Page 28 of The Run Home
She flicked her glazed eyes my way, then rolled them when she saw how my lip was curled. “Maybe I should ask a worker.”
She waved her hand in the air and a woman came over, her lashes nearly blowing my hair in the breeze every time she blinked. Those had to be fake, right? Before I knew what was happening, I was shoved in a chair and something cold and goopy was swiped across my cheek. My daughter and the worker both tilted their heads and swiped another one on my face. That must have been the right shade or whatever because the woman rubbed it in, both of them smiling.
“Uh, I thought we were getting something for you? I don’t…wear makeup.”
“But I already have makeup on, and since you and I are similar shades, we’re using your naked skin,” Kinsley explained, but didn’t explain anything.
“I don’t think my naked skin feels comfortable with this.”
They apparently didn’t care because I ended up with bronzer, blush, and some sort of powder that set all the other crap on my now-not-so-naked skin before I got to wash it all off. Kinsley disappeared up to the register to swipe my credit card. I was pretty sure I was high off all the fragrance a pack of girls were spraying in the corner of the store.
But Kinsley was smiling when she came back with a little striped bag bulging with products. She took my hand and didn’t let go until we made it out of the store. She used to hold my hand all the time when she was little. She loved it when I’d take both of her hands in mine and swing her high up into the air. She’d squeal and laugh so wide I’d see all her baby teeth.
There was no squealing and no baby teeth to be found, but we did manage to shop in several stores where Kinsley tried on clothes and I told her they were too low cut or too short. She ignored every comment I made, leaving the stores with bags full of purchases I carried for her like some kind of pack mule.
While she tried on clothes in the second store, it hit me between the eyes that I’d never taken my daughter shopping.Not for clothes or school supplies. I was just the fun-time dad, showing up every now and again to take her out to dinner and buy her ice cream. There was a short Disney trip one time and several Christmas visits filled with Santa sightings and snowman building. But never anything as mundane as watching a music concert, or a loose tooth, or picking out a dress for prom.
So if Kinsley wanted to buy the whole fuckin’ mall right now, I’d hand over my credit card and hope that this one small action might chip away at all the ways I owed my daughter for being a shit dad for her first seventeen years.
When I begged for mercy, we stopped and got two buckets of pretzels and a chocolate shake for me. Kinsley eyed my snack, her eyes twinkling and her cheeks pink with excitement from our outing.
“Quite the snack you got there, big back.”
My jaw dropped open. “Wow. I buy you a whole closet of clothes and you shame me for needing sustenance?”
Her peal of giggles made my lips tip up at the edges. I did, however, glance down at my belly and sucked in, just to make sure I hadn’t lost my athletic figure already. That only made Kinsley laugh harder, catching me checking myself out. I shoved two pretzel bites in my mouth and chewed loudly, just to irritate her.
“Hey! There’s Ms. Fletcher!”
I choked on the dough and had to swallow quickly while turning aside to cough out the salt that had scraped my throat on the way down. Kinsley pounded me on the back and then tugged on my arm, forcing me to follow her to the one store I told her I would not take her to. A lingerie store.
There we found my sisters-in-law, Emmerleigh and Tully, and Em’s employees turned friends, Savannah and Pip. I’d met them once when they came over to Mom’s for lunch. In the middle of this circle was Shae, her face flaming bright red as sheheld something equally red and lacy to her stomach as if she was trying to hide it.
“Come on, Dad. Let’s go say hello.” Kinsley let go of me and ran into the store, giving hugs all around.
I looked down at my two buckets of pretzels and milkshake, appetite officially gone. Well, shit. Kinsley went in. I had to go in too. I’d just pretend it wasn’t a lingerie store. I’ll say a quick hello to be polite and then step back outside to eat in peace.
My plans were thwarted when Tully’s face lit up with something devious when she saw me. She grabbed my arm, stole one of my pretzel bites and talked with her mouth full. “I’m so glad you’re here, Boon. We need a man’s opinion.”
“Uhh…”
“Shae is picking out some pieces and we can’t decide on the red or the black,” Emmerleigh explained, a smile tugging on her lips. “What do you think, Boon?”
Savannah, the redhead, leaned in, smiling brightly. “Yeah, what’s your favorite, Boon?”
I was feeling like my throat was closing in on me. Did they put something weird in these pretzels? I didn’t think looking at Shae’s lingerie would be good for my mental health, so I looked left. Big mistake. The mannequin had an ass modeled after Brazilian butt lift patients and a pair of G-string underwear on. I swung my gaze right and nearly choked again. This mannequin had lifelike boobs with a bra on that didn’t cover the even more lifelike nipples.
“Uhh…”
Sudden pain flared at my side. I gaped downward to find Tully glaring at me. The little minx had pinched me. Hard.
“Ouch.”
“Oh good. He speaks,” she drawled.
“We’re going to see if we can find Kinsley some age-appropriate things,” Emmerleigh interjected, pulling mydaughter away from the group and taking Pip and Savannah with her. Pip looked over her beefy shoulder and put two fingers to her eyes and then turned them around to point at me. Her meaning was clear…she was watching me.
I swallowed hard and did what I always did when I felt a little uneasy. I faked it ’til I made it. That tactic had worked for me my whole life, and I was confident it wouldn’t let me down now.
