Ford

“Tell me about Grandma and Grandpa.” Arlo shoves a spoonful of Lucky Charms into his mouth.

I do the same.

“What has your mom told you about them?” I ask.

He shrugs. “Just that they were nice. And they would’ve loved me.”

“They would’ve adored you,” I say. “They would’ve been obsessed with you.”

“What does that mean? Obsessed?”

“It means they think about you all the time. They can’t stop thinking about you.” Eh, good enough. “It’s a grown-up thing.”

Arlo takes another bite. “What happened to them?”

I almost choke on my cereal. “What’d your mom say happened to them?”

“She won’t tell me.”

Sucking in a deep breath, I mull it over. “It’s kind of a long story.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Uncle Ford.” His big blue eyes blink. “I want to know. Will you tell me?”

Checking my watch, I calculate that Bree’s going to be here in about five minutes, so I’ll give him the condensed, Grimm’s fairy tale version.

“All right.” I rise, taking my dish to the sink and rinsing it out. “Once upon a time, there was a king and queen who ruled a kingdom. The kingdom was known for pioneering wind energy, which I don’t expect you to know anything about, but just know that it was a very wealthy and very successful kingdom. The king and queen had a prince and princess, and they were living happily ever after until the queen got sick. The king didn’t want to lose his beloved queen, so he hired one of the best nurses in the kingdom to take care of her day in and day out so she would never be alone and never be in pain. Months and months passed, then years. The queen was still sick, unable to get out of bed most days. The king became lonely and sad. The nurse and the king began a friendship because the king was so lonely, and when the queen eventually passed away, the king married the nurse, making her his new queen and her son a new prince.”

Arlo yawns. I think I’m losing him. I should’ve told the story in the context of Transformers using Autobots and Decepticons.

“Anyway, the new queen didn’t like the first prince and princess. She sent them away to school while she ruled the kingdom with her son and her king by her side. Eventually, the king got very ill and passed away, and the evil queen and her evil son inherited the entire kingdom, banishing the prince and princess forever. The end.”

My nephew’s nose wrinkles. “That’s it?”

“Pretty intense, right?”

“I guess.”

“Were you even paying attention?” I ask.

“You lost me at ‘princess.’”

The doorbell chimes. Bree. And I go to let her in.

“Good morning, Principal Hawthorne.” Her hands clasp together in front of her hips, her arms pressing against her flat chest. She wears yet another low-cut top, and skintight shorts hug her non-existent curves. A hint of pink gloss covers her thin lips, and she can’t stop grinning in my presence.

She’s crushing. Hard.

Happened all the time back in New York. I guess I have that effect on young ladies. Good thing I couldn’t care less.

“Thanks for coming, Bree.” I point down the hall, toward the kitchen. “Arlo’s finishing up his breakfast.”

She follows me, walking too close for comfort, and when I stop in the kitchen, she nearly bumps into me.

“Sorry.” She giggles, brushing hair out of her face. “Oh, my goodness. You must be Arlo. Look at you! You’re the cutest little thing.”

Her voice is whiny as she gushes, and I can tell Arlo’s getting annoyed.

“I’ll be back in a few hours, buddy,” I say. “We’ll go see that new Minions movie this afternoon, okay? Extra butter on the popcorn. I won’t tell your mom if you won’t?”

Arlo grins, marshmallows stuck in his teeth, and I grab my keys from the counter.

“Numbers are on the fridge,” I say. “Feel free to play outside, just stick around here, okay?”

“Yes, Principal Hawthorne.” She takes a seat next to Arlo, giving me a dainty wave. I almost tell her the formal addressment isn’t necessary in my home, but I don’t want to give her the wrong impression.

“Be good, bud.” I tap Arlo on the shoulder as I pass, exiting through the back door and heading to my car.

A moment later, I’m backing out of the driveway, and I happen to catch Bree peeking out from behind a curtain in the living room window, watching me leave.

Shuddering, I shake my head.

I’m going to have to keep a close eye on that one.