Chapter Text
I pushed open the door to the bookstore, the soft sound of the bell alerting the employees to new people in the store.
Just as they did every time we came here, half of the children ran off in separate directions, all knowing exactly what section of the store their treasure for the month would be found in. I took a deep breath, trying to reassure myself that although the children could be...rambunctious... they were usually pretty well behaved here, at least. Though that had less to do with the location and more to do with the owner, Ruby.
Ruby was an older woman, old enough to be my mother, I supposed, though she joked once that her dark skin allowed her to claim any age and people wouldn’t think twice about it. I certainly couldn’t argue with her about that. And even though she was always sweet, her eyebrow raised up just above the purple frames of her glasses was always enough to make anyone stop what they were doing, even my heathens.
She looked over at me, smiling and giving a small wave before turning back to what looked like a new employee. I wondered idly, as I walked further into the store, if she was a family member. They looked similar enough to be.
Benedict was flipping through a “How to Draw” book; his little eyebrows scrunched up, looking so seriously at it, like if he picked the wrong one his life would be over.
Anthony was only a few sections down, looking at the comic books/graphic novels.
Eloise and Daphne went right to a section of books for young girls; Eloise probably hoping to add to her Junie B. Jones shelf.
Colin had, very sweetly, held Frannie’s hand and helped her over to the kids' books where he was now pushing the buttons on the side of the books, letting her hear what sounds they all made.
I walked over to them, pushing Gregory in the stroller with a smile on my face. Colin really was so kind. To all of his siblings and everyone he met, but there was something extra gentle with the way he treated Francesca. Like he knew that’s what she needed.
I put my hand on his head when I reached them, his sweet blue eyes immediately looking up at me. “Darling, why don’t you go look for something you want? I’ll stay here with Frannie.”
He nodded, giving Frannie a quick kiss on the top of her head before running off.
*~*~*~*~*~
I, very gently, put Gregory back in his stroller, hoping he wouldn’t get too rowdy again. He had woken up a bit ago, wanting nothing but to be held, so I settled into one of the chairs in the reading area and quickly picked him up, not wanting to disturb the calm atmosphere of the store.
“Now I see why they act like they can get whatever they want.” I heard Miss Ruby joke from beside my chair.
I let out a small laugh, my cheeks warming just a little.
She just shook her head with a smile. “Hopeless.”
She moved to the chair beside mine, a tablet lit up in her hands. “I didn’t come over here to scold you, girl. I actually wanted to show you something.”
I realized then that the tablet was lit up with what looked to be like camera footage from a section of the store.
I closed my eyes and let out a heavy breath. Oh, goodness. What had they done now?
Her hand reached over and patted mine a couple times, her skin warm from the small heater she kept behind the counter. “Don’t worry, now, everything’s fine. My granddaughter saw this happen and then pulled up the video for me. She thought it was funny but wasn’t sure if we needed to check on him.”
My eyebrows were furrowed as I tried to follow along, my face, I’m sure, not hiding my confusion.
She leaned over and hit play, holding the screen so we could both see the video.
I noticed Colin right away, his all-green ensemble he insisted on wearing, complete with a dinosaur shirt, stood out in the shot.
On the other side of the screen, there was a little girl, maybe a little younger than Colin. She was a tiny thing, her long, red hair covering up half of her body from behind. She was in a golden yellow dress with ruffles on the shoulders and a matching bow keeping some of her hair out of her face.
She looked to be trying to reach a book that was too high for her, the poor thing on her toes and wiggling her fingers trying to get to it.
Colin looks at her for a moment before walking over to help her, putting the book he had in his hands under one of his arms.
He must have said something when he approached, because the little girl jumps and swings around to look at him. When she did, though, her elbow caught Colin’s face, his head swinging to the side.
I gasped, my hand automatically going to my chest.
The little girl looked just as upset, her hands going back up automatically towards Colin’s face, as if to help him.
Ruby hit the pause button, stopping the video. “He’s just fine but I thought I’d let you know. He got a new little friend out of it, it seems.” She nudged her head towards, I’m assuming, where they were.
I stood up, grabbing the stroller and making my way to that side of the store, looking down all the aisles for them. Thankfully, they weren’t too far away. They were sitting on the floor, backs against the bookshelves with their legs straight out while Colin read out loud, his voice changing with the characters, but never loud enough to disturb anyone else.
