to check the cost of a child’s round-trip plane ticket to Denver.
“Don’t back out now,” Sierra pleaded, panic in her voice. “The future of CupidKey depends on you.”
“Talk about pressure.”
“You’ll have fun.”
“Yeah, right.” Jami took a deep breath. “So tell me about this lodge.”
Darting inside the Houston airport several steps behind her rambunctious boy, Jami pushed a lock of hair off her face and wondered at the wisdom of her choice to bring Toby along. Mother and son skidded to a stop with Sierra Carrington a short way behind them as they slowly moved forward in a winding luggage check line.
With an exasperated sigh, Jami gazed down at her child, who aimed a rubber suction-tipped, plastic arrow toward a crush of people and drew the bow. “Toby, no! You can’t shoot that here. You might hit someone.”
“I want to shoot somebody.” Toby’s round freckled face scrunched.
“No, you don’t. Arrows aren’t allowed at the airport. How did you sneak that into your backpack? We need to put it in one of the suitcases. Now.”
“Do it, tiger, before Security takes the bow and arrow from you,” Sierra crisply cautioned while Jami crouched down and began unlocking a suitcase.
“Nobody takes my weapon.” Toby glared at Sierra, who looked like a female elf with her shiny black cap of hair in a pixie-cut that fit her gamin face.
Jami bit her lip. Maybe she shouldn’t have allowed her friend to see them off, but this was Sierra’s deal and she was needed for an introduction to Grant Carrington. Besides, she couldn’t abandon her friend—Sierra had planned a publicity shot of Jami and her Cupid match as they met.
Unfortunately, a mutinous expression was settling over Toby from the set of his mouth to his stubborn body stance. This was not a good thing.
“We need to put your bow and arrow into the suitcase. Wait until we arrive at the lodge to shoot it, okay?” Jami touched Toby’s smooth cheek with a fingertip. Handful or not, he was so precious. Tears blurred her vision, her heart swelling with love as she gazed at her son. He was the only family she had left and she just couldn’t leave him behind for an entire week. “You wouldn’t want to lose your arrows before we even get there, would you?”
“I can’t believe you’re really taking him. You ought leave Toby like we planned,” Sierra scolded in direct conflict with Jami’s thoughts.
“Don’t go there,” Jami cautioned, aware of her son’s anxiety level rising.
“Let me take him to my place, instead. He’s got his stuff,” Sierra added, totally out of tune with the child’s panic as she ruffled Toby’s hair.
“Mom, don’t go without me,” Toby pleaded, a sob threatening his young voice. Bow and arrow clenched in his right hand, he grabbed her skirt with a chubby fist. “You promised you’d take me to the mountains with you.”
“You are coming with me,” Jami reassured him, miffed at her friend for upsetting Toby. When had he become so insecure? Couldn’t Sierra see that she was aggravating his insecurity? “Sierra, I meant what I told you last night. Toby accompanies me or I don’t go.”
“Grant’s not going to be happy about this.”
“You didn’t tell him?” Jami said, alarmed and surprised.
“No. I hoped you’d change your mind.” Sierra stood on tiptoe to scan the crowded airport lobby. “This is supposed to be a romantic getaway for you and your Cupid-selected, ideal mate.”
“Ideal mate? There’s no such thing,” Jami scoffed. “Besides, Toby and I are a team. If your brother-in-law objects—too bad.” She pressed her lips together, not realizing she mimicked her son’s pout.
“Mom, I’m going with you, right?”
“Hey!” Sierra suddenly hollered, staring past them, waving at someone in the crowd. “Jami, there’s your Mr. Right.”
Uncomfortably aware of how vulnerable Toby appeared, Jami ignored her friend to focus her full attention on her son. “Sweetie, I won’t leave you behind.” She gently unhooked his fingers from her dress, ruefully noting sticky chocolate prints marking the pink cotton. “Now put your bow and arrow away, please.”
“It’s not fair,” Toby grumped, his brown eyes bright with unshed tears that tore at her heart. “Robin Hood needs his weapon.”
Sierra waved both arms wildly. “Grant, over here!”
“Sorry,” Jami whispered to Toby, wishing they had just stayed home. Why had she let Sierra talk her into this?
“Jami,” Sierra’s excitement bubbled forth, “Grant is coming toward us. Smile and pretend you’re delighted. Play happy for the video.”
“Video? But my dress has chocolate smeared all over it,” Jami protested.