On the back of the turtle, someone had drawn two giant red X’s with a marker—big, bold, and impossible to miss.
Sure, it was a bit childish, but somehow that just made it funnier. And honestly, thinking of those turtles as Daniel Gill and Lavinia Bennett made the whole thing even more entertaining.
Olivia Bennett glanced over, a sly grin tugging at her lips. She nodded in approval. “Nice work. That’s actually pretty impressive.”
Helen Adams shot Olivia a look, sensing something was off. “Olivia, why do I feel like you’re always treating me like a little kid?”
“Well, aren’t you just a kid?”
To Olivia, Helen was always going to be a Helen—playful, impulsive, and, half the time, more like a mischievous child than a grown woman.
Helen puffed up, clearly not happy. “I’m only a year younger than you, you know.”
“A day younger and you’d still be the kid,” Olivia teased, reaching over to ruffle Helen’s hair. “You’ll always be my Helen.”
Her eyes softened, a bright springtime smile blooming on her face.
Helen just stared, a bit dazed. Even Daniel Gill, who had just stepped out, froze in his tracks.
He watched Olivia for a moment, his lips twisting into a bittersweet smile. She could smile so easily at anyone else—everyone but him.
Helen’s mood dropped instantly as she spotted the newcomers. Her smile faded, and she mumbled under her breath, “Olivia, they’re here.”
Olivia let her hand fall, her expression slipping back into its usual unreadable calm.
Before she could say anything, Lavinia Bennett’s eyes landed on the drawings on the table. She frowned, immediately suspicious.
“What’s this supposed to be?” Lavinia asked.
Helen quickly pulled the paper toward herself. “Just a drawing of a turtle,” she replied, shooting Lavinia a look that said, Can’t you even recognize a turtle?


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