Christiane gave me a slow, deliberate blink before turning a smile toward Shay. “Hello there,” she drawled. “I can’t believe we haven’t bumped into each other in more than a month. Where have you been hiding out?”
“I’ve been around,” Shay replied easily. “Noah keeps me very busy. Just the other day he threw me the sweetest birthday party. All of my favorite dishes for dinner and he baked a cake for me. From scratch. Can you believe that? Homemade frosting too.”
That cake came from a box but I was not about to correct her. Not when she was on a roll.
“Wow,” Christiane breathed. “Happy belated birthday to you.”
Shay beamed up at me. I told myself that smile was real, it was authentic. That she’d loved her birthday party—and everything after—and I didn’t have to debate whether this was for Christiane’s benefit. I was going to need a minute to get used to this.
“Thank you,” Shay replied. “What’s new with you, Christiane?”
“Oh, you know.” She fluttered a hand around her neck. “Business is just booming. I am booked up for the next six months straight. I had to take the jaws of life to my schedule just to get a vacation in there.”
I dropped a kiss on Shay’s temple as I slipped my hand into her front pocket. Christiane tracked every inch of that move, blinking furiously the whole way.
“That’s incredible,” Shay said, and it sounded as though she meant it. “It’s a good problem to have, right?”
“Fantastic problem,” Christiane agreed. Her daughter appeared at her side, whispering something about being tired. The girl motioned to the low fence separating the track loop from the soccer fields. Her brother was sitting on the grass, against the fence, swatting at nothing with a stick. “Not all of us can be night owls, it seems. And, you know, the twins are on travel soccer teams so we are up before dawn on the weekends. That’s just competitive soccer for you.” She shifted her attention to me. “I’ve never seen Gennie going out for soccer. Does she not play? I know Francine would be happy to teach her the basics. Maybe they could get together for some girl time and—”
“Soccer isn’t one of Gennie’s interests,” I said.
“Oh. I see.” Christiane nodded. “Well, if she ever changes her mind, you know how to reach me.” She waved, adding, “I’m sure I’ll see you two around town.”
After Christiane left with her kids, Shay said, “That was relatively painless.”
“Am I supposed to put Gennie into soccer leagues?”
She shrugged. “Maybe? If she wants to? If not soccer, maybe a different sport. Activities like that can be a really good outlet for kids who don’t adore school and have a hard time connecting with kids.” She pointed to the rides. “What do you say? Are you up for it?”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “If you want to.”
“Am I twisting your arm? Is that what’s happening here?”
She wrapped both hands around my bicep and gave a playful tug. I responded by lashing her to my chest and kissing her hard. She giggled against my lips at first but then she softened, piece by piece, until she sighed into me.
“What’s happening?” she asked, leaning back just enough to speak. “With us.”
“I don’t know,” I admitted.
“Me neither.”
“Do we have to know?”
She shook her head and scraped her teeth over her bottom lip. “I don’t think so.”
“Okay.” I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Do you want it to stop?”
Another shake of her head. “No. Not at all.”
“Then twist my arm,” I said. “Show me what you want, wife.”
* * *
“That thing isa lawsuit waiting to happen,” I said as we stumbled off the tilt-a-whirl. “Too much tilting. Too much whirling. Someone is going to get vertigo and sue the shit out of this town. Thank god Gennie’s too short for that ride.”
Shay laughed against my chest. She was pinned tight to me because she was stumbling harder than the night I picked her up at the bar. She was also pinned tight because everything in the world felt right when she was there.
“It wasn’t that bad,” she said, still laughing.
