Page 101 of Sing Me Home
“Charlie!” someone screamed. That was Belle’s voice. “Hurry! We need to catch The Silas Dupree’s!”
Just like at the first obstacle, I turned to see her and Gramps waving. Belle shook another poster board. But this time there was a camera guy off to the side filming them, and then me and Cash, and then them. Belle’s sign read,
The Truth Is…
Charlie never gives up. Not on others and not on herself. (PS: She’s my favorite cousin—but don’t tell anyone.)
—Belle (and Gramps)
I didn’t know what was happening, but I sprinted over with a new energy I didn’t know I had and threw my arms around them both. “I love you guys!”
They hugged me back.
“We loveyou!” Gramps laughed.
“Let’s go!” Belle squealed.
Gramps and Belle fell in step fifteen feet ahead. Belle was stupid-fast. But she was Blue’s daughter so that was to be expected.
I glanced over at Cash. “What is this? Did you do this?”
His brows bounced but then he picked up the pace, like outrunning the question might make it disappear.
The next obstacle was the bucket carry.
“You know what to do?” he asked again.
I did. I lifted a red five-gallon bucket—holding between thirty and forty pounds of gravel—and wrapped my arms around it, clutching it to my chest. He hoisted up a black sixty-pound bucket over his shoulder. We zigged and zagged through the turns of the roped-off area for what felt like a mile. I had a goal to get to the end without stopping. Someone else must’ve given up, because halfway through, there was a red women’s bucket tossed to the side.
I breathed a little easier when Silas, Sophie, Lemon, and Griffin passed us going the opposite direction, all with their buckets. They weren’t that far ahead. Their poster had disappeared somewhere along the way. Then we came up on Gramps and Belle. Their sign was gone too. Belle was struggling to hold onto her bucket but Gramps had one hand underneath, helping.
We hurried past.
“Hey!” Belle yelled.
“Sorry,” I called.
“Not sorry,” Cash finished with a hoot.
I glanced back at them longingly, my pace slowing.
“No,” Cash said. “We have prize money to win. No bleeding hearts today, Charlie.”
He was right. If there hadn't been money involved, I would’ve been bringing up the rear, making sure no family member was left behind—but I needed that money. Desperately.
“You’ve got this, Belle!” I encouraged.
Not long after, I had to slow down to adjust my grip, finally putting the bucket on my shoulder like Cash, but I didn’t stop.
When we made it to the end, I’d never been happier to set something on the ground. Cash gave me a double high five.
“It’s the Chuckster!”
Theo and Blaze, and Aunt Christy and Anna were up ahead. Theo’s sign said,
The truth is…
Charlie’s a freaking rockstar. She delivered a baby in a moving van!
