“Yep, buddy, that is definitely puketastic,” I said, grabbing his hand. “Let’s get moving. We don’t want to miss the tea.”
“Tea?” Gilly looked between Trina and me. “Like a tea party?” She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
“I don’t like tea,” Max declared as we crossed the street. “It’s gross.”
“My mommy drinks iced tea,” Gilly said as we headed up Colfax Avenue. “But she puts grown-up stuff in it, so I don’t get any. She calls it Mommy’s special tea.”
“My dad has a drink like that,” Max chimed in. “I tried it once, but it was disgust-o-rama.”
“You think everything is gross, except chocolate milk.” Gilly argued with Max as we walked up Colfax, dodging panhandlers, tourists, and office workers.
Trina sighed. “Lucky for you guys, we’re just doing the tour today, no tea party.”
“How long do we have to walk?” Max demanded.
Trina wiped her forehead. It felt like it was a hundred degrees outside. I hoped the kids could hang in there. It was a great day for a swim. I glanced at Trina, wishing I could suggest it.
“A few more blocks,” she said, tugging on Gilly’s hand.
It was more than a few blocks, making me think we should’ve just driven instead of taking the light rail detour, but finally we stood in front of the looming stone house.
“Let’s go to the gift shop first,” Gilly said.
“Yay!” Max cheered. “Do you think they’ll have dinosaur toys?”
“Guys! Stop!” Trina snapped. We all shut up, and stood at attention, staring at her guiltily.
“Sorry, I just…” She paused and took a deep breath. “I just want to make sure everyone is ready. We have to be on our best behavior.” She stared intently at Gilly. “This is a public place, Gilly. You know what that means.”
Gilly’s face fell, and she stared at her sparkling red shoes. “I know,” she whispered. “No naked time. No singing. No dancing.”
“Maybe you should tell Desi and Trey those rules next time they to go a party,” I stage-whispered to Trina. For a second, I thought she might lose it again, but she bit her lip, hiding a smile.
She put her hands on her hips, her gaze sweeping over us while she morphed into bossy Bird Brain. But it didn’t bug me today. It was sort of…cute.
God, I was toast. Burned beyond recognition.
“The ladies who do the tours sometimes dress like Molly Brown, so no making fun of their clothes,” Trina warned.
Gilly bounced on her toes. “I like dress-up. Can I dress up, too?”
“Maybe later.” She cast me an anxious look, then continued. “We’ll do a tour first. We’ll hear about Molly’s life and some of the awesome stuff she did.”
“Like what?” Max demanded, his face cloudy.
“Was she an astronaut? Did she sing on American Idol?” Gilly’s expression was hopeful. Poor kid.
Trina shot me a pleading glance before regaining her composure. “Even better. She survived a horrible shipwreck. Lots of people died, but she didn’t. Once she was in the lifeboat, she got in a big argument with one of the ship’s officers. He said women weren’t strong enough to row the lifeboat, that they’d get sucked into a whirlpool and drown. Molly threatened to throw him overboard if he didn’t shut up. So he shut up, and everyone in her boat made it.” She glanced at me. “The guy was a pig, obviously.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Why are you looking at me? I’d never say that. I’d tell everyone to row their asses off, including the chicks.” I grinned.
She rolled her eyes and turned back to the kids. “Anyway, that’s why she has the nickname The Unsinkable Molly Brown.”
“So she was a pirate!” Gilly exclaimed. “Like Captain Jack Sparrow.” She glanced at Max. “I love him. But I hate that jelly monster. The one with the heart in the jar.”
Max frowned. “Captain Jack’s weird. But my mom likes him.”
“Guys,” I interrupted, laughing. “Molly Brown was not a pirate. Zip your lips and listen to Trina.”
Trina stared at the ground, her shoulders shaking, and for a second I was terrified she was crying. Then she raised her face to mine, and I saw that she was laughing. Our eyes met and I felt a jolt of connection shoot between us.
“I give up,” she said, still laughing. “Here’s the deal, guys. Don’t break anything, or cause any scenes, and we’ll call it good, okay? Then we’ll go find ice cream and pianos on the mall.”
“Yay!” Gilly and Max cheered and we headed up the steps and onto the covered porch. The kids made a beeline for a bench swing, while Trina and I sat on a stone balustrade.
I smiled down at Trina. “Way to relax and go with the flow, BB.”
“I’m learning from the best, Edmunds.” Her eyes stayed on mine, and if we’d been anywhere else, I would’ve kissed her.
But instead, a lady dressed like an old-fashioned schoolteacher threw open the door, killing the moment.
“Welcome to the Molly Brown House!”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Trina
Friday, June 21
“At least they didn’t call the cops,” Slade joked, as the door slammed shut behind us.
Gilly clung to my leg, sobbing. “I’m s-sorry, Trina.” She looked up at Slade, wearing the most pathetic expression I’d ever seen. “I didn’t…hic…mean to break the glasses…hic… We were just pretending…sob…to…to…hit the iceberg.”
“And we were scared of that bear rug,” Max said, a single tear rolling down his cheek. “I saw its mouth move.”
I fumed, biting back all my anger and embarrassment. I glanced at Slade, who gave me a pleading look as he squeezed the kids’ shoulders, trying to reassure them. He was such a sucker for tears.
“That was antique crystal, Gilly! From Europe.” I glared at her, and then closed my eyes, hearing the crash and seeing the horrified looks of everyone in the museum when Gilly chased Max through the dining room, under the velvet ropes, and into the table. Thank goodness only two glasses had actually broken. The docent had been furious, but she’d said their insurance would cover the damages. Mostly she’d just wanted us to leave.
Max tugged on my shorts, and my eyes flew open. “What?” My voice was sharp, and he took a step back from me, stumbling over his untied shoes. “I..um…just thought…” He held his arm up. “Maybe we all need some magic.”
His big sad eyes ripped a hole in my righteous anger. I took in all three of them, so pathetic and remorseful, even Slade. I knew the kids felt terrible. The way the tour guide had freaked out would probably haunt their nightmares for weeks. Mine, too.
“This situation calls for drastic measures,” Slade announced. His face broke into one of those glorious smiles that made my stomach drop to my knees. I darted a glance at Gilly and saw that she was equally enchanted.
“What?” My voice cracked. I hoped he had an amazing idea that wasn’t dangerous or illegal.
“Baseball,” he said, and we all gaped at him.
He grabbed the kids’ hands and turned to run down on the porch steps. “Come on, BB,” he called over his shoulder.
The heat from the blazing Colorado sun beat down on me as I followed Slade and the kids down Pennsylvania Street, jogging to catch up.
“Where are we going?” I asked, a little out of breath.
He slowed his pace and smiled down at me. “Coors Field. There’s this game, involving bats and balls… Maybe you’ve heard of it?”
“How do you know there’s a game today? And what about tickets?”
He grinned at me. “Details, Trina. Nothing to worry about.”
My mind swirled. How much were tickets? What if the game was sold out? What if the kids hated it? What if we sat next to drunken fans who screamed obscenities the whole time?
“This is not on the schedule,” I muttered. Slade’s low laughter sent chills up my arms.
“You ever see Ferris Bueller’s Day Off?” he asked as we walked down Colfax, heading toward downtown and the Sixteenth Street Mall. I held Gilly’s hand while Slade held onto Max.