Page 100 of Right in Front of You

She looked back to her father who approached us from behind. Something passed between them, and he nodded to Mac.

“I can tell you a very important secret, but you have to pinkie swear not to repeat it to anyone. And I mean anyone.” She stuck out her tiny finger at me, waiting for mine.

“All right, I pinkie swear.”

I remembered making such promises with Mackenzie’s mother in the past. So much had happened since we were that young.

“Daddy’s going to oppose to Mommy, and they’re gonna get married at Pebble Beach.”

“You mean propose?”

“That’s what I said. Oppose.”

“When is this happening?”

“Two weeks. That’s fourteen days if you want to cross them off on a secret calendar, the way I do,” Mackenzie said.

“I think I will. Sounds like a very important day.”

“The most important one of the year. Besides my birthday, of course. And maybe Christmas too. And your birthday too, Uncle Carter, because that’s important too.”

“Thanks, Mac.”

“What do you say? Ready to be my best man?” Nick asked.

“Are you serious?”

“Never been more serious in my life, brother. You think you can manage the job without burning down the church?”

“But Daddy,” Mackenzie pulled on his shirt. “It’s supposed to be on Pebble Beach.”

“I know, honey, it’s a figure of speech.”

“What’s a figure of speech?” she asked.

“Why don’t you grab a cupcake before they’re all gone.” Nick pointed to the table that was stacked over the limit.

“I can make more. What’s a figure of speech?” Mackenzie persisted.

“It’s a sentence that means something else than you may think.” Nick shrugged, his eyes wide open, looking to me for assistance. What? Did he think I was Wikipedia? And so I shrugged in return.

“Boys just sometimes don’t make sense.” She lowered her hands to her hips, shook her head and stomped back to the table, grabbing a cupcake into her fist and biting into it like a savage.

“I see she’s been hanging around her father a lot,” I teased.

“Hey, I’m still trying to figure all of this out.”

“You’re doing great for a guy who just found out that he has a five-year-old daughter.”

“You can’t tell Jo about the wedding. It will be a surprise.”

“Well, look at you, Mr. Romantic. Seriously? You’re not telling Jo? Aren’t you afraid that she’ll say no?”

He leaned his head to the side, mocking me.

“Right. Lovebirds. I forgot. Hey, can I bring a date?”

“Who?” His eyes opened wide.

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