“You need the loo, love?” Bitsy, the proprietor’s wife, says to me from her spot behind the bar.
“Back door, please,” I gasp.
She looks at me, then at Zen, then back to me.
Bash squirms. “Mama,down.”
“What do you think happened?” someone near the front window says.
“Shh. I’m filming.”
“No filming,” Bitsy barks.
It’s a standing order in Snaggletooth Creek ever since my wedding video went viral.
We don’t film things that could look bad if they got posted on the internet.
It’s not a fool-proof system—too many tourists for it to be completely effective—but for the most part, it’s worked well.
“Filming strangers can earn you a fine of up to ten thousand dollars in this town,” Zen agrees. They squeeze my shoulder and add softly, “Sabrina’s got this. They’re locals. Hey, Bash, my favorite little short person. You want a piece of cake?”
Bash stops squirming as we push into the kitchen.
Bitsy’s husband looks up from the grill, spots us, and shrugs. “Don’t want to know.”
“Bash needs cake,” Zen says.
He nods and jerks his head at a rack of desserts.
“Bash doesnotneed cake,” I mutter.
“Put it on Uncle Grey’s tab,” Zen says.
They grab a plate and steer me out the back door and into the alley.
We hear a roar, and then a restored old muscle car that’s been painted to look like a honeybee lumbers around the corner.
“Where’d your dad get a key?” Zen mutters while they hustle me and Bash to the vehicle.
I don’t answer. Less because I don’t know and more because I don’t care.
I swing open the heavy door and peer inside.
Dad gives me a sheepish grin. “Don’t tell anyone I’m the reason Theo can hotwire a car.”
“Mr. M, you’re my hero.” Zen tilts the front seat, takes Bash, shoves me into the car, and then deposits my little boy in the back seat with me. Once they’re halfway into the front seat, pulling the door closed, Dad hits the gas.
And as we’re driving away, taking the alley to the side road that will take us the back way up and around the mountains to Theo and Laney’s house, something strikes me.
My dad didn’t ask.
Sabrina didn’t ask. Laney didn’t ask.
Theo leapt into action.
Grey leapt into action to stop Theo from what he said wasworth it.
And again—unless you know to look for it, you wouldn’t draw the similarity.
