Page 106 of Secrets Hidden In The Glass
His smile faded. “She’s good. She’s over working with Molly.”
“What happened yesterday, Nate?”
“She wasn’t feeling great.” He rubbed at the back of his neck, never fond of half-truths. “She just needed some chicken noddle soup and a night in bed.”
“You’re sure everything’s okay?”
“Yeah.”
“You would tell me if it wasn’t?”
He clenched his jaw, looking up at the ceiling. “I would tell you if it wasn’t.”
“All right. What’s up, then?”
He turned to face the window, happy to change subjects. “I have a random and strange question.”
She chuckled. “Okay.”
“What year were you crowned Little Miss Carter Island?”
Gwen laughed. “That is a random and strange question.”
He grinned. “You were nine, right? Or ten?”
“I was nine, so that was…”
“Nineteen ninety-five,” he finished for her as he stared at a preschool-aged Callie.
“Yup. That’s about right. Man, that was so long ago.”
“The good old days.” Or at least, they were for him. He hadn’t been dumped off somewhere and left to wonder and question for most of his life.
“What in the world made you think to ask me about that?”
“Callie mentioned seeing you in your sash when she was going through the pictures at the library. It got me thinking.”
“Huh. Well, as fascinating as this is, Baby and I are going to let you go so we can make our hourly rendezvous with the lady’s room.”
“How are things going with my niece or nephew?” He glanced at the calendar. “You had an appointment today, didn’t you? Or is that tomorrow?”
“It was today. We’re right on target. Molly has a cupcake for you at the bakery, by the way. I knew you would be stopping by sooner or later to stuff your face. If you’re anything, it’s predictable.”
He frowned. “Why does she have a cupcake for me?”
“Because you get to bite into it and find out if we’re team pink or blue.”
Nate’s frown deepened. “I thought you and Liam wanted to wait until Baby’s birthday to find out if you were having a boy or a girl.”
“I changed my mind.”
He noted the change of inflection in Gwen’s voice—the pissy/hurt tone he’d had directed his way more than a few times over the years. “Are you two okay? Liam’s gone a lot these days.”
“Isn’t he always?”
Uh-oh. He’d been so caught up in Callie he hadn’t paid much attention to his sisters. Something was definitely going on with Molly and all wasn’t right in Gwen’s world either. “Wanna talk about it?”
“Not really.”
