I put my hand up and waved it in her face. “Okay, Grandma, calm down.”
She gaped at me, her eyes huge. “Hasn’t your mother ever taught you never to make fun of a woman’s age or her weight?”
“She might have, but I typically just tune her out.”
Kenzie nodded and went back to observing the inside her bucket. She seemed suddenly reserved. Had I offended her? I was about to apologize when she looked up at me, her blue eyes so bright, and asked, “So… um… do you have a girlfriend?”
Aww… the girlfriend question. I smiled and answered, “No, I have a goldfish. But we’re just friends.”
“Shut up,” she laughed, tossing some sand on my leg. Not giving up, Kenzie took on an air of indifference and tried her question again. “So do you?”
I grinned. She seemed a little overly interested in my love life. “I do not.”
“I figured,” she said, trying to cover up her embarrassment. Or maybe her face was just bright red from the burn. I really couldn’t tell. “You’re rather annoying.”
I nodded my head in agreement.ThatI definitely was! I reached over and touched my finger to her nose. “It’s really burned.”
“Thanks for pointing that out, because I’m not already self-conscious enough as it is.”
“Oh, yeah, no problem. I didn’t realize you were feeling so insecure. Are all the other reindeer laughing and calling you names?”
Kenzie flicked my finger off her nose and smacked me in the arm.
“Jerk,” she laughed.
“So you were going to tell me why you haven’t moved away,” I said, giving the poor girl a break from my reindeer jokes, because, honestly, I could go on all day.
“Oh,” Kenzie exhaled, and shifted her body uncomfortably. “That’s a long story. It’s not just about me. I have responsibilities.” She looked out over the ocean then sighed. “Someday, maybe. What about you?”
“Oh, you know, I’m from Southern California, so naturally I live in a giant mansion, surrounded by famous people.”
“Oh, right,” she laughed, playing along with my joke. Little did she know I wasn’t kidding. “So you just have the perfect life, huh?”
“Pretty much, yeah.”
Kenzie wiped sand off her arms and gave me a sideways glance. “I don’t believe you.”
I wasn’t sure if she was teasing me or was really that perceptive. Regardless, she was getting a little too close for comfort, so I quickly changed the subject. “Tell me, Kenzie, what do you do for fun in your town of 1,500 people? Obviously there must be square-dancing and pie-making contests.”
“Of course… on Udder’s Day,” Kenzie said casually, as if she hadn’t just uttered the word ‘udder.’ Upon catching my stunned reaction she added, “What? Is that weird?”
I laughed. Kenzie raised an eyebrow and stuck her tongue out at me. “Well, if you must know, Udder’s Day is in honor of dairy month.”
“Yeah, I kind of figured that. What exactly is done on Udder’s Day? Does everyone milk cows?”
“Well, sure, we have milking contests, but there’s also a parade, music, baking competitions… oh, and all the grandmas in town judge cow costumes.”
It took me a moment to process all the information my brain was collecting. Kenzie looked on in amusement.
“So… I’m… I…wow…” I stammered. “That’s just….”
“Yeah, yeah,” she interrupted. “It’s more fun than it sounds.”
“Really? Because it sounds hysterical.”
We both laughed.
“So is the parade, like, cow-themed?”
