5. Chapter 5

Rachel

Sig claps his hands. "Are you ready to be the first kids to ever set foot inside Rubber Duckie World?"

Noah claps and cheers. Lisa lets out a whoop. Anna jumps up and down.

Me? I'm frozen in place, my gaze drawn to the two giant rubber duckies sitting on either side of the gate.

They look just like the one from this morning's hallucination. I can still picture Sig sitting on his front porch, light blue polo hugging huge biceps, until poof. Gone. And then the sound of his phone tumbling down the porch steps. And the duckie left in his place.

I swear it happened… but I know for a fact it didn't. People don't just turn into rubber ducks…

"This way," Sig calls as he leads the way toward the front gate.

Iforce my feet to follow. Duckies or not, we're going in. And not just because the kids need to be submerged in water, stat.

Moment of truth? I love water parks!

I want to go on all the rides, especially Quack Attack—the giant slide Sig pointed out when we first drove up. It towers over the other attractions, and I can practically hear it calling my name.

Ride me, Rachel. Quack.

I shake my head. I'm a responsible adult who is only here to make sure the kids get cleaned up and ready for school tomorrow.

That's the only reason I'm excited.

I just about manage to convince myself of it by the time Sig's friend, Reaper, unlocks the gate and ushers us inside. "Follow me for the grand tour. And remember, no running."

With a name like Reaper, I expect a scary-looking biker with a gazillion tattoos. And he is burly, but definitely not frightening. Hard to be when you're dressed in bright yellow board shorts and a matching tank. He's also got a friendly smile, and he's an attractive man, but he's got nothing on Sig.

My neighbor—well, Ada's neighbor—threads his fingers through mine as we follow Reaper and the kids down the paved path. I know I should pull away, but I can't bring myself to. I like having his large hand wrapped around mine. He makes me feel safe, and more than a bit turned on. That kiss…

Don't think about the kiss, Rachel. Because if I think about it, I'll want to kiss him again, and I can't. Not if I'm going to prove to Ada that I'm a responsible adult.

Why is that getting harder and harder by the second?

Noah lets out a whoop and races ahead.

"This place is amazing!" Lisa shouts, giving chase.

Anna races after her twin. I'm about to shout for the kids to slow down when Reaper blows the whistle hanging around his neck.

The kids spin around. Their bright, sunny faces are an in-my-face reminder of just how miserable they've been these last few days.

I'm a terrible guardian. They deserve better.

The worst part is that we've always gotten along. But that was when I visited for the occasional birthday or Christmas dinner. The kids like me in small doses. They were even happy for the first few days after Ada left. And then, they had enough of me.

It's all my fault. I should have started with monthly visits, or every other weekend. My dad did that, and it worked out. Well, minus the part where he'd forget me at the grocery store or the mall from time to time.

Still… scheduled visits are a good place to start. Assuming that after this train wreck of a week, Ada lets me anywhere near the kids.

Get your act together, Rachel.

I discreetly remove my hand from Sig's and take in the sprawling water park. "You really built this entire place?"

He nods. "Do you like it?"

I spin around full circle. "It's amazing!"

And I'm not lying. The place is huge, and each ride looks better than the last. Even the duckies make me smile despite this morning's incident. Not to mention the kids are finally happy. What more could I ask for?

Sig grins. "Opening Rubber Duckie World was my dream since I was a kid! Grandad was a duckie collector. He had hundreds in his basement, but to me, it always felt like duckie prison." He rubs the back of his neck. "A collection like that shouldn't be hidden away. It's meant to be admired. So I promised myself that one day, I'd build a place where all the duckies could be free."

His cheeks take on an endearing flush, and I resist the urge to kiss him.

"You did way better than a basement," I tell him honestly. "These are some lucky duckies."

Sig grins. "And you are going to love this next part." He leads us toward the changing rooms and turns to the kids. "What's the number one rule of Rubber Duckie World?"

