Page 1 of Run, Little Bunny

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Saturday, April 19th

“How many eggs are you going to get?” I ask my nephew Cam, who’s squirming in his car seat, growing tired of the straps.

“All of them!” he shouts, bubbling with excitement for the annual Easter egg hunt in our town of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. I lean over, adjusting his straps a little to make him more comfortable.

“Some of the eggs have special prizes,” I remind him. “You could win a new bicycle or even gift cards.”

“I want candy!”

My sister Megan and I make eye contact through the rearview mirror, both smiling at his four-year-old honesty.

I can’t wait to have kids. My friends think I’m crazy since I’m only twenty-two, but I’ve always wanted to be a mom. Seeing all the families in the park as we approach, it makes the feeling stronger. Opening my period tracking app, I chuckle.Ovulating.

“What’s so funny?” Megan asks as she pulls into the park’s parking lot.

I hesitate, then shrug.

“Something deep is on your mind. Spill.”

“Just thinking about the lack of options in this town.”

“So, your date last night didn’t go well?”

“Understatement. I spent three hours listening to him talk about crypto. I don’t even know what Ethereum is, but apparently, I should care.”

Megan snorts before we both get out of the car. I immediately spot the cutest couple in town, Emily Brown and Nicholas O’Malley. Emily’s son skips in front of them, swinging his basket.

That’s what I want.I want someone who loves these cheesy holiday traditions as much as I do. Nicholas is also a zaddy—a hot, older man—and I wouldn’t be mad about that either.

“He’s going to propose,” Megan whispers as she lets Cam out of his car seat.

“What?! Already?”

“I heard he was in the jewelry store last week asking some very specific questions.”

“He should know better …” I laugh, even though I kind of love the small-town gossip mill. “For real? They haven’t even been together for six months.”

Still, I find it romantic.

Cam spots the colorful eggs scattered across the park's grass and takes off.

“Slow down!” Megan and I yell in unison, and then we smile at each other. I’ve been helping out more than usual since her husband was deployed, and I love being a bigger part of their lives.

“The basket!” I blurt out, realizing we left it in the trunk. “I’ll get it.”

Megan gives me a grateful smile, jogging after Cam while I head back to the car.

With Cam’s personalized basket in hand, I chuckle at the sight of a giant Easter Bunny waving to everyone at the entrance. The costume is ridiculous with a green vest, blue tuxedo jacket, huge fluffy head, and large glassy eyes.

That bunny has to be over six feet tall.

The Easter Bunny raises his hand like he’s asking for a high-five. I smile awkwardly and slap his giant paw. “Anna!” a voice calls out from behind the mask as our hands meet.

I freeze. Okay, this is creepy. How does he know my name? I can’t quite figure out who’s behind the costume, and I’m too embarrassed to stand around and ask. Raising the basket as a kind of excuse, I continue toward Cam and my sister.

Kids are nearly salivating at the thousands of pastel-colored eggs scattered across the grass.

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