Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
“Nope,” Dane said just as Hailey cheered, “Yay! I want gummy bears!”
Oh, he was going to hate me. And maybe kill me. But it would be fun.
“Shall we?” I motioned to the two of them. Hailey surprised me when she grabbed my hand, and then with the other, grabbed Dane’s. When I glanced at him over her head, his cheeks were slightly pink, like he was embarrassed, and his jaw was tight, because obviously Dane had to be a contradiction in everything he did. “I think you need ice cream.”
“I don’t need ice cream,” he said through a tight jaw. “And it’s a little chilly too.”
“You don’t want ice cream?” Hailey asked, and he immediately softened, which again, was cute. It was completely obvious the little girl had him wrapped around her finger.
“Of course I want ice cream.”
“Yay!” she said again.
The three of us began walking, and we both listened as Hailey rambled on about the color pink and the sky and how she was going to be either a princess or a football player when she was old like Mommy and Dane. I wondered where her father was, but obviously wasn’t going to ask. “Maybe you can be a football-playing princess?” I said. “It could work.” If I could have done it as a princess, I might have played football growing up like my parents had wanted.
“You could definitely pull it off,” Dane told her, and she glowed. Oh, this kid loved her uncle, and it made me even more curious about Captain Cranky Pants.
We got to the ice cream parlor, and Dane held the door open for us. “Thank you.” I curtsied before we walked inside.
He touched my arm while Hailey was distracted by all the flavors, and said softly, “You didn’t have to come…thanks. She likes you.”
“I like her too. Are you going to get gummy bears in your ice cream?”
He shook his head. “That sounds gross.”
“But it might be good. How would you know if you didn’t try?”
“You’re ridiculous.”
But when it was our time to order, both Hailey and I got birthday cake with sprinkles, and Dane got vanilla with gummy bears. See? I was lightening him up already.
We sat down, and I was pretty sure there was more ice cream on Hailey’s shirt and face than made it in her mouth, but she seemed to be enjoying it, so whatever.
“So…the Underground…” Dane said.
“Don’t worry, Captain Cranky Pants. I won’t harass you.” Too much, at least.
“Why you call him dat?” Hailey said, and that made Dane smile maybe the biggest grin I’d ever seen from him.
“Oh, it’s just a joke. Uncle Dane said I can call him that sometimes. He likes it.”
Dane frowned.
Hailey chuckled.
Ball back in my court.
“Mommy says he’s grumpy sometimes too!”
“Your mommy is a smart lady,” I teased, and Dane scowled. Before he kicked me out, I changed the subject. “So…what’s your favorite color?”
“Burble,” Hailey replied.
“I like purple and pink. You?” My gaze turned to Dane.
“Um…blue, I guess?”
“You guess? Dane! Oh my God. You should know your favorite color.” When I turned back to Hailey, I asked, “What are we going to do with him?”
“Mommy says he’s a lifesaver,” Hailey replied before taking a bite. Oh, my heart. That was the sweetest thing. Too bad he couldn’t be that sweet to me. All I got was Captain Cranky Pants.
“That’s not true. I don’t do anything special,” Dane said. It was pretty apparent he wasn’t comfortable with the compliment. I didn’t know him well enough to know if he didn’t like them at all or if it was simply the fact that I was there.
We finished our ice cream, and Dane cleaned Hailey up. “We should, um…get going.” He nodded toward the door.
“Thank you for the ice cream.” I knelt down and held my hand up for a high five from Hailey. She gave it. “Thanks for hanging out with me. I had fun.”
“Me tooooo!” She dragged out the sound.
When I stood again, Dane was looking at me funny. He had these little wrinkles between his eyes from pinching his forehead. Did he think I was a monster or something? Shocked that I knew how to be appropriate around a child? “Do you, um…want a ride home?” Dane asked.
Oh. That was nice. Maybe he didn’t think I was a monster. He also looked like the words had been painful, but I chose to ignore that. “That would be fabulous.”
So then I found myself holding hands with Hailey again, who held hands with Dane, and it sort of felt like I was holding hands with him. We walked back toward the park and then to the lot, where he approached an older, beat-up Jeep.
“It’s not much,” he said as if I would care.
“So?” It was more than I had.
He strapped Hailey into the car seat in the back, and I climbed into the front. I swear it was as if the second we pulled onto the road, she pushed a button and fell asleep. “I wish I could fall asleep that fast,” I said softly.