Page 63 of Love Me Like It's Real
But first…
“Fuck, I’m late again,” I say when I check the time and scramble to get everything in order so I can pick up the girls.
I’m starting to think it’s not the world making me constantly late but I’m a naturally late person but if I admit that, I admit defeat, so…no, it’s everyone else making me lateall the time. This time I can confidently blame Hayworth. All of Hayworth.
“How was school?” I ask when they get in the car and I drive away before the school monitor throws any shade my way.
“It was good. It was school,” Elsa says.
“Elsa won a drawing contest,” Arya says.
I look at my eldest through the rearview. “That’s amazing, sweetie. Well done.”
Elsa rolls her eyes and she’s never reminded me more of myself than now.
Le sigh. The Springs and their inability to take a compliment.
“Can we stop by Special Blend?” she asks and Arya claps in agreement.
“Really? I still have work to do.”
“Please, Poppy!” Elsa replies, starting a cacophony of begging no parent can refuse if only to make it stop.
“Hey,” I say to Caspian but the girls drag me deeper inside before I can utter another word.
Caspian follows me with his gaze but he’s busy with a customer so he can’t come to my rescue.
They stop at the back of the café, the bookstore side where Caspian has set up a small reading nook, but it’s not books the girls are interested in. It’s the Valentine-themed setup in front of the bookcases that has their interest.
“What is this?” I ask them and they give me an empty pink box as if it’s the most important thing in the world.
“You need to find a gift for Hayworth and put it in here,” Elsa says.
“Huh?” I turn to read the sign to fill in the blanks.
Secret Admirer Gift Exchange. Do you have a secret or not-so secret crush? Do you want to show them they’re loved? Put your special gift in the box and we’ll deliver it to them anonymously on Valentine’s Day.
“Come on. You have to buy something nice for him.” Arya pokes at me.
“It’s a little too early to be buying gifts for each other.”
“No it’s not,” Elsa says. “A gift is always nice.”
I beg to differ. Especially when it has a love meaning attached to it like this whole project but that’s not for them to worry about.
“Okay, okay. I’ll see what I can find.”
At the very least it’s something I can do with them to keep them entertained and invested in this fake date. Besides, if we’re going to fake date I’m sure he can get a little present and not have it mean anything.
“We’ll go to Montpelier at the weekend and get something nice for him, okay?”
They both cheer and jump at me with hugs and unrestrained joy and it’s hard to resist laughing too.
After my reassurances they rush to Caspian to order their drinks, cutting in line as if they’ve been raised in a barn, and I have to apologize to everyone waiting. Thankfully Maplewood is full of nice people. If they’d done that in California, I would have gotten plenty of dirty looks, if not something far more aggressive.
As the girls wait for their drinks, which I’ve instructed Caspian to make after he’s served his line, I peruse the books in the bookstore. It’s been a while since I’ve bought a physical book. I had to leave a lot of stuff behind when we moved here and I think it’s about time I rebuild my library.
It’s not a big selection of books but it’s big enough to have some classics as well as some new releases but it’s one book that catches my eye.
