Page 3 of Run, Little Bunny

“Lucky me,” I mutter under my breath, but I shuffle in her direction anyway. At least the photo booth means I don’t have to do much except stand there and wave. The mask does all the smiling for me.

I get into position by the booth, and the photographer takes a test picture then shows it to me. The white gloves, shoe covers, and oversized bunny head make me look like something out of a nightmare. Kids are definitely going to cry being forced to take a photo with me.

This torture is almost over. There is beer in my future, I remind myself. Nicholas, the newest member of our fantasy league and owner of the bar High Five, is buying the first round of beers after this as a way to conclude our fantasy season.

Lauren gives me a thumbs up as she prepares to herd the first batch of sugar-fueled kids my way.

My eyes wander back to Anna. I wonder if she’ll end up at High Five later. I know she enjoys going there sometimes. To be honest, I wouldn’t mind seeing her in a setting outside of her work and when I’m not dressed like a cartoon character. Or maybe I should get over myself and ask her out next time I’m at La Nonna.

A kid runs up to me, and I bend down to give him a high-five. He laughs like it’s the funniest thing ever. At least someone’s enjoying this.

One more hour.I need to survive one more hour in this stupid suit, and then I can retire Buttons the Bunny for good.

3

“Time to take your photo with the Easter Bunny,” my sister says to Cam, who’s sitting in the grass, happily sorting through the contents of his Easter eggs. She turns to me with a mischievous look on her face. “You should get one too.”

“Yeah, right! For all I know, there’s some creepy old man under there.”

She raises an eyebrow. “You’re the one saying there are no options in this town, and you think this guy is into you, so go flirt with him.”

“The Easter Bunny?”

“He can’t be that creepy if the park district is letting him take photos with hundreds of kids.”

“You want me to flirt with the Easter Bunny?”

“Not the Easter Bunny.” She nudges me. “The guy behind the costume.”

“Mmm …”

Megan gives me her classic older sister dare face. “Take a photo with him. It’ll make me smile for the rest of the day.”

I sigh dramatically, but I can’t resist. I’m not one to turn down a dare. Grabbing Cam’s hand, the three of us head toward the line. As we wait, I find myself staring at the Easter Bunny.Who could be behind that fluffy mask? He’s tall—like, really tall—and after seeing that lady from the park’s district giggle with him, I’m starting to wonder if he’s someone around her age. Maybe a friend of hers? He knows who I am, so he must live around here. Could he be one of my regulars at La Nonna?

A sudden thought strikes me, and I smirk. It’s ridiculous, but … “Have I ever told you about one of my regulars, Chad?” I ask Megan.

She squints. “The guy that owns the boat rental company?”

“Yeah.”

“What about him?”

“I was thinking—what if he’s the bunny?”

“Seems random, but … his company is one of the sponsors of this event.”

What if Chad is the bunny?“He’s cute, but he’s always given off big brother vibes.”

Cute is a little bit of an understatement. He’s just over six feet tall with light brown hair and brown eyes.

“He’s also too old for you,” she immediately chimes in.

“How do you know how old he is?”

“Because I’m a nosy lady that eats up all the gossip in this town.” We both laugh at its truth. “Twelve years is a huge age gap … especially at your age.”

“Why are you trying to make me feel like a baby?”

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