Page 83 of Shadows of You

Cady nibbled on her lip. “We don’t have to go to dance. Maybe we could get ice cream instead.”

Anger burned brightly in my gut. Those mean girls had made Cady not want to do her favorite thing. That stopped today.

“How about this? We go to dance andthenget ice cream.”

She still looked unsure.

I squeezed her shoulder. “We can’t let the meanies win. Because if we do, they’ll just keep doing it. Not only to you but to other people, too.”

Cady nodded slowly. “I don’t want them to be mean to other kids.”

Such a pure heart.

I held up my hand. “Let’s do this.”

Cady slapped me a high-five. “Let’s do this.”

I shut the door and rounded my truck, grabbing a bag from the back. In a matter of seconds, we were heading for the dance studio on the edge of town. I pulled into an empty spot and helped Cady and Charlie out.

Cady grabbed her bag and ran toward the building. “I gotta change.”

“Hold up, Tiny Dancer. I got you something.” I handed her the shopping bag from the local sporting goods store.

She peeked inside and gasped. “For me?”

I nodded. “The woman at the store said they should be your size.”

Cady pulled out a sparkly pink leotard and gaped. “These are the fancy ones.”

My chest ached for her. Cady deserved the best, and if it was within my power, I’d make sure she had it. “I thought you’d like the sparkles.”

She beamed and threw herself at me. “You’re my favoritest ever!”

I chuckled, patting her back. “You’d better hurry and change.”

Cady released me and ran into the locker room.

Charlie watched her go and then looked up at me. “Sparkles are her favorite.”

“I’ve figured that one out.”

He was quiet for a moment and then looked at the studio. “Heather and her friends are being mean to Cady again, aren’t they?”

I nodded. “Do they do stuff at school, too?”

“Sometimes. But not when I’m around.”

I let out a huff. Of course, not. One of them probably had a crush on my nephew and knew he would have Cady’s back.

“I need you to do me a favor,” I said.

Charlie nodded.

“I want you to stick close to Cady for a while. I’m gonna try to make sure those girls don’t mess with her anymore.”

“You got it, Uncle Roan. We’re together like all the time because she’s my bestest friend.”

I chuckled. “Glad to hear it.”

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