Page 147 of Insidious Heart
“Nope.”
“I wasn’t doing anything wrong.”
“Not even a little.”
“And today is my first official day. I have a right to be excited and appreciate my surroundings.”
I smile as Pope chuckles. “Exactly. It was kinda nice to see you like that, actually.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” He nods and pushes off the frame. “You’ve been so anxious about starting that I thought you might explode before you had your first kid in here.”
With a giggle, I shake my head then nod. “I was close, I won’t lie about that, but when Paisley came in I forgot about how nervous I was and it was a piece of cake after that.”
Pope watches me get to my feet and grab my bag. “She’s a good kid, they all are, but their stories are rough so it won’t always be that easy.”
“I know.” I hit the lights as he steps into the hall then pull my office closed and lock up. “Paisley nearly broke my heart after the first five minutes but she was so receptive, so eager to talk to me and hear what I had to say. That made it a lot easier.”
“It does. If they’re willing to open up it makes things a hell of a lot easier, and she was excited to haveanother girlto talk to.”
I giggle a little as we walk down the hall toward the back entrance.
Paisley told me that, too.
Pope is one of two counselors here at the center, the only other one being Mrs. Carson who is approximatelyone-hundred-and-fifty-years-oldaccording to all the kids I saw today, and while they all adore Pope Crenshaw, a few of them were excited they finally brought in a female counselor who wasn’t adinosaur.
“You heading to The Dollhouse?” my gigantic escort asks as he locks up the building.
“Yeah.” I nod with a sigh. “Tor was helping Spider and Elias vet the new bouncers so I have to pick him up before we get the boys.”
He gives me another rare smile as we make our way through the parking lot. “Bet that was interesting.”
“Oh, I’m sure it was. He probably scared the shit out of them just by being himself, and I’m sure Spider is ready to strangle him for it.”
“Probably.” Pope opens the door of my shiny new ride—Cal’s truck he also left to me in his will—and chuckles as I try to hoist myself in. “But that’s nothing new. Spider doesn’t dopeoplewell, and guys like Tor or Marbles, even Jackal, they get under his skin quick.”
Which is an incredibly true statement if I’ve ever heard one.
But I like Spider.
I likeallthe Kings and their girls, and I really like the way they’ve not only accepted my ghost, but the way they welcomed my brothers and I into their family too. And every family has at least one black sheep, so Victor driving Spider or Pope crazy is pretty normal.
Even if my amazing boyfriend isnot.
“Are you heading to The Dollhouse?” I arch a brow as I buckle up and start the Dodge. “Or do you have other plans tonight?”
Pope shakes his head. “No plans. I’ll probably swing through the club and see if Spider needs anything before I go home. Got a quick stop to make first, but I’ll be there.” He gives me a knowing look before his entire face takes on a warmth that’s usually reserved only for the kids at the center. “You guys heading out after that?”
My stomach flips at the thought but I nod.
After I get Tor, we’re swinging by John’s to pick up the boys and our bags—and Harvey, Linnie’s cat who wasn’t as spoiled as I thought because he was emaciated and sick, and Victor wasn’t as delirious as I’d assumed when he instructed me to grab him so he’s ours now—then we’re heading to Denver to spend a long weekend with Cal’s parents.
My grandparents.
While we were going through everything from the house and getting ready for Cal and Rochelle’s funeral, I stumbled across the info for aCalvin and Penelope Moreland. I had no idea who they were and for a second I thought maybe my dad had been in love a third time in his life, but King said they were their grandparents they hadn’t seen since Prince was born and I didn’t quite know what to make of it.
Especially when I realized that I needed to notify them about their son.
