Page 75 of The One I Need
“Technically, yes, I am.”
“I’m Magnolia. I’m almost seven years old, and Wes is my dad. Betsy’s my bonus mom and my best friend.”
“Nice to meet you Magnolia, I’m Izzy.”
She holds out her hand for a handshake, and I don’t know whether to be impressed or terrified of this child.
“Can I ask you another question?”
“Sure.”
“My whoooooooolllle life I’ve dreamed of being a flower girl. I don't know when my dad and Betsy are getting married, and I don’t want to age out. When you and Uncle Ollie redo your wedding because none of us were invited to the last one, can I pleeeeeeease be a flower girl? I promise I’ll be the best flower girl there ever was.”
“I…” I blink rapidly and do my best on how to answer this. Because I’ve known this child for two minutes, and I feel like if I disappoint her I will hate myself forever. Then at the same time I don’t want to lie to her.
It’s then I happen to catch a glimpse of Simon, who is watching this interaction a little more intensely than a spectator should be. Don’t get me wrong, the others are as well. But their looks are more of shock and awe. But Simon…it’s like he’s watching a script he wrote play out in real time.
All right, that’s how we’re going to play this? Game on.
I turn to whisper to Oliver. “Hey, can I fuck with Simon?”
I feel his smile against my cheek. “Abso-fucking-lutely.”
“Magnolia, it would be my honor for you to be our flower girl.”
Her eyes grow wide with excitement. “Really?”
“Of course. And you get to pick the color of your dress.”
“Pink. Obviously.”
“Obviously.” I can’t help but laugh. This kid is fucking great. “Now, I know you can handle it, but can you go ask your Uncle Simon if he can handle being the flower man? I’m picturing him in all pink, to match you, of course, throwing petals from a rhinestone fanny pack.”
Magnolia turns back to Simon, who is doing a simultaneous glare and glass tip to me. In the business world, that is the ultimate sign of respect. “Uncle Simon. She wants you to be a flower man. So I’m going to need you to do this, because I really want to be a flower girl. Deal?”
“Deal,” he groans.
“Oh, Magnolia?”
“Yeah, Izzy?”
“Tell your Uncle Simon that if he wants to use you to freak me out, he better pay you more money. Because next time I want to screw with him, I’m going to pay you double and make sure it’s at the time he doesn’t want it to happen.”
Magnolia gives me a firm head nod with a handshake to go with it. “Got it, Izzy.”
The table erupts in laughter as Magnolia holds out her hand for Simon, who gives her two twenty-dollar bills.
“Well played,” Simon says to me. “Well played, indeed.”
“I must admit, you had me for a second. Next time, try not to look so smug.”
“Sorry to burst your bubble, but that will never happen,” Amelia says. “Simon has looked smug since the day he was born.”
“Not true. I was an adorable baby. The smug came when I moved here.”
Amelia rolls her eyes as the table continues to laugh.
“That was the most amazing thing I’ve ever witnessed,” Oliver says.
