Page 89 of Clean Slade
King clasped his heart and looked at the window in alarm.
“What? What?”
“They’ve got a new bubble tea plushie!” I showed him the collection on display in what was obviously a toy store.
Mac pinned her face and hands to the window and opened her eyes wide.
“Wow. They’re all so cute! They look just like the ones you have, Slade.”
“Are you kidding me? That’s what you nearly gave me a heart attack about?” King asked with a straight face.
I winked at him and turned to Mac.
“Can you spot which one I don’t have?”
Mac pulled back and put her hands on her chin as she inspected all the plushies before she pointed at one.
“The grumpy pink one?” she guessed.
“Yup. That’s right.”
She clapped excitedly and looked like her old self, if only briefly.
“Daddy, Daddy, can we get it?” she asked.
King returned her smile, and we walked into the toy store, where Mac practically ran to the window display and snatched it.
“Does it remind you of someone?” I asked.
She inspected the plushie briefly and shook her head.
“Really? It’s the spitting image of your daddy. Look. They’re even the same color when he’s being grumpy.”
Mac burst out laughing and shook the plushie in front of her dad, calling it Daddy, and King played his part by turning to me and glowering.
“Thanks for that,” he said.
“Anytime.” I winked at him.
“Come on, missy, let’s go pay for it.”
“What? We’re only getting one?” she asked.
“How many do you want? A hundred?”
“What about Slade? He won’t have the new one for his collection.”
King glanced at me.
“He can buy it himself,” he said.
“Oh, come on, Daddy. We can get it for Slade, can’t we? Please?”
“Please, Daddy. Please!” I added just to mess with him, and it worked because he snatched another one and handed it to me.
“Happy?”
“Extremely,” I answered and booped my plushie with Mac’s.
