Page 86 of Sunsets & Other Dangerous Things

“We are still in our twenties.” August wasn’t having any of Uther’s valid points. Now he had hand gestures to go with his rallying cry. “Our week of fun and forgetfulness is almost up, and what have we done? Gone to bed early so we can be up at a reasonable hour? Sleeping by the beach?”

“Well, thisisa vacation…” Uther mumbled.

Esther nodded again, pointing at Uther to show her support.

“Love.” August bundled up Uther in his arms, kissing him gently on the forehead. “You are so smart and so cute, but that’s not the answer I’m looking for. Ashley?” He pointed to the couch, and Ashley looked around, as though unsure she was the Ashley he was talking to. “What is this?”

She looked down at the paper in her hand, and Esther watched in real-time as a spark lit and caught flame in her eyes. “This is spring break.”

Oh no. What was on that piece of paper?

Ashley hopped up from the couch, full of energy. “We’re on spring break!”

She tossed the paper in the air, letting it flutter back to the couch. Esther snatched it before it landed, reading quickly.

Carnival in the Moonlight, one night only, beachside.

“Help me rally the troops?” August was alight with excitement, and for a moment, Esther thought the two of them might hug.

“We should do shots,” Ashley cheered.

Esther rose and shuffled toward Uther while Ashley and August strode to the kitchen discussing rum shots.

“It only took a few months and locking them in a shack together,” Esther said, “but I think they’re finally getting along.”

“Don’t let them fool you,” Uther whispered. “They text each other constantly. They’re both just too stubborn to admit they’ve been friends for ages now.”

“Esther,” Ashley said. Esther turned to see Ashley with a shot in each hand. “Prepare yourself, sweetheart. We’re going out.”

Esther sighed and accepted the small cup Ashley handed her. For her and only her, she would take off her comfy pajamas and don her outdoor clothes again. “All right.”

She clinked Ashley’s glass and took the shot.

Esther

Pop, pop, pop.“Die, ducks!”

“Esther, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this bloodthirsty. It’s a bit of a turn-on.” Ashley’s cool hand rested lightly on her lower back, but Esther’s attention was on the row of carnival ducks merrily quacking across the stand in front of her. To her right, Uther lined up his shot.

“We’ve got a close race here, folks.” The carnival worker was eating up the attention they attracted. “One more round to find our winner.”

“You’ve got this, sweetheart.” Ashley kissed her cheek as the guy behind the booth stood to the side and counted down. “And I hear you mumbling over there, August! No cheating.”

August pressed a hand to his chest. “I would never.”

But Esther was no longer paying attention. The obnoxious carnival music,the tick-tick-swishof nearby roller coasters accompanied by a chorus of screams, and the salty sea breeze mixed with stale popcorn all faded as she lifted the small, plastic rifle to her shoulder and ground the ball of her foot into the hard-packed sand. A horn sounded, and the back of the stand clanked into motion as three rows of two-dimensional, wooden ducks crisscrossed in and out of view.

Pop! The first duck she lined up disappeared in a spatter of pink powder before she pulled her trigger.

“Keep up, Esther.” Uther lined up another duck and fired.

The game only lasted a minute.Pop, pop, pop!Three ducks disappeared in a cloud of green. Esther had never held a gun in her life, and she wasn’t even sure this counted. But the adrenaline coursing through her said not to stop shooting.

Another blast from the horn and the ducks stopped their journey.

“A close game folks, but we have a new record tonight. Congratulations to Player Pink!”

“Yes!” Uther jumped into August’s arms.

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