"I can't believe I get to see the central hub for spies," Kenzie says from the back seat.
"Don't be too excited, it's just a building Kenzie," Rilla says through gritted teeth. She hated Toronto traffic. She avoided Toronto with a passion. "And when we get there just be polite and don't say anything foolish."
"I know I know," Kenzie says rollings her eyes. "And I get to meet Max."
"I hope you're also excited to meet his parents. You're grandparents," Rilla reminds her.
"I know and I am," Kenzie replies with a hint of sass. "How much longer?"
"20 minutes," Rilla says looking at the GPS with the destination route programs in on it.
"I need to pee."
"Kenzie! I just asked you 5 minutes ago when we passed the rest stop, you're going to have to hold it." Rilla says exasperated.
"I have a nervous bladder!" Kenzie whines. "It's not my fault you're the same way!"
"Is this the ten-year-old I have this year, the one who talks back to me?" Rilla warns her. "Do I have to take you bra shopping and get you tween packaged pads already?
"No!" Kenzie says shaking her head. "That's not a joke either, I don't want those things."
"Well, it will happen Bug, and one day because of cirque and gymnastics you're going to have to learn to use tampons as well," Rilla tells her. "Do we have to start talking about sex and where babies come from?
"Mom, please! I don't need this sort of talk, I'm going in grade 5!" Kenzie makes a face of disgust.
"Oh just you wait until health class," Rilla teases her and laughed when she catches Kenzie making a face in one of her mirrors. It was another 15 minutes before she drove up to the gate and rolled down her window.
"Can I help you, Ma'am," The guard says at the security gate?
"Yes, I am meeting Captain Ford, I am Rilla Blythe and this is my daughter Kennedy Blythe."
"ID please," he says nodding his head. Rilla smiles and hands him her license.
"Do you need something for her I have her health card and her birth certificate?"
"No Ma'am, and thank you, ma'am," he says handing her back her license. "Just wait a moment until I verify your identity and record your license plate as well for security purposes. You don't have any firearms, explosives or dangerous weapons in the vehicle with you?"
"Unless you count a curling iron in my suitcase, then definitely not," She tells.
"Curling irons are fine Ma'am," he says simply.
"Do you need a blood test as well?" Kenzie speaks up from the back seat and Rilla automatically groans.
"Sorry she's a smart mouth," Rilla frowns.
"It's all right Ma'am, Captain Ford warned us about her." He says cracking a hint of a smile. "Visitor parking is straight and to the right. The building on your right is the one you will be going into. Captain Ford will meet you in the main foyer. Please stick with a guide and do not wander off alone." He says looking briefly at Kenzie in the back seat.
"Thank you," Rilla says smiling and nodding her head.
"Would you like a lollypop?" Kenzie asks holding out a sucker after rolling down her window.
"I am good thank you," he says with a shake of his head.
Ken was waiting at the doors for them when they approach, looking clearly amused as Rilla held onto Kenzie's arm as if she was going to run off on her. Her heels she just changed into clicking as she walked. Black skinny capris and a comfortable top, not a tee-shirt but not a blouse.
"You look different," Kenzie says looking at her father in his uniform for the first time.
"Well, the uniform will do that," he says grinning. "Welcome the #2 Division of the Intelligence branch. Whatever happens in the building stays in this building?" He says looking at Kenzie who nods her head solemnly.
"Do I have to salute you?" Kenzie asks him.
"No saluting indoors, and also because you are a civilian," Ken says. "But you can still give me a hug in uniform."
Kenzie hugs him, letting her arms wrap around his waist. Her hair tangled around his arms as he hugged her back.
"Happy Birthday Kenzie," he says finally. "I hope the drive wasn't too awful?" Ken directed towards Rilla.
"It was fine," Rilla says nodding her head.
"Mom swore a lot," Kenzie adds on and Ken finds himself chuckling.
"Okay miss smarty pants," Rilla says rolling her eyes. "I swore twice and that was because someone cut us off twice."
"Well, you managed to make it, so why don't I show you around?" Ken smiled obviously amused.
Kenzie nods her head enthusiastically and starts in his office before going through the rest of his section of the building.
"This is the main room," Ken shows the room that is filled with computers and screens.
"Of Espionage?" Kenzie says for him and a few officers chuckle to themselves. "Can I try to decode something?"
"Sadly not," Ken tells her shaking his head. "Not on these anyway, but I think if you ask Officer Frank he may have something that you can work on for another clue?
Kenzie looks around. "Who is Officer Frank?"
"I am Officer Frank and I have this for you, Miss," A young woman says stepping into the conversation as if she was waiting and holding out a piece of paper for her.
"I need a pencil!" Kenzie demands and Ken passes her one. Not even looking for a table or desk, Kenzie falls onto the floor so she can work out the code.
They spent the rest of the morning watching her race around and find the next clue to whatever Ken planned for her.
"What is this?" A voice boomed and Kenzie found herself scurrying to attention. "Playtime in my office building? Captain Ford, what is the meaning of this?"
"It's a small training exercise, Sir," Ken tells the older man who looks over the child who was wearing bright pink and a pair of jean shorts.
"Do you have any books on Latin?" Kenzie asks him. "I am so close to figuring this out but this Latin, or at least I think is Latin is making me double guess myself."
"You haven't checked to see if the Library closet has anything?" He asks her raising an eyebrow.
