Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 71768 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71768 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
With a sigh, I pulled out three different brands of fruit snacks, a protein bar, a Zbar, Cheerios, and my secret weapon—Takis.
Monica had loved Takis, and Viera had wanted to be just like her mom, so when she was old enough to start snacking on different foods, she’d immediately taken to the Takis. Despite their spice, she was obsessed, but Monica had always been careful not to let Viera have too many since it wasn’t necessarily a healthy snack.
“Takis!” Viera clapped her hands, then held them out. “Gimme!”
I held them out and moved my hand back and forth—her eyes followed left, right, then back to left again.
“Ah, hypnotism by way of Takis,” came Colby’s voice. “Smart man.”
Before she even sat, she snatched them out of my hands, dug into the bag, and pulled a few out, then handed them to Viera and popped one in her own mouth.
“You like Takis too?” I asked, a bit surprised, like I was a monster who didn’t understand junk food.
“Who do you think introduced Monica to them?” Colby grinned. “Let me guess, they’re too messy for you, too spicy…”
She licked her fingers, and for some reason it didn’t make me want to scowl or hurl.
It made me want to lick her fingers too.
And then lick something else.
What the hell? Had I accidentally hypnotized myself with the bag of Takis?
I gave my head a shake. “I don’t mind them.”
“Prove it.” She held out the bag.
With a sigh I dug in and crunched down on a chip. Colby reached for my fingertips and looked like she wanted to lick off the remnants, then looked away toward where Ben stood on the mat.
“Look, Viera, Ben’s about to go,” she said, her eyes widening. “Whoa, that kid’s huge.”
“Yay, Ben!” Viera clapped. “Look, his turn!”
We watched as Ben did a little bow to his instructor and then to the kid he was fighting.
“Are we sure Ben’s in the right weight class?” Colby’s voice wobbled, and I knew she was thinking exactly what I was thinking. Ben was in trouble.
The kid immediately tried taking Ben down.
I flinched as Colby squeezed my thigh. “Go, Ben! Take him down! Flip him!”
“You know nothing about jujitsu, do you?”
“I tried googling on my way over to the bleachers and nearly got taken down by a ten-year-old with popcorn.”
“Sounds about right.” I nodded and then winced as Ben was thrown down. “That little shit!”
“Swear jar!” Viera sang.
“Swearing doesn’t count in sports,” Colby said.
“Go, little shit!” Viera yelled.
Colby slapped a hand over Viera’s mouth as we earned several stares, then used her other hand to squeeze my thigh. “Let’s go, Ben!”
I wasn’t even sure if she knew she was doing it, but I suddenly didn’t care as she squeezed harder and harder each time Ben was thrown down.
“What the hell is that kid’s problem?” I lowered my voice so only Colby could hear me.
“I don’t know, but I’d like to give him a flip!” She suddenly looked down at her hand and jerked it away. “Sorry.”
“It’s OK.” Her cheeks were turning pink, and suddenly I found I couldn’t look away.
She looked really pretty.
She also looked like she fit.
With us.
With everything.
With the chaos that was constantly banging around in my head. Ugh, I needed to sleep, right? That was what this was.
Her hair was half falling out of her bun, and her shirt could have used a good ironing, but suddenly all I saw was the kindness and caring and, yeah, embarrassment that shone on her face over the situation. The best part about Colby wasn’t the perfection, no, it was the small imperfections she didn’t care about that made her a good aunt.
So what if her shirt had a stain? She was busy coloring.
And her crazy hair? Well, there was glue up in there… put there by Ben the scientist.
I hated that things like that had set me off, because why the hell did they matter?
If the kids were happy.
If they were smiling.
If I was smiling…
And then Viera suddenly screamed again. “Bennnnn!”
Moment broken, all three of us stared while Ben suddenly did a double-leg takedown and pinned the little shit to the mat.
The kid’s legs flailed beneath Ben, but he couldn’t break the hold. You could see the strain on Ben’s little face as he held strong.
Pride burst through my chest as Colby stood and yelled, “Get him, Ben!”
She didn’t care that she had red-stained fingers from the Takis, or that she was yelling in front of all the parents.
No, she just cared about Ben.
That was it.
Maybe that had always been it.
Colby didn’t seem to care what others thought. She only cared that the people she loved knew she loved them.
And what did that say about me? Always focused on everything being just right. Was I missing something in my pursuit of perfection? Was I missing the entire point?