Emma tugs on his hem, her ears flopping with the movement. “Daddy! Can we go now? The candy is waiting!”
Leo laughs, a warm, rich sound that settles deep in my chest. He ruffles her hair—carefully avoiding the sequins. “Soon, birthday girl. Let me get the camera first. We need proof that the world’s only cat-mermaid actually exists.”
“Alright, well—” I hitch the strap of my bag higher on my shoulder, the leather digging into my sweater. My work here is done. The mermaid is happy. “I’m going to head out and let you two get to the serious business of sugar procurement.”
I crouch down to Emma’s level, dodging a stray sequin that’s migrated to her cheek. “Happy birthday again, Em. You look like the queen of the Atlantic. Or the pet store. Whichever.”
“You’re not coming with us?”
The question doesn’t come from the five-year-old. It comes from the doorway. I look up, and Leo is leaning there, his expression a confusing, delicious cocktail of surprise and—is that disappointment?My brain, usually a pretty reliable piece of machinery, lurches to a complete, grinding halt.
I hadn’t considered theuspart of the evening. My plan involved a ride on the subway back to my place, a container of questionable lo mein, and a date with Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler and Ross. I was going to hand out fun-sized Snickers to the two kids in my building—the tiny Power Ranger from 2C and the kid who’s a truly unconvincing G.I. Joe in his dad’s oversized army jacket from my floor. I was looking forward to the silence. Cori’s spending the night at her parents’ with her sister. Marcus is at Brett’s. I was actually looking forward to having the apartment completely to myself for once.
But Leo is looking at me with steady eyes, one eyebrow arched in a silent challenge. “Annie,” he says, his voice dropping into that smooth, gravelly tone that makes me feel like I’ve skipped a stair. “You’re coming with us, right? I assumed the creator of the masterpiece would want to see it in action.”
Before I can even formulate a coherent sentence about leftovers and television, Emma’s sticky fingers are clamped onto the hem of my sweater. “You HAVE to come, Annie! You just have to! Who’s gonna help me carry the heavy chocolate?”
Leo tilts his head, a small, crooked smile playing on his lips. “You can’t argue with the Glitter-Cat-Mermaid. Her word is law in this borough. Please? I could use the backup.”
I open my mouth, then close it. The lo mein suddenly sounds very lonely. “Sure. Yeah. I’d love to come.”
Emma whoops so loud I’m pretty sure the neighbors heard it. Leo grabs his pager from the counter—the constant tether of a man whose time is never entirely his own—and clips it to his belt. Then he picks up the camera, one of the bulky automaticones that has a flash bright enough to temporarily blind a person.
“Let’s get some evidence first,” he says, gesturing toward the window where the afternoon sun is turning everything gold. “Proof that this creature actually walked the earth.”
Emma strides to the window—well, it’s more of a regal waddle—and strikes a pose immediately. Hands on hips, chin tilted, one leg kicked out like she’s about to walk the runway for Chanel’s underwater collection.
“Very serious,” Leo murmurs, peering through the viewfinder. “Very editorial.”
She holds it for exactly two seconds before she’s a puddle of giggles, her whole face scrunching up.
“Okay, okay. Big smile this time, koukla,” Leo says, but he’s smiling too, his eyes crinkling in that way that makes me want to take a picture of him.
Emma grins so wide it looks structurally impossible, her eyes squeezed tightly shut.
I can’t help it. A laugh bubbles up out of me. “Em, you have to actually see the camera for it to work.”
“But they won’t STAY open when I smile this big!” she protests.
“Try a smaller one? A medium-sized smile?” Leo suggests.
She tries again, this time with her eyes bugged wide and her mouth in a bizarre, silent ‘O’ shape. She looks like she’s just witnessed a bank robbery.
“What is that face?” I ask, biting my lip to stay upright.
“My surprised face! Because a cat-mermaid is a surprise!”
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost, or maybe a very large dog,” Leo shakes his head, but he snaps the picture anyway. The flash fires—a bright, white pop—and Emma blinks like a startled owl.
“One more. Just a normal, five-year-old human-cat-fish smile. Please.”
Finally, miraculously, she settles. She gives us a real one—huge and bright. Leo takes three in quick succession.Click. Pop. Click. Pop.
He lowers the camera and looks at her, and for a second, the air in the room feels heavy and sweet. He looks at her with an expression that’s so raw and full of love it makes my chest ache with a sudden, sharp longing. It’s a Dad look. A “you’re-my-whole-world” look.
“Perfect,” he says softly. He tucks the camera into his jacket pocket and reaches for her hand. “Alright, birthday girl. Let’s go get you some candy.”
Chapter 14