They look stumped. I am too.

"Everyone has to shower before they're allowed on any of the rides."

I wait for the kids to argue, but they cheer. They actually cheer!

If I knew all it took to get them cleaned up was taking them to a water park… I'd have been hard out of luck.

Sig turns to me and lowers his voice. "Normally, I'm firmly Team Bath, but we had to take sanitation, water usage, efficiency, and accessibility under consideration, and it just wasn't workable for the public change rooms."

He sounds apologetic, like it's a major sticking point.

"Showers do make more sense," I whisper back.

We head inside, change into bathing suits, and hit the showers. I expect something boring and functional, but water flows out of large, cheerful rubber duck bills. The kids have a great time. They even let me help them scrub off some of the grime.

By the time we're ready to go, a few other Rubber Duckie World employees—all dressed in bright yellow—join us.

Sig claps his hands. I try to ignore how delicious he looks in yellow board shorts and matching flip flops. "Which ride do you want to go on first?"

"Quack Attack!" I shout, then remember that I'm supposed to act like a responsible—boring—adult. And that I really need to stop ogling the man. "I mean… why don't we let the kids decide…"

They start pointing in various directions, shouting descriptions of rides, and getting progressively louder and louder.

Before the situation can get out of hand, Reaper blows his whistle. The kids instantly fall silent.

Sig clears his throat, and I try not to stare at his lips as he speaks. "I recommend starting with a few of the smaller slides first and working our way up. Who wants to try the Duckie Drift?"

It turns out to be a lazy river filled with rubber duckies. We even get adorable duckie-shaped floaties, and Sig helps the kids count duckies as we drift past.

One duckie, two duckie, yellow duckie, blue duckie. Pink duckie, green duckie, king duckie, queen duckie.

We're happy and relaxed by the time we reach the other end. And we spend the rest of the afternoon on rides, including the Quack Attack, which is everything I knew it would be.

Our final stop is the Quackie Drop—a pool you can drop into from swing ropes, diving platforms set at various heights, and even a few inflatable duck-shaped trampolines.

Sig takes my hand. "Let's sit this one out."

Reaper goes to supervise the kids, along with a few employees.

Sig leads me toward a grouping of giant rubber duckies facing the pool. He settles astride a yellow duckie that's got a lion's mane and an extra-large bill, while I sit down next to him astride a purple alien duckie. It's a lot more fun than sitting on a bench—and it keeps me at a safe distance from the temptation of the man next to me.

I never thought I'd be into yellow board shorts, but they're hands down the hottest thing I've ever seen on a man. My gaze keeps drifting down to his six-pack abs and the tempting trail that dips into his waistband.

I lick my lips before I realize what I'm doing, and quickly look away.

We watch the kids in silence for some time. They cannonball into the pool, splash around, and act nothing like they had in the back yard this morning.

I owe it all to Sig.

"Thank you," I tell him softly.

"For what?" He sounds genuinely surprised.

"For this. For helping with the kids. For bringing us here."

"I think I needed this just as much as you all did," he says, surprising me. "I've worked so hard to build this place. I've taken jobs at dozens of water parks, went to business school, got investors…" He shakes his head. "I've been heading toward this moment all my life, but until today, it hasn't felt real." He shrugs. "It still doesn't feel real."

I tighten my thighs around the purple duckie, hold on to its ear for purchase, and lean toward him.

"What are you doing?" he asks, then lets out a yelp when I pinch his biceps. His deliciously muscular, warm, tempting biceps.

"It's real."

"I'm not sure if I should thank you or pinch you back."

"Definitely thank me," I say, prepared to jump off my duckie and run.

He smiles. "Thank you."

I can't help feeling a little disappointed.

The fact that I'd rather start a pinch war with the man next to me than have a grown-up conversation just emphasizes how unfit I am to be a guardian for Janey's kids.

I touch Janey's ring with a resigned sigh. "I make a terrible adult."