Total pages in book: 122
Estimated words: 115288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 576(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 576(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
I just want to figure out where I fit into all of this. And hopefully, in time, I can find a place for myself in Spark House that gives me the same kind of joy Avery and London have.
Later that afternoon, I pick up Peyton from school. The fall colors are long gone, trees bare and the grass faded, having lost its summer vibrance. The first flakes of snow start to fall on the way to the park, swirling around us and melting as soon as they touch our clothes or skin.
“I can’t wait to make snowmen this winter! Dad and I usually make two for the front yard, one of him and one of me, but this year we can make three, and you can have your own snowman too. We dress them up in our old clothes and change their outfits sometimes.” Peyton skips along beside me, chattering away.
“That sounds like a lot of fun.”
Peyton slips her mitten-clad hand in mine. “It is. On Christmas Eve we always go to Granny and Grandpa’s place, and then on Christmas Day we see Nana and Grampy. Will you spend Christmas with us?”
I glance at her, taking in her hopeful, expectant expression. I don’t want to overstep, and this isn’t a conversation I’ve had with Gavin yet. “I usually spend Christmas Day with my sisters, but we’ll have to see what works.”
She nods and her smile turns wistful. “It must be so fun to have sisters at Christmastime. At Granny and Grandpa’s my auntie Louise and uncle Frank come too, and they bring my cousins Jasper and Jennifer. They live all the way in Boston, so it’s a long trip for them, and last year Jasper was brand-new and he couldn’t do much but stare at things, but this year he’s talking and walking, and Granny says he’s a going concern. I think that means it’s going to be a lot of fun. If you don’t see your sisters on Christmas Eve, maybe you could come to Granny and Grandpa’s with us and meet my aunt and uncle and cousins.”
Gavin doesn’t talk about Marcie’s siblings, but from what I know, they’re spread across the country and they only really see each other during the holidays. “That sounds like it would be a lot of fun. And your birthday is coming up soon too. You must be excited about that.”
“I am. I sort of thought maybe I wanted to go to Chuck E. Cheese for a party, but I also kind of want to have a princess party. And I want one of those before I’m too old to love dressing up like princesses. But I don’t know if that will ever happen because I want to be in plays, and then I’ll get to dress up and pretend to be princesses, or whatever role I get in the play. This year I get to play Santa’s lead elf in the Christmas play, and I’m really excited. I have lots of lines and I have almost all of them memorized.”
“Maybe tonight you can rehearse some of them for me.”
“Do you think you can come to rehearsal next week? They’re so much fun. At least when we’re not messing up scenes and forgetting lines. Sometimes that happens. That’s why we have to practice a lot.”
“I would love to come. We can check my schedule and you can tell me what day will work the best.”
“Yay! Dad sometimes stays for them, but he always has work to do, so he can only watch part of it. But he comes to every performance.”
It sounds exactly like something Gavin would do. When we get to the park, we head for the swings. It’s quiet, only a few kids and their parents around, the cool temperatures and darker days sending people inside earlier. We only have half an hour before the sun starts to set.
When Peyton runs over to the slides, I take a moment to message Gavin, asking if he has any thoughts about dinner, and if he’s not quick about responding, there’s a good chance Peyton will want mac and cheese, and not the good kind either.
His response is almost immediate.
Gavin: I’m a fan of mac and cheese, but I was thinking I could pick something up. Takeout from the Pasta Bar? Their lobster mac and cheese is second only to your homemade.
I message back with a thumbs-up. As nice as homemade mac and cheese is, takeout sounds so much more appealing tonight.
I glance up, searching the slide for Peyton’s bright yellow puffy coat. It’s easy to pick her out in a crowd of pink or blue coats, which seems to be fairly common in her age group. For a second my heart jumps into my throat because I don’t see her on the slide at all. And then it settles back in my chest when I spot her on the climbers. I’m about to warn her to be careful and to remind her that her dad doesn’t love it when she climbs up there, but I don’t have a chance, because her foot slips and she falls.