“Yep,” said Jace. “I saw it on TV so it must be true.”
Elliot looked back and forth between Ella and Jace like he'd just found the two most amazing people on the planet. “You guys know a lot about Mars.”
Jace laughed. “And I'm sure you already know about Olympus Mons?”
“It's the biggest volcano in the solar system,” Elliot replied.
Ethan shook his head at the three of them as they sat in the dirt next to the horse sharing space facts. They were so engrossed in their discussion about Mars that they didn't see the little girl and boy approach them.
“Do you need help with your horse?” the girl asked, looking at the two adults and kid not paying any attention to the horse.
“I think they're okay,” he told her. “Do you work here?”
The little girl was probably around Elliot's age with dark red hair tied back in a ponytail. The boy was a couple of years younger. His hair was more brown than red, but they both shared the same bright green eyes.
“I'm the official helper,” the girl told him. She pointed to a sticker on her blue polo shirt with the word “HELPER” printed on it. “So's my brother.”
The boy pointed to a matching sticker on his matching blue polo shirt. They looked very official together.
“The official helper, huh?” Ethan asked. He looked over to see Ella and Jace still doting on Elliot. If they decided to do anything with the horse, he knew they would be fine. They both had experience with horses.
“I'm good with horses,” the girl explained. “Plus, my sister is the barn manager here. I can get her if you need something.”
Ethan's smile paused. “Your sister's the barn manager?”
He looked closer at her. The girl had the same shade of dark red hair. The eyes were the same too. He could practically see what Laura must have looked like as a little girl. He blinked twice before looking up and finding Laura. She was showing a kid how to feed a horse an apple.
Their eyes met and she froze. She stood there, the apple long gone, but with her hand still under the horse's mouth. He quickly looked away and back to the girl and her brother.
He saw that Ella and Jace had Elliot petting the horse now. They were back on track for what they were supposed to be doing.
“I think we're good here,” he said. But, his curiosity got the best of him. “What's your name?”
“I'm Ivy,” the girl replied with a smile. “This is my brother Dallas.”
“It's a pleasure to meet you both,” Ethan said, trying to ignore the tightness in his chest. These were Laura's siblings. The woman he was trying very hard to avoid. “Thank you for your offer of help.”
“Can I pet the dog?” Dallas asked, pointing to the golden retriever puppy sitting patiently off to the side of the arena.
“Um, sure.” Ethan shrugged.
Dallas walked over to the puppy and held out a hand to introduce himself to the dog. Elliot turned from the horse.
“That's Jupiter, like the planet,” Elliot told him.
“Jupiter has a red spot. It's a storm,” Dallas replied, giving the dog a good scratch behind the ears. The two boys grinned at one another, a friendship already forming.
“Do you know if Pluto is a planet?” Jace asked Dallas. Ethan glared at him.
“Pluto isn't a planet. It's a dwarf planet,” Dallas said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Jace laughed. “See? Everyone but you knows!”
Ethan rolled his eyes at him, which just made Jace laugh harder.
“I'm going to go make some very important phone calls. You all stay here talking about planets and which one you're going to do away with next.”
Ethan turned and walked out of the arena with Jace's laughter following behind him.