I walked towards them, letting out a breath. He certainly seemed fine.
As I got closer, the girl looked up at me, getting shy when she saw me. Colin looked down at her, then back over to me.
I gasped. “Colin!” I rushed over, kneeling down beside him. “Are you alright?” I asked, my hands on his face.
He nodded. “I’m fine.”
His bottom lip was pink and a little swollen, moving occasionally from where he kept running his tongue over it.
The girl blushed, turning away and using her hair to hide her face.
Colin looked over at her. “It’s okay, Pen, really, I’m fine.” He reassured her, his hand going to her shoulder.
She looked back over at him, her sad light blue eyes a tad teary. “Promise?” She asked, her voice tiny and whispered.
He held his pinky out to her. “Promise.”
She looked at his face for a moment, trying to decide if he was telling her the truth. I guess she decided he was, because she nodded to herself and put her pinky out, too, before they linked them together and shook them up and down.
I grinned. She was a darling little thing.
“Who’s this?” I asked, keeping my voice gentle so I wouldn’t make her any more nervous than she already was.
Colin gave me a big grin. “This is Penelope! But I’m gonna call her Pen. She said I could.”
I looked at her, my smile growing slightly at her darkening cheeks. “Well, hello Penelope. It’s lovely to meet you. I’m Violet, Colin’s mother.”
She gave me a tiny smile and an equally tiny wave, her head tilted down slightly. “Hello. I’m sorry I hurt him. I didn’t mean to.”
I shook my head, smiling at her. “It’s okay. You should see him with his brothers and sisters. They get pretty wild. Injuries are common in our house, right Colin?” I asked, looking over at him.
He nodded, smiling widely. “Oh, yeah! I even got stitches once!” He tilted his head up, showing her his scar on his chin.
Her eyes widened, locked on the scar. “Did they hurt?” She asked, her voice sounding slightly afraid for him.
He shook his head. “No, they gave me some medicine, and it was fine. My brothers got in trouble though. And I got double dessert for a week!” His eyes lit up, pure glee on his face. Obviously, the rewards outweighed the pain in that particular circumstance.
I looked around for a moment, searching for any frantic parents. “Penelope, sweetheart, are you here with someone?”
She shook her head, her curls swinging sweetly around her face. “No, my mommy’s next door. But she knows I’m here.”
I nodded, wondering briefly if she meant the hair salon or the boutique. And wondering why on Earth someone would let such a young child go off on her own.
“Her mom owns the hair place. Isn’t that cool?” Colin asked, then looked back at Penelope.
Well, that answered my question. “It sure is. Are you gonna be here all day, Miss Penelope?” I asked, concerned.
Her little mouth twisted. “No, she said it would be a couple of hours, like watching a movie, and then she’d come and get me so we could go home.”
I nodded. That made me feel a little better, I supposed. “Well, I hate to break this up, but your siblings will be ready to go soon.”
Both of their faces fell a little. “Can Penelope come play at home?” Colin asked, his big blue eyes widening as he asked me. Penelope was no better, her eyes big and hopeful.
I sighed, “I’m sorry, darling, I don’t think Penelope’s mom would let us do that. We’re strangers.”
He pouted. “But me and Pen aren’t strangers anymore!”
I let out a small laugh, “I know, I’m sorry. Maybe if Penelope’s here often we can come visit her here?” I asked, hoping it would placate these two babies giving me the sweetest pouts you’ve ever seen.
She nodded. “I’m here every day. Just not Sundays and Fridays.”
My eyebrows rose slightly. “Oh. Well, we can’t be here every day, but I’ll make sure we come by again soon, okay?”
She nodded, still looking a little put out. “Yes, ma’am.”
I smiled; her politeness only added to how adorable she was; her head slightly bowed with her large bow poking out from both sides, almost bigger than her head.
“I’ll tell you what, I’ll go get everyone together so you can have a few more minutes, but when you hear me call for you, it’s time to go, okay?” I asked, hoping it would cheer them up a little.
They both nodded, their eyes a little brighter than before.
I nodded back. “Okay, I’m going to go get everyone together.”
By the time I stood up, they were already back in their book. I smiled, shaking my head.
I wasn’t sure how long this little friendship would last, but they were certainly a cute pair.