One very good perk to Sing Sing’s playground, when compared to other playgrounds in New York, was the reality that there were no potential criminals or creeps to be wary of. Oh, there were definitely some creepy people living in Sing Sing, and folks that had criminal activity in their pasts, but thus far none of them paid any mind to the playground. It wasn’t like they could go very far, if they decided to snatch one of the kids.
Leah liked not having to be too concerned about that. She still watched Marigold like a hawk, anyway, both because it was adorable to see her interact with the other children and because Leah wanted to remain alert in case her girl got hurt in some way.
She turned her head when she heard miniature footsteps moving swiftly over the grass in her direction, and couldn’t keep the grin from spreading across her face when she saw who it was. AJ was giggling, despite being out of breath from his little jog, but what made her the most amused was the flower — roots and all — being presented to her.
“Well, thank you, sir.” Leah accepted the flower and made a show of smelling it. “Pretty flower.” She leaned down to give the little boy a quick kiss on the cheek. It amazed her how much more warm and welcoming she was to other children, now that she had her own back.
Her gaze rose again when she heard Rory’s voice, and her grin became more subdued, but no less friendly. “A girl likes to be remembered,” she responded with a one-shouldered shrug. Leah nodded at the empty space beside her on the bench.
Marigold chose that moment to run over. She smiled and waved at both Rory and AJ. “Hi, AJ! Come play!”