Page 88 of Suddenly Entwined

I chuckle, slowing at a stoplight.

“Isn’t it going to be dark in there, anyway?”

“Why would it be dark?”

“It’s a dance. Mood lighting or whatever.”

“It’s at an elementary school. Tell me what type of mood exactly we’re trying to set?”

“I don’t know, but you’re setting some type of mood up in my truck right now. A grumpy one. Knock it off.”

“Oh my god, I see Maddie!” Natalie waves furiously at her friend from the backseat.

“You saw her three hours ago.”

We park and the girls take off to see Nat’s friend.

“You stay put. I’ll come to get that out of your lap.”

I walk around to her door, opening it and holding my hands out.

The second I receive it, I wobble the plate slightly. “Woah!”

Caro’s hand flies out to try to steady me as I pretend to stumble, even though I have a death grip on it.

“I don’t even know why I like you,” she says when I grin to let her know I was joking around.

She shakes her head.

“Like? After everything we did before this?”

“A strong like.”

“If a strong dislike is a synonym for hate, does that mean a strong like is another way to say love?”

“What’s gotten into you?”

“I don’t know. I guess I strongly like my date for the school dance.”

Caro slides out of the truck and kisses me sweetly on the cheek before retrieving the plate and following my daughters.

“I’d tell you not to drop it, but…” I let my voice trail off.

“Daddy! We need the tickets or we can’t go in. Come on.” Louisa runs up to me with her fists on her hips.

She slips her tiny hand into mine and we follow the music toward the dance.

***

The volunteers have outdone themselves and even though kids are screaming and running in every direction, it’s pretty incredible how they’ve done up the gym with fairy lights and metallic balloons. After sliding Caro’s cake into an empty space on the auction table, we trail behind the girls for a bit until we lose sight of them completely. We stand shoulder to shoulder, not speaking, as I awkwardly bob my head to the music.

“I’ll go get us a drink?” she offers.

“I don’t suppose they have booze?”

She rolls her eyes at me and disappears toward the drink and snack tables.

Like she has some sort of tracking beacon on me, Tamara appears out of nowhere.

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