Page 66 of Drop the Mitts

Heat flashed up her neck, and she stepped back, nearly stumbling over the lip of the top step behind her. André’s arm shot out, steadying her. She straightened and pulled away.

André turned and walked forward to keep their place in line, then turned back. “It’s okay to be curious, you don’t have to be embarrassed.”

She shook her head. “I’m not.”

“Curious? Or embarrassed?”

“Both. Neither.”

André reached out, brushing a thumb over her cheek. “Then with that colour, you’re extremely out of shape.” Grace slapped his hand away, and he laughed. She was about to launch a rebuttal when she noticed there were only three people in front of them.

Panic set in. Her breathing quickened, her palms started to sweat. “I don’t do things like this.”

“What, I’m a ‘thing’ now?”

“Not joking,” she squeaked, and his expression sobered. “I think I should go back?—”

“It’s safe. Look at all these kids going down.” André pointed down to the bottom. “We weigh more than they do, so there’s no chance of us getting stuck.”

“You can get stuck?”

He pulled her against his chest. “No. Adults don’t get stuck?—”

“My sister got stuck—” a kid behind them started, but André held up a hand.

“Not helping right now, bud.” He turned his gaze back to her. “We’re not going to get stuck, and just because this feels scary doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing.”

“You can say that because this is fun for you. Since when do you do anything hard?”

He gave her a look. “You think I don’t do anything that’s scary or hard?”

She shook her head. “Everything is so easy for you! You don’t give a shit!”

“I give a shit.”

“No shits. None.”

André gave an apologetic look to the mom with her son on the steps behind them. “Give me something you think is hard. I’ll do it when we get down.”

Grace shook her head. “It can’t be hard for me, it has to be hard for you.”

“Got it. Uh . . . I could do a hundred push-ups.”

Grace rolled her eyes. “You’d love that.”

“Yeah. Fair.”

“It has to be something you hate, like you need to order straight vegetables for lunch or—” Grace sucked in a breath. “Quit smoking.” André blinked, and she slapped a hand against his chest. “Quit smoking. That’s it. If I go down this slide, you have to quit?—”

André laughed “For how long? This slide takes less than ten seconds.”

“Nope, the time isn’t the point. I don’t want to get anywhere near this death trap, and you don’t want to quit. Same, same.”

“Is this how you make your arguments in court because?—”

He didn’t finish that sentence because a teenager with a blue shirt and whistle approached. “Sir? It’s your turn.”

André shook his head. “Nope. She’s next.” He planted his hands on Grace’s shoulders and edged her forward.

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