Page 10 of Prospect Year

The grounds were filled with kids running and laughing. A large, inflated house bounced and swayed near the clubhouse. Picnic tables were filled with dishes and toys and anything the holiday deemed fit to have on hand.

“Yeah, it’s the fourth. Family day. All day,” Lola explained. “Didn’t they have family days at your club?”

Amber laughed. “Not a chance.” Then she snapped. “And not my club.”

“Come on in,” he told her, pushing open the double doors.

“What ya got?” a tiny voice asked from behind Lola as they placed the purchases onto the bar.

“Well,” he said as he turned, scooping up Kingsley, giving her a better view, “we have fireworks for tonight.”

“For me too?” Her tiny eyes grew large in hopeful excitement.

“Sure do,” he told her.

“Woo hoo!” She squeezed his neck, then ran back outside the instant her feet touched the floor again.

“That’s sweet,” Amber commented.

“Don’t let that one fool you.” King’s old lady laughed. “She has too much of her daddy in her. Hi, I’m Avery.”

“Hey. I’m Amber.”

“Amber, you can come out and join us if you like.”

Amber glanced toward Lola.

He gave a nod before she accepted the invitation following Avery outside.

“Well, well. You did snatch up one of London’s ladies,” King joked, walking through the doors clearly relieved by the coolness of the building.

“Oh, no.” Lola laughed, shaking his head. “We can barely stand to be in the same room.”

“Yet here you are together,” King snickered. “Look at Mac and Lorelei. Someone would think they were out to kill each other. Better watch out.”

Lola pushed out a breath. “Truth is, I drug her along because I know nothing about what kids like. Or what they can do. Not enough to shop for them.”

“Good thinking.” King slapped Lola’s back as he moved past him and toward the bedroom he shared with his family when they stayed the night. “We need to remedy that. Time for you to babysit.”

Lola froze, staring at the now closed door. Could this get any worse? Thinking about it, he could say he had technically babysat for Ghost and Maeve to go to lunch. But in truth, Mia did everything, and he was only there as support. He didn’t know how long he stood there. Surely, it felt longer than it actually had been when Brew passed in front of him, snapping his fingers.

“Must be a doozy for you to space out,” Brew commented, as he continued around the long bar. Pulling a case of water from underneath the counter, he turned back toward Lola.

“No way babysitting is a prospect job,” Lola stated.

“Anything is a prospect job. I did it. I got lucky though. Mine was at night during a necessary evil. They slept right through.” He handed the water to Lola and pulled out another. “Let’s get those ice chests filled.”

With that deed done, they joined the group. The day went on, the children played, and the old ladies chatted, relaxing together as they kept an eye on things. The men played with the kids, entertained themselves, and kept the day interesting. Eventually, Lola found himself sitting on a picnic table next to Amber, watching the kids and dads’ race.

“The old ladies here are pretty cool,” Amber told him. “No one has been rude or told me to leave. No snide comments.”

“Why couldn’t you leave before now?” he asked, still watching the races.

Amber hesitated so long that he decided she didn’t want to discuss it. So instead, he asked, “What are you going to school for?”

“My HiSET.”

“What’s that?”