Matter What (The Billionaires of Sawgrass #4) - Delaney Cameron Page 0,30

favorite Hulk pajamas brought a smile to her face. ‘Did you remember to turn off the water?’

‘Yes, ma’am.’

She picked up the book lying on the nightstand. They were working their way through the Magic Treehouse series.

He brushed past her and climbed into the bed. ‘When are we going to the candy factory?’

‘You haven’t forgotten about that, have you?’ she asked, arranging the sheet over him. ‘How about we go Sunday?’

He counted on his fingers. ‘That’s three days away. Maybe Mommy and Daddy will be back by then. They could go with us.’

Robin’s fingers tightened around the book. She remembered Reece saying she’d find the right time. Was this it? ‘Owen, darling, sometimes when people go on a trip, things happen that they didn’t expect. Your Mommy and Daddy had an accident on the way home, and they died. When people die, they go to Heaven to live with God.’

He looked at her with troubled eyes. ‘How far away is Heaven? Can I get there in a spaceship?’

Robin cleared her throat. ‘No, sweetheart. Heaven is too far away to be reached by a spaceship.’

‘S-so I can’t go to Heaven and see them?’ he asked in a small voice.

Robin took a deep breath, willing herself not to break down. ‘Not now, you can’t. But you’ll see them again someday.”

‘If it’s too far away for a spaceship, how did Mommy and Daddy get to Heaven?’

‘God sent angels to take them.’

He thought about this for a few seconds. ‘You mean like the angel that sits on top of our Christmas tree?’

‘I’ve never seen a real angel, but I suppose they could look like that.’

His lips began to quiver and tears welled in his eyes. ‘I w-wish Mommy and Daddy hadn’t g-gone on that trip, Aunt Robin.’

Robin drew him into her arms. The tears she could no longer hold in coursed down her cheeks. ‘Me, too, sweetheart. Me, too.’

The sudden ringing of her phone jerked Robin back to the present.

She hoped it wasn’t her pick-up customer calling to say she was running late. Robin had promised Owen a trip to the library. Storytime started in an hour.

Seeing Wade’s name on the screen was a pleasant surprise. His calls had been few and far between.

“Anything wrong?” she asked.

He laughed. “I definitely deserved that. It might seem like the opposite, but you’re never out of my thoughts.”

She smiled at his attempt to get out of the doghouse. “Aren’t you diving today?”

“A squall line moved in just as we were about to leave. It’s supposed to be gone by six, so we should be able to get some work in before dark.”

“I’m sorry your plans got interrupted. Other than that setback, are you getting everything accomplished that you wanted?”

“About seventy percent. We always plan for more than we can actually do. It’s a function of our limited budget and general disregard for reality. The other factor is the age of the equipment we’re using. With the way technology changes all the time, the stuff we bought five years ago is already outdated by today’s standards.”

“Isn’t that where fundraisers come in?”

“You’re catching on. I’m not sure if I mentioned it, but there’s an event next Saturday. It’s at one of the fancy hotels downtown. When you’re trying to schmooze the big boys, you have to do it on their turf and in surroundings where they’re most comfortable. It’s my job to make a speech that will get them to open their wallets. You’ll come with me, won’t you?”

Robin was about to say yes when she remembered Owen. “I’d love to. I just have to check with Kait and make sure she’s free to watch Owen for me.”

“Owen. Right. I forgot about that complication.”

His wording put her on the defensive. “It shouldn’t be a problem, but I do owe Kait the courtesy of checking with her first.”

“No need to explain. I get it. That’s why…well, never mind that now. How are things otherwise?”

“Truly Scrumptious got some exciting news. We were asked to be one of the dessert vendors at the Memorial Day celebration at Jacksonville Pier. The credit for that connection goes to Kait. She came up with the idea of dropping off samples at City Hall back at the first of the year.”

“That’s great.”

Robin heard the chime of the shop door. “Can you hold on a minute, Wade? I need to take care of a customer.”

“Actually, darling, I need to get going. I’ve got a ton of data to analyze.”

“Oh, okay,” she said, trying not to sound disappointed. “Be