Page 48 of Broken
“Hey, what if I go with Addison?” Sally asked.
“I’d love that,” Addison replied. “But I’m not doing any shopping. Just a quick pick-up.”
“I haven’t made any friends since I moved here, so I’d love a little girl company,” Sally said.
When Addison excused herself into the bathroom, Prescott pulled his brother aside. “You gotta go with her,” he whispered.
“That’s why I told her I’d go with her,” Hawk said.
“You got a weapon?” Prescott asked.
“In the SUV,” Hawk whispered.
Addison exited the bathroom and bumped into Hawk. “I heard you guys. I don’t have my weapon with me.”
Hawk shook his head at her. “Then, you shouldn’t go to the mall, baby.”
“You’ll have yours,” she said.
“You got body armor?” Prescott whispered and they both stared at him.
“No,” Hawk replied.
“I saw Bert get shot between the eyes at close range,” Prescott murmured. “You gotta watch your backs.”
“We got this,” Hawk insisted.
Sally told Ethan she was running to the store. He stopped playing to look at her. “Okay, Mommy. Who will stay with me?”
“I will, buddy.” Prescott sat on the floor next to the child. “Maybe my dad will play with us too.”
As they were leaving, Prescott’s mom called out. “Sally, does Ethan have any food allergies?”
Sally returned to the living room. “None that we know of, but he’s such a picky eater that he doesn’t eat much beyond chicken nuggets and mac-n-cheese. He will eat a PB&J though, so no peanut allergy.” She knelt in front of Ethan. “I love you, honey.”
“Love you, Mommy.”
She kissed his forehead and hurried after Hawk and Addison.
Prescott’s dad let out a groan as he eased onto the floor.
“Dad,” Prescott said, “you’re too young to be making old man sounds.”
His dad laughed as he picked up one of the child’s trucks. “This is a great truck, Ethan. What kind of track are you building?”
“A circle,” the child replied.
“Can I play with you?” his dad asked.
“Okay.”
While they finished building the track, Prescott’s mind wandered to Jacqueline. He wanted to make it up to her, wanted to apologize for derailing her career. During the week, he thought about her numerous times, wondering what she was doing. Would she even return for Hawk and Addison’s wedding, knowing he’d be there?
“I’m firsty, please,” Ethan said.
Prescott collected the sippy cup from the kitchen table. He added juice, then diluted it with water. Returning to the sunroom, he handed it to Ethan.
After sipping, he grimaced. “This is yucky.”
