I blinked rapidly as Pippa’s words sank in. “You really looked into her?”
“I told you I would. I needed to see if I had to employ the kicking her ass clause of the best friend’s agreement.” Pippa laughed at her own joke. “Go see Rodney, or Claire if that’s what you need. Figure this out before Trey starts to believe that you don’t want him.”
Once he started to believe that, he would be out of my life for good.
Chapter 20
Trey
“I made you something Uncle Trey, and it looks like you could really use it.” Keri’s words were far too mature for her age. “Go on, open it.”
I smiled at the handmade red envelope with my name written in cursive across the front. “You made this?”
Keri smiled and puffed her chest out with pride. “It’s girlier than I would usually do, but Belle gave me some tips on improving my penmanship and here we are.” The little girl easily slid into what was now her spot at the table and watched me closely. Too closely.
Inside the envelope was a card with the words, You’re My Favorite Valentine written on the front in block letters colored in red and pink. “Thank you Uncle Trey for coming to get me and making us a family. Hope you find a Valentine your own age too. Love, Keri.” I laughed at the words and placed the card against my chest. “Thanks Keri, I love it. Truly.”
She couldn’t hide her proud smile even though she rolled her eyes at me. “All right, the mush was in the card. Let’s keep it there.”
“You’re so much like Martina that it’s scary.”
“Thank you.” She dug into the big slab of lasagna on her plate and took a giant bite. “Tell me about Paris?”
“It was exhausting, but it’s a great city, so it’s a great place to just walk and see the sights after a long day.”
“Did you see the Eiffel Tower? Did you know the elevator was made by brothers from Chicago?”
I laughed again. “I did, because I took the tour the first time I visited the city, years ago.”
“Versailles?”
I nodded. “Did the tour.”
“Did you eat a real croissant? Was it as buttery as they say?”
“I did, but not until the last day, and it was even butterier than I remembered.”
“Cool.” The reverence in her voice as she said the word drew my gaze to Keri’s face.
“We can go during the summer, if you’d like.”
Keri gasped. “If I’d like? Why wouldn’t I like to visit Paris in summer when all the flowers are in bloom?”
I shrugged, teasing her. “Maybe you’ll miss your friends, or maybe you’re one of those brainiacs who wants to attend summer school.”
Keri rolled her eyes. “No way. If I skip any more grades I will be a certified freak, and I’m not ready for that reality.” She shook her head, once again looking like Martina as a teenager. “Are you and Ms. Berryman boyfriend and girlfriend?”
It took me a second to recover from the whiplash of her abrupt switch in topic, something I was sure will take years to get used to. “I don’t know, kiddo. I want us to be, and I thought we were almost there, but she’s too hung up on our age difference.” I knew things were bad when I was being this honest with a child about my romantic troubles. “No matter what happens between us adults, you will still have them in your lives. I promise.”
“I know that, but you’re happier now. You’re more relaxed, and I think you could actually like it here in Carson Creek.”
“I do like it here.”
“Yeah, you do now, because it’s new and exciting. Or something. But what about in a few months?”
I bit back a growl. What was it with the women in my life thinking I bored so easily? Did I seem so shallow to them? “I’m not going anywhere, Keri. I told you that, and I will show you and tell you every single day until you believe me.”
“I believe you, Uncle Trey.” She smiled through a mouthful of lasagna, and I resisted the urge to tell her to stop talking with her mouth full. “But I would like to see you settled, that’s all.”
“Why? You’re too young to think settling down is the right thing.”
“For you, not for me. I still have the whole world to see, but maybe you won’t miss modeling so much if you have a woman like Mrs. Berryman at your side.”
“I don’t miss it.”
Keri snorted and rolled her eyes. “You jumped real quick at the job in Paris.”
“Like I told you before, it was part of my contract with Mobius. I had to, or they could sue me for the entire amount of the contract. I assume you like living in this house and having clothes?”