I considered calling the Inn to let Greyson know where his kids were. Then again, if he was as busy as they said and told them he didn’t care how they cleaned up, maybe it was better to just–
Molly’s voice came from behind the door a moment later. “Where are your toys?” she asked.
Billy answered before I could. “Miss Harper is a big girl, Molly. She doesn’t have toys. Well,” he said softly, almost to himself. “I guess she has that sword, but it’s pretty lame. And it’s just for the cat, anyway.”
Cheeks reddening, I headed into the kitchen.
“Did two kids just come in here?” Lin asked.
I explained what Billy told me, hoping she’d drop the subject. Instead, she set down the whisk in her hand and stared at me. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but you said he got really pissed when they came over here on their own last time. Right?”
“Sort of.”
“And you are letting them in again? What are you going to say if he comes banging on your door?”
“I’ll say he should keep a better eye on his kids.” My tone was stubborn. I realized I’d been twisting a piece of cling wrap and set it down abruptly. “Honestly, they’re probably under closer supervision here than with him from the looks of it. What kind of dad lets his kids wander out of the house and across the street twice in less than twenty-four…” I trailed off when I saw Lin was looking at something over my shoulder.
“Man,” Billy said. He was standing behind Molly, whose hair was wet but she’d put her filthy clothes back on. “How many swords do you have in this place?”
Molly was waving around my other dildo. “You said she didn’t have toys. I found this under the sink.”
Lin pressed her hand to her mouth.
I rushed over to Molly and carefully took it from her. I shoved the dildo into a drawer and pressed my ass against it, as if it might pop open and jump back out to haunt me. Did these kids have freaking sex toy radar?
Billy headed off to the bathroom and Molly wandered into the kitchen, drawn in by the smells. I handed her a muffin and she happily started munching away.
I was avoiding Lin’s gaze, but I finally looked up at her when she wouldn’t relent. “What?” I demanded.
“How many of those do you keep around the house, exactly?”
I’d unwisely told her about the incident earlier.
“Two, okay? They just happened to find both of them. Somehow.”
She grinned. “I knew it’d been a while since you, uh,” she looked down at Molly, who smiled, flashing a mouth full of little blueberry-covered teeth. “It has been a while since you’ve had a man to warm your bed, but I didn’t think it was bad enough that you needed to stash toys in strategic locations.”
I glared. Not exactly the most subtle phrasing, Lin.
“Your bed is cold?” Molly asked. “You should ask Daddy to sleep in it. He’s super hot. Sometimes his skin feels like it’s burning. If I’m cold, he’s the best place to cuddle.” She took another huge bite of the muffin.
Lin’s eyes found mine again, twinkling with amusement. “Yeah, Harper. Why don’t you ask Greyson if he’ll come warm your bed up? Maybe you could throw away a toy or two if things work out.”
Molly’s eyes went a touch wider. “If you are going to throw them away, can I have them?”
“No,” Lin and I both said at the same time.
In a gesture that seemed beyond her years, Molly raised her eyebrows and hands as if to say, okay, okay. She picked up another muffin, smiled sweetly at me, and went to wait by the bathroom for her brother. She left a trail of crumbs in her wake.
11
GREYSON
When ten minutes went by and I still hadn’t heard the kids come back inside, I set down what I was doing and went outside. My stomach dropped. I was normally far more attentive than this, but I guess being in a new place with them was throwing me off.
Shit.
I looked up and down main street. There was an old car from the 1970s slowly creeping towards me at a rate that might have it pass before the sun set. A young mother was looking in the window of a toy shop with two little girls who were literally bouncing with excitement at something they saw. A confused old man with tennis balls on his walker appeared to be escaping from somewhere. I frowned, taking a closer look.
He had on a white sort of gown, a broad grin, and was shuffling with purpose. A few moments later, a nurse in teal scrubs jogged out of a building and tried to talk to him.
But there was no sign of my kids.
I shifted my focus to the little apartment building across the street. I knew where those little, adorable shits were. Dammit.