Page 158 of Hot Shot

I enjoy all of it, every fucking minute, so fucking much.

Life has been blissful and easy these last few weeks. Like we passed some threshold that brought us right to this deliriously happy moment, eating our waffle cones in our Sunday best beneath a canopy of fiery orange leaves. They’re scattered on the sidewalk of Main Street too, big as Cricket’s face, and I watch from the bench where I sit. Between licks, she steps on a new one very slowly, so the crunch of it crumbling lasts.

“Oh, that was a good one, bug,” Cass says, rising to join her from the bench where I sit. Cricket jumps to give her a high five.

Cass’s cheeks are high and pink, the freckles across them the same color as her eyelashes when she doesn’t have makeup on. Her fitted dress is a deep emerald green that matches her eyes, rich and decadent as her shining auburn hair. It’s nearly the same color as the leaves that occasionally rain down, floating like a dream around us.

It feels like a dream, all of this. The sight of herhereis a dream of its own. But add it to the way she laughs with Cricket, like they’ve been best friends for always? The way she looks at me, like we never parted a day, like she’s always loved me?

No man should be this lucky. But if anyone ever was, thank God it’s me.

Cass and Cricket are still busy smashing leaves as we finish up our celebratory cones, but Cricket spikes hers into the trashcan before she’s through and bolts over to me, smiling. She’s lost another incisor, this one right below the other. It makes a gross little window for her to stick her tongue in, which she’s doing as she runs for me.

I catch her with anoof, her arms flung around my neck.

With her mouth close to my ear, she whispers,“Is it time yet, Daddy?”

“Almost,” I whisper back, kissing the side of her head before I let her go. But she runs over to Cass anyway and grabs her hand, tugging her.

“C’mon, Cassie! Finish your ice cream so we can go see Uncle Remy.”

I sigh and give Cricket a look, which she just grins at.

“Uncle Remy, huh?” Cass’s brows click together as she takes a bite of her cone and throws the rest away.

“Mmhmm, he’s at The Horseshoe.” Cricket marches away, pulling so hard, Cass stumbles a little in her heels, laughing. “He said I could come say hi after ice cream.”

Cass glances at me with a question, but I shrug like I have no idea what she’s talking about.

“Well, all right, bug. Gee, what’s the emergency?” We’re halfway to the door. My heart clangs louder with every step.

“Nothin’!”

“Is he giving you money? Candy? Fries?”

Cricket giggles. “Nope!” She lets Cass’s hand go to run to the door, standing in front of it with her face lit up. “Okay, ready?”

But Cass is still chuckling. “Ready for what, you goof?”

This time when Cricket giggles, it’s at me, and it’s nearly out of control, her face all pink from the secret.

“Forthis!”

Cricket has to use all her weight to pull open the door, but when she does, Cass’s face softens, her lips parting and eyes wide as she drifts into the bar in a trance.

I wink at Cricket, and we share a little high five as we walk in behind her. When the door closes, it’s nearly dark, but Remy is there. He takes Cricket and hands something to me, jerking his chin toward Cass in a gesture that could only mean,Go get her.

So I do.

The only lights are the colored ones over the dance floor, spinning and swirling around. In the middle is a curtain witha Valentine’s set up that’s as close as I could get to the eighth grade dance photo backdrop. Over the speaker, the beginning of “Chasing Cars” plays. Cass turns around, laughing and half crying, her hand in front of her mouth. But before she says anything, her gaze lands on the carnation in my hand.

“Wanna go to the dance with me?” I ask, and she cracks up, the sound affected by a throat full of tears. She takes the flower, kisses me, but I end it swiftly, separating so I can take her hand. “Come on. Dance with me.”

Her head is on a swivel as she looks around, wonderstruck. I give her a spin, then pull her into my arms, our bodies flush as we sway. Her arms are around my neck, mine nestled in the small of her back, just like back then. Except back then, we had to have enough space between us to fit a Bible.

You couldn’t get even a page of separation this time.

“I can’t believe you did this,” she says, looking at me like I hung the moon.

---