Page 42 of Audra: The Prequel

Sadly, Audra suspected she was thinking about her father, who was always too busy to spend time with her.

“Sometimes, but I like to have fun.”

Kerilyn perked up. “Playing catch.”

“Yes. And flying kites.”

“And racing.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Did you say racing?”

She nodded vigorously. “I run very fast. Don’t I, Mommy?”

“She does. She’s as fast as a cheetah,” Audra confirmed.

Damon whistled. “That’s fast. I don’t know, though. I’m pretty fast myself.”

“Not as fast as a cheetah,” Kerilyn said. She hopped to her feet. “Bet you can’t catch me.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Kerilyn dashed off, her laughter echoing in the wind as Damon rose slowly to his feet.

“She’s going to wear you out,” Audra warned.

“I consider myself in peak condition, but I’m actually worried you might be right.”

He jogged after Kerilyn, intentionally running slowly so she could stay ahead. Audra watched, laughing as her daughter zigzagged across the grass to escape him.

Finally, Damon picked up his pace and caught up to Kerilyn, sweeping her into his arms and spinning her around.

She squealed happily. “You got me!”

“I always catch cheetahs,” he said.

He placed her back on the ground, and the two of them raced over to the blanket, with Kerilyn leading the way.

“Are you going to sit here all day?” Damon asked.

Kerilyn placed her hands on her hips. “Yeah, are you gonna sit here all day, Mommy?”

“Oh, so the two of you are ganging up on me?”

Giggling, Kerilyn grabbed Audra’s hand and tugged. Groaning, Audra pushed to her feet.

“I want to race again,” Kerilyn announced.

“How about from here to the picnic table this time?” Damon suggested.

“Count to three.”

“Okay. One, two—” He broke off when Audra and Kerilyn sprinted away from him.

“Hey!” Damon yelled after them.

Laughing uncontrollably, Audra and Kerilyn bolted toward the table hand in hand.

They spent the rest of the afternoon flying the kite, tossing a ball, and chasing each other around the park.

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