“Fuck youandthe horse you rode in on,” Fitz said in a sour tone
Jude snorted and began to laugh. Ronan wanted to join in, but Fitz hadn’t answered his question. “It’s obvious you’re upset about something and as your friend, I’d like to help.”
“Help?” Fitz bellowed. “This is allyourfault.” He pointed an angry finger in Ronan’s direction, nearly poking Jude in the process.
“Wait!What?” Ronan was confused. “How is Aurora having a boyfriend suddenlymyfault?” Ronan understood Fitz was probably looking for a fall guy. Aurora was growing up and yelling at Ronan wasn’t going to change anything, but, if Ronan were being honest with himself, he had to admit there was a possibility that he’d said something stupid to Aurora that was now coming back around to bite him in the ass.
“So youdidknow!” Fitz slapped his book on the table beside his seat. He spun around so he was facing Ronan, with his feet in the sand, rather than on the lounge chair. “I ought to punch your stupid lights out.”
Ronan held up his hands to keep Fitz in his seat. “Everly heard you yelling when we were going into our room and when I asked what you could possibly be mad about, she spilled the beans. Said the kid’s name is Jack.” Ronan shrugged. “I have no clue who that kid is. Couldn’t pick him out of a lineup.” He turned to Jude for support, but his friend’s head kept turning left and right like it was on a swivel. He looked like he was a spectator at a tennis match. If he wasn’t careful, Jude was going to end up in the middle of things whether he wanted to be there or not. “Just now, I was going to ask Aurora to tell me what was going on, but I didn’t want her to get mad at Everly for telling me her secret.”
“So you didn’t set this up or have any part in it?” Fitz asked, his voice quieter than before.
“Are you kidding me? I don’t want Everly dating anyone until she’s in her thirties and even then it will be a fight. Why on earth would I help my seven year old niece date a third grader behind your back?” Fitz had said a lot of crazy things to Ronan over the years they’d known each other and worked together, but this was the craziest by far.
A bit of the anger in Fitz’s green eyes drained away. “What did Everly tell you about all of this?”
Ronan shook his head. “No way, Fitz. I want to hear what you have to say before I break my daughter’s trust in me.” When Ronan was growing up, he could tell his mother anything and she’d keep it a secret. Most of the time, Erin had known what he was about to say before he said it, but just knowing that Erin would be there to listen and not judge meant the world to him. He planned to do the same for Everly and Ezra.
Fitz sighed. “The kid’s name is Jack. His father, Alan, lives in Salem and works for the Massachusetts Parole Board. He’s come to me a few times asking about convicts about to come up for parole. People either I or my department were responsible for arresting. He’s a good guy, wants to protect the Commonwealth from predators and repeat criminals, but also wants to make sure that the men and women who come before the board get a fair shake. I’ve met his son, Jack, a couple of times. I’d taken Aurora to the ice cream stand out on Cabot Street in Beverly, you know, the one that gives enormous portions?”
“Gallagher’s,” Ronan said. “Everly and Ezra love it there too.” So did he and Tennyson.
“I spoke with Alan for a bit and Aurora and Jack were talking about what grade they were going into and teachers they had. Kid stuff. I didn’t give it a second thought. Now, all of a suddenAurora is telling me this kid is her boyfriend and wants to go on a date with him.”
Jude and Ronan snorted. Fitzgibbon’s eyes blazed, while his nostrils flared. If Jude and Ronan weren’t careful, there was going to be a brawl on the beach. “Is Jack going to pick her up on his two-wheeler?” Jude asked.
Ronan laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation, thankfully, Fitzgibbon did too. “Aurora said they want to go to the butterfly place in Beverly. The kids went there on a field trip last year. She loved when the butterflies fluttered near her face and landed on her hand.”
Ronan remembered that field trip, he’d been worried Aurora would flip out if the butterflies came near her, but she’d loved every second of her visit. He, Jude, and Fitz had chaperoned the trip, just in case Aurora needed help. It turned out they spent the day consoling other kids who were upset that the insects landed on them or worse, that the butterflies hadn’t come near them. Aurora had the time of her life. “How is this different from when the kids went with their class in the spring?”
“Ronan’s right,” Jude said. “Would it really be that bad to take Aurora and this kid to a place your daughter loves?”
Fitz grumbled, but stayed silent.
“What if we go too and bring Everly and Wolf? Most likely, the kids will just hang out together,” Ronan suggested.
“What would you do if the situation was reversed and Everly was going on a date?” Fitz asked, wearing a knowing grin.
“I’d lose my shit, just like you’re doing.” Ronan had no doubt he would have reacted the same way Fitz did. “But, here’s the thing. At this point, it’s all semantics, right? The kids watch showson television that show kids going on dates. It’s natural they’d want to do the same thing. Aurora has no idea what happens on teenager or adult dates. This boy isn’t going to kiss her or run off to Vegas and elope. Maybe he’ll hold her hand and buy her a snack at the little restaurant. If it were Everly, I could live with that.”
“Not to hop into the middle of this,” Jude said, smiling brightly, looking as if all he wanted to do was get into the conversation, “but you just said this kid comes from a good family. If this were Wolf, Cope and I would sit down with him before the date and find out what his intentions were and make sure he understood what was and wasnotappropriate. I imagine Jack’s father would do the same thing.”
“Maybe,” Fitz agreed. “What I want to know is how this all happened? When we saw him at the ice cream place, Aurora didn’t exchange phone numbers with thisolderman.”
Ronan barked a quick laugh. “Fitz, the kid is eight, not eighteen. I have the answer to that question, but I need to confer with my client before I can discuss it with you.” Waggling his eyebrows, Ronan got up from his lounge chair and took a seat on Everly’s.
“Daddy,” Everly sighed, “you’re in my sun,again.”
“I need to have a little chat with you,” Ronan whispered.
“Uncle Fitz is losing his mind, huh?” Everly asked. Aurora giggled.
“Yeah, Fitz wants to know how Aurora and Jack got close. Apparently he doesn’t know what happened at the finish line of the fun run. I didn’t want to break your trust by telling him what you said, so I’m here asking if it’s okay to tell him.”
“I say no.” Aurora slid her sunglasses down her pert nose. “Daddy’s just gonna have another fit.”
“I’ve been trying to talk him down,” Ronan grinned.
