Page 100 of Let's Kiss and Tell

“Her parents have excellent taste,” I say.

“Did you losetwoteeth?” Marsh adjusts Sadie in his arms, getting a better look at her.

“Mhm.” Her face brightens as she shows her missing two front teeth. “Uncle Marsh told me that the tooth fairy steals my teeth because she doesn’t have a home.”

I look at him. “What?!”

“She’s bending the truth a little bit,” he says.

“Are you Uncle Marsh’s new girlfriend?” Sadie asks, and Marsh and I look at each other.

“Yes, Sadie.” Marsh puts her down. “Are you very perceptive or did you already know that?”

“Mom and Dad said it this morning.” Sadie smiles and then Quinn gives us an awkward shrug. “I don’t know what percentage means.”

“Perceptive,” Marsh corrects her. “It means you have a hunch for things.”

“Like a detective?” Sadie’s eyes widen.

“Exactly.”

“All right, let’s get you two out of the foyer.” Quinn walks us over to the patio with a white jumping castle filled with yellow balls on one side and a cotton candy and ice-cream making station on the other. Sadie goes straight for the jumping castle. “Make yourselves comfortable. I’m going to grab some lemonade.”

“Thanks, Quinn,” Marsh says and then turns to me when she’s out of sight. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good,” I say truthfully. “You?”

Marsh gives me a quick but reassuring kiss on the top of my head as we grab seats on the patio. A man who looks very similar in build to Marsh, except he has a beard and a tattoo sleeve on one arm, walks through the doors.

“Hey, guys!” Oliver says.

“Hey, Ollie, this is Lucy.” Marsh gestures to me.

“Lucy!” Oliver comes over and gives me the biggest bear hug. “Nice to meet you. Thanks for coming all the way here.”

“Oh, it’s my pleasure.” I wave a hand. “Thank you for letting me be a part of this day.”

“Are you kidding? I just wish we were meeting over a nice dinner in the city instead of here where twenty kids are going to be screaming their lungs out.”

“This is great,” I say, laughing, “and your home is gorgeous. Quinn was saying how the two of you designed it?”

“Yeah.” He squeezes the back of his neck. “It turned out okay.”

“Stop trying to be modest,” Marsh says. “It doesn’t look good on you.”

“All right.” Oliver puts both of his hands up. “I love my house and I’m damn proud of it.”

“There you go.” I start clapping, and Oliver and Marsh laugh.

“So, Lucy, are you from California?”

“Yeah, born and raised about an hour north of LA,” I say as Quinn comes over with a pitcher of lemonade and four glasses.

“Nice,” Oliver says. “And you write forThe Rue,right?”

“I do, yeah.”

“I loveThe Rue.” Quinn takes a seat next to Oliver, and Marsh starts pouring us all glasses of lemonade. “That’s so cool.”