"There's a library closet!"Kenzie turns to look at Ken. "Take me to it!" She demands.
Ken chuckles. "Please?"
"Please!" Kenzie says bouncing on her heels.
She rips open the door of the small library closets looking over the books finding one that had Latin translations in it only to find a Key in-between the pages.
"A key, but so what?" Kenzie says frowning, feeling over the key. "It's old, so something old?"
Trying to think back to the rooms he showed her, the areas they covered. Kenzie turned and raised down the hallway, stopping at his office that had an old trunk sitting on the floor. She fell to the floor on her knees once more and tried the key
"Presents!" She exclaims find a bag.
"The Goose Girl!" Kenzie shouts louder. "I always look at their things online, oh my god, how did you know!" She digs into the bag.
Ken looks over to Rilla who was laughing. "At least say thank you Kenzie," Rilla tells her daughter.
"Actually, my mom owns the shop," Ken says honestly. "I wasn't sure what quite to get you and she owns a shop for children and young girls."
Kenzie barely hears him as takes out a sequinned tee shirt with the little K on it, and some more brightly coloured headbands. A diary with a lock and key that was covered in glitter, a stuffed toy with overly large eyes.
"It's a beanie boo with my birthday!" She squeals. "Thank you!"
"Well, my mom helped a bit, and you so did your mom but I did pick everything out," Ken says feeling like he has to explain himself a bit. "There one more thing at the bottom of the bag though," Ken tells her smiling.
Kenzie digs more into the bag and at the bottom of the bag is a book, something that didn't look childish, but was all about ciphers and coding.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you." She says pulls him into another hug. "I can't believe you planned all this for me."
"I would do a lot more if I could," Ken tells her looking over at Rilla who watching and smiling. "But my mother made you cake I believe so you still have that."
"I do like cake," Kenzie says nodding her head.
They take Rilla's car, with Ken driving to get to his parents, explaining he usually takes the subway to work and it's easier for him to drive than to direct her. He points out various locations that he wanted to show them when they returned from the island. Plans to visit the aquarium and the Intelligence Museum that was located in Casa Loma and of course the CN Tower which Rilla already refused to go inside because of her fear of heights and glass floors.
"If you do call, you may have to call an hour earlier, my bedtime is 9:30 still even on vacation and we'll be an hour ahead of you."
"I will remember that," Ken tells her as they pull up to a rather large older-style home
"Wow, this is all for one family?" Kenzie asks, used to living in apartments.
"Grammy and Grandpa's house is just as large," Rilla reminds her unbuckling her seat belt. They make it up the driveway and from the front door opens and two older adults come out to greet them.
"Kenzie, Rilla, these are my parents," Ken says introducing her. "My mother Leslie and my father Owen."
He already told her to call them whatever she felt comfortable with and there were no expectations.
"It's nice to meet you both," she says quietly, wishing she had Dr. Fluffenutter for her to hold. Though Leslie was beautiful with her grey blonde hair while Owen Ford still had ahead of dark hair and wore a sweater with sheep on it that made her want to giggle.
"You as well," Leslie says. "I have cheese and vegetables out if you're hungry, I made meatless lasagna for dinner. Ken told me that you're aren't much of a meat-eater?"
"I like chicken nuggets, but mom says they aren't really real meat," Kenzie tells her and the adults laugh.
"I'm also not the greatest cook so, it might just be that," Rilla speaks up laughing awkwardly.
"Well, she looks fed enough so I don't think it's such a problem," Owen says her too. "It's nice to meet you as well.."
"Thank you for letting us stay the weekend before we head out east," Rilla tells them.
"It's our pleasure," Leslie says. "It's been an interesting year, and we are glad to finally meet both of you."
They settle in for small talk, Kenzie talking a mile a minute once her initial shyness wore off allowing Rilla to explore the bookcase near her.
"You have a copy of The Selkie Song of the Sea?" Rilla looks towards Owen, noticing that he has every single copy of Rowan Droff's book that her mother read. "This is impossible to find, my mother had a copy once, it was the last thing her mother gave her before she died when she was 16. I accidentally spilled juice on it as a child and ruined it. It's been out of print for so long that she hasn't been able to ever replace it, and even scouring the internet has proved futile or extremely expensive investment. To this day we both still read a grape juice-stained book every summer out on the Island." Rilla tells him. "
"Rowan Droff," Kenzie says pursing her lips. "Droff is essentially Ford backwards, and Rowan is pretty much Owen."
"Well, you are not wrong," Owen says grinning. "It seems that in and half an hour you have figured out the family secret. The Selkie Song and the Sea, I self-published that many years ago, which is why you cannot find It. I am surprised your mother had a copy. My publishers, never saw the appeal of it, compared to the books I write. They have long been forgotten about it. Give me a moment?" He says standing up from his chair and walking up the stairs.
He comes back down holding a book, but also another bag that said happy birthday on it.
"For your mother, and for you Kennedy," Owen says handing them off.
"Thank you," Kenzie says looking to her mother who nods and smiles.
"Thank you," Rilla says. "Mom will never believe this, it's all right if I tell her?"
"As long as she doesn't go off telling everyone, I like a small amount of anonymity."
"Of course," Rilla nods her head.
"Mom look!" Kenzie shouts, she's holding up a snow globe that had a trapeze artist in the dome.
"What do you say?" Rilla reminds her.
"Thank you," Kenzie says quickly. "I love it, thank you." She says to the older couple.