Page 41 of Hot Shot

She nods, pale-faced, her eyes on the men. But she takes my hand. And I sweep her into the kitchen and out the back door.

The second we’re alone, I feel better. “It’s this way?” I ask.

She nods, eyes on her shiny Mary Janes.

“I love a good tire swing. It’s been a while since I’ve been on one though.”

“Pawpaw made it for Mama when she was little,” is all she says.

“He’s a good man, Pawpaw.”

Again, she nods.

When we reach the swing, I pause. “Do you need help getting on?—”

She’s already halfway up, and I watch her scramble onto the swing, legs dangling from the middle.

“Hey, that’s pretty good. So, what do you think? Swing or spin?”

“Spin,” she answers without hesitation. It sounds more likethpinbecause of her missing teeth, and I decided it might be the cutest sound.

“You got it.”

So for a minute, I occupy myself with twisting the swing until it’s so tight, I can’t wind it anymore.

“Ready?”

“Ready.”

When I let go, I make sure to spin the tire a little extra, really see if I can get her to puke. Cricket’s curls fly as she hangs on for dear life, and she’s grinning in a blur as she goes by. Whenit finally begins to slow, she squeaks and giggles. Behind her glasses, her eyes are tracking back and forth.

“Again!”

Laughing, I twist her up again. This time, she throws back her head so she’s looking at everything upside down.

“Careful, girl—you’re gonna ralph.”

But she just laughs. And I can’t help but keep laughing too.

This time when she slows, she’s wavering a little, her cheeks pink.

“How about we swing this time?”

“Okay.”

I start to push her, and as the adrenaline fades, I watch her shrink again, her gaze sinking.

“D’ya think Trent’s okay?” she asks.

I choose my words carefully, keeping a levity about me. “I think Trent’s really upset and doesn’t know how to talk about it. Do you know him pretty well?”

She nods. “Sometimes he lives with us.”

“That makes sense, since he’s your mama’s boyfriend.”

“They fight a lot, then I don’t see him for a long time.”

I give her a good push, ignoring the fatigue in my noodle arms. “Has he been staying with y’all lately?”

---