Oh. His reaction made a little more sense now. I’d been volunteering so long that I forgot that not everyone was used to sick kids and medical equipment. And Milo’s unease stemming from a place of uncertainty and compassion was better than him continuing to freak out over being seen in costume.

“He is.” I softened my tone and put a hand on his arm. His very bare, very warm arm. Oops. I shouldn’t have touched him, and my voice sped up as a result. “Prince Neptune is his favorite character. He was in the hospital in the fall, and Ronnie always played with him. So how about you don’t let him down?”

“I’ll try.” Milo’s nod was firmer now, and he accepted the two introductory-level decks I handed him.

“Good. Let Chase play the purple deck. It’s his favorite. And you’ll need to shuffle for him.”

“Got it.” Milo headed over to the small table where Chase and his dad were already waiting. I took another two decks over to where Jenny was waiting to kick my ass. April and the others also found kids to visit with or play. Jenny was a good enough player that I needed to focus on the game, but my attention kept wandering over to Milo’s table.

To my surprise, he was smiling. He laughed at something Chase said before plunking down a card, arm muscles flexing, crown catching the light. Damn. He really was the perfect Neptune. He’d never accept the compliment, but he did regal well, and the white of the toga contrasted nicely with his Italian looks. Something about the gold jewelry worked for him, too, and my brain kept buzzing with unwelcome thoughts about teasing his ears and neck.

“Jasper! How are the games going?” Ned, the administrator of the hospital’s charitable foundation, came into the room, followed by a young, dark-haired woman a little older than me. I paused my game with Jenny so that I could give them my attention.

“Great.” I’d worked with Ned on some projects for the kids before, but my main contact with him had been through my parents when they’d needed to apply to the foundation for assistance with April’s many hospital bills.

“And how nice to see April full of energy.” Last time I’d seen Ned, April had been fighting off another bacterial infection, and he’d stopped by to see how my parents were holding up.

“Yup. We’re lucky.” And we were. Not all families got to bring their loved ones home, and I tried to never lose sight of that. We owed a ton to this place, to both the doctors and the administration. Thanks to Ned and the foundation, my parents hadn’t had to lose their house when bills continued to mount.