Page 17 of A Hot Sauce Halloween

Five

Jake

I take a step back.“Okay, Charlotte. Let’s take a look at you.”

My daughter stands in the middle of her bedroom with a bright, smiling face. We went to three different costume shops around town today until we found something she liked. I’m not going to lie, the one she chose melted my heart. I still haven’t recovered.

Dressed in red from head-to-toe with a green cap on her head and white letters on her shirt that read…

HOT SAUCE.

She’s a bottle of hot sauce.

I lay a hand on my chest. “You look hot, honey,” I say. “Very hot.”

She giggles.

But it’s daddy-daughter night and our costumes have to match.

I bend over and pick up the large, foam taco shell. “Help me put this on, will ya?” I ask as I drop to my knees.

Charlotte walks over and “helps” by gently pressing against it as I pull it over my head. Stringy pieces of fake lettuce, cheese, and plush chunks of tomato sit on top, surrounding my head as I push it through the opening.

I shove my arms through the ends, feeling restricted but not totally uncomfortable. Something I can easily stand for one night.

“Okay, how do I look?” I ask Charlotte. “Am I handsome?”

She laughs. “You’re a taco!”

“A handsome taco, though, right?”

Her little shoulders bounce.

“Oh, my…”

I deflate at the sound of Anna’s voice behind me. I spin around and look up at her pink cheeks. She’s holding back a laugh with one hand pressed against her mouth.

I take Charlotte’s hand and stand up. “Well, what do you think?” I ask her, owning it. “Kind of perfect, right?”

Anna bites her lip. “Absolutely perfect!” Her hand slides into her pocket for her phone. “This could not be…”

“What are you doing?” I ask.

She aims the camera. “… more perfect…”

“You’re mean.”

“Say hot sauce!”

Charlotte beams. “Hot sauce!”

I flash a smile and Anna snaps a photo.

She sighs and taps the screen. “Adorable.”

“Where are sending that?” I ask.

“Nowhere…” She doesn’t look up but her grin curls up her face.

---