In The Sun

Chapter Seven

“The thing is,” Aubrey is saying to me as we stand in the parking lot of the arcade, “I don’t trust many people with the boys.”

“They’re in good hands,” I tell her.

She gives me an unsure look and shifts Parker to her other arm. “But we really appreciate you, um, babysitting for the afternoon. Matt—your dad and I really need some alone time. Well, time with just Parker, anyway.” Quieter, she says, “Those boys keep me going all day, every day. So good luck to you.” Dramatically, Aubrey sighs.

“It’s not a problem, Aubrey. Really.”

Had it not been for Jeremiah and Zachery remembering what I told them, I wouldn’t be standing in the parking lot of the arcade at the mall, face-to-face with Aubrey and, by extension, a melancholy Parker. The boys want fun, so I’m taking them to have fun.

Still unconvinced, Aubrey turns to her boys. “Be good for Katelyn. Jere, watch Zach. You’re in charge of him, understand? I’ll see you guys—”

“At three o’ clock!” Zachery says excitedly, cutting her short.

“He’s excited, Mom,” Jeremiah explains. “And you’re cutting into our gaming time.”

“Oh hush.” Aubrey sighs at him, once again shifting Parker. To me, she says, “Three?”

I nod. “Three.”

Finally, she turns on her heel, walking the few steps to her car.

“Okay,” I say to the boys, who are still looking up at me eagerly. “Go ahead.”

Full-speed, they run ahead of me and through the double doors, into the sea of lights and sounds.

“You’ve spent five dollars of your money on this game,” I tell Jeremiah when he goes to put two more tokens into a racing game, gripping the wheel. Despite being ten, the kid moves the wheel with a weird precision, I must say.

“But Katelyn.”

“Go play Skee-Ball with your brother, yeah?” Simultaneously, our eyes train over to Zachery, who is pitching the white balls at the caging, only for them to bounce back down to him. He’s giggling, happy, and clearly not getting the concept.

“Okay. Fine. Whatever.” He drags his feet, reaching the Skee-Ball game and putting in two more tokens. Fifty cents worth; cha-ching!

“Are you okay here?” When Jeremiah nods, suddenly absorbed in the game, I say, “I’m going to get something to drink. Be good.”

The lobby is so much quieter. It smells like pizza and reminds me of my childhood, so it’s perfect as far as I’m concerned. I get myself a fountain pop and retrieve my phone from my pocket.

He answers on the second ring. “Hey, Katelyn!”

“Hey, are you and Max busy?” I hold the phone between my shoulder and my ear as I dig a few bills out of my purse, paying the impatient cashier girl.

“We just got back from skating. We’re free now. What’s up?”

“Listen. I’m at the arcade in the mall with my brothers and—”

“You need our help. Give me a few minutes to get directions and we’ll be there ASAP. Bye, Kate.”

With that, he hangs up.

"I was thinking," Maggie says in lieu of a hello when I walk into the boutique, "that you could be a bridesmaid."

"Hello to you, too," I say, giving an eye roll for good measure. "And I told you," I set down her Mart Café fountain drink that she begged for, "I'm not going to be a bridesmaid. Not this time."