Abigail had a grin on her face as she stood outside Josh’s bedroom door playing a game of Ready or not with Josh.
Abigail was glad that Ryan was yet to return since he went out the previous day, and she wished he would never return so that she could keep enjoying her time with Josh without his annoying hovering presence.
"Ready or not, you can come," Josh called out as they had agreed he would since she couldn’t speak.
She opened the door and stepped into the quiet room, her bare feet soft on the floor.
Abigail stood very still as she looked around with a playful smirk.
She pressed her finger to her lips in a quiet shh, then pointed to her eyes— I see you, her signal for the game. But the room stayed still.
There was no sound. No giggle. No whisper. Just the steady tick-tock of the little clock on the wall.
Abigail tiptoed across the room, eyes sweeping over the small bed with the blue blanket, the row of toy cars by the window, and the pile of books near the nightstand. She bent down and peeked under the bed.
She straightened and looked around again before she tiptoed to the closet and swung the door open with a sudden whoosh! Her mouth dropped open in a playful "O" when she saw only toys and a hoodie on the floor.
Abigail laughed to herself. He’s good at this, she thought, now crouching near the laundry basket. She lifted a shirt, then a towel.
Still no sign of her little boy.
She sat back on her heels with an exaggerated sigh, then shook her head playfully her eyes twinkling with mischief as she patted her chest, pretending to be worried as she looked around.
Her smile didn’t fade as she stood up and tiptoed again, slower now, her head turning as she scanned the room. She paused near the curtains.
There. A small shake. A very tiny giggle behind her.
Abigail’s eyes sparkled as she turned around. She looked at the curtains near the window. The bottom edge wiggled—just a little.
She crept forward. Quiet. Careful. Step by step. Then she threw the curtain aside.
Josh let out a loud squeal and launched toward her. "You found me, Abi!"
Abigail caught him, wrapping him in her arms and spinning once before falling to her knees, both of them laughing as Abigail held him close.
Josh laughed so hard his cheeks turned red. His little arms wrapped around her neck and he giggled into her hair.
"You almost didn’t find me," Josh said proudly, leaning back in her arms.
Abigail raised her brows in pretend shock as she lifted him to sit on the bed. Then she gave him a thumbs up, nodded fast, and signed to him: [You’re the champion.]
Josh beamed, "I was invisible."
She gave his tummy a gentle tickle that made him squeal again. He tried to get off the bed. "Now you hide!" He said, but Abigail shook her head, wagging her forefinger in front of him.
[It’s almost time for lunch.]
Josh frowned. "But I wanna play more..."
Abigail kissed his forehead. [We can play after lunch, okay? Or maybe we can watch a cartoon instead.]
Josh’s eyes lit up. "Paw patrol?"
Abigail nodded with a smile, happy that he loved it, since she had made him watch it the previous evening. [If that’s what you want. Now let’s go.] she signed as she took his hands.
Together they left the room, Josh bouncing on his toes and already talking about how much he loved paw patrol.
As they walked down the stairs, they saw Genevieve coming in, "Genny, we’ve been playing ready or not!" Josh called out excitedly as he hurried over to meet her, and then he hesitated when he got closer to her.
"Are you sad?" Josh asked in a concerned tone.
Abigail looked closer at Genevieve, wondering why Josh asked her that, and then she noticed that her eyeslids were wet and her face looked a little dull like she had been crying.
Was she crying because Stefan left? Did she really like him that much? Abigail wondered.
Genevieve smiled, "No, I’m not. I’m glad you’ve been having fun," Genevieve said, looking from Josh to Abigail briefly.
"Did you buy me something?" Josh looked at her expectantly and Genevieve laughed.
"No, I didn’t. But I will when next I step out. Is that okay?" She asked, and Josh nodded, then surprising both Genevieve and Abigail, he hugged her legs.
"Don’t be sad, Genny. You are pretty and I love you," he said after he stepped back, and Genevieve’s heart melted as she looked down at his curly hair.
She crouched to his level. "If you’re going to give me a hug, you should do a good job of it," she said, and Josh embraced her.
Watching them, Abigail couldn’t help but wonder how Genevieve had managed to make Josh love her, or why she seemed so soft with Josh.
It always surprised her when she saw them getting along, considering how much Genevieve didn’t like her.
Genevieve inhaled deeply as she held Josh. She hadn’t realized how much she needed a hug.
"Thanks, Josh," she said as she straightened then she looked at Abigail, who was still standing there.
"I’m going to freshen up and rest for a bit. Let me know when Josh takes his nap so we can talk," she said, and walked away after Abigail gave her a nod.
As Abigail walked into the kitchen with Josh, she was pleasantly surprised to see Jamal seated at the island, sipping from a glass of chilled lemonade with a thoughtful expression on his face.
She had barely seen nor talked to him since they met in Ryan’s office the previous day. She had been busy with Josh and reading up on the Hanks in the evening so she had not gone to the kitchen for dinner. And when she went to the kitchen that morning for coffee, Jamal didn’t show up.
The moment Josh saw Jamal, his eyes lit up, "Pete!" He called pleasantly, and Abigail watched as Jamal’s face cleared.