Page 79 of The Fall Back Plan
“Hey,” I say. “Ready for Thursday?”
“Can’t wait,” she says. “We’ve had six more teams sign up, and news of your innocence has hit Harvest Hollow Happenings, so maybe we’ll get even more. It’s going to be a packed house.”
“You’re awesome,” I tell her.
“And Thursday, everyone will find out exactly how awesome.” She disappears into the store with a sassy grin.
I’m almost to the bar when her words sink in.Thursday . . . everyone.
Packed house. Teams. The Tin Stars.
I have a plan.
When Mr. John gets home with Brooklyn after school, I’m waiting on their front steps.
“Hey, Miss Jo,” she says, hopping from his car and running toward me. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to see if you might help me with a project,” I tell her.
“Sure.”
I smile. “You don’t even know what it is yet.”
She shrugs. “Everything you do is fun.”
I have to clear a knot in my throat. Imagine anyone—especially a kid—thinking I’m “fun.” But she’s waiting for me to reveal my plan with bright eyes and all the trust that it’ll be something cool.
I hope it is.
“I kind of have a thing for your uncle.”
“What thing? A present?”
“No, I mean I like him.Likehim.” I wish I knew what the slang is now for this. Maybe ten-year-olds didn’t even think about that kind of stuff.
But Brooklyn’s expression clears. “Oh, like a boyfriend? That’s how you like him?”
It barely scratches the surface of the big feelings simmering beneath the surface, but it’ll do. “Yeah. Like a boyfriend. Is that okay?”
She shrugs. “Sure. If you get married, can I be a flower girl?”
I laugh, both at the big jump to marriage, and with relief that she’s fine with us dating. “He and I probably need to have a first date before we think about that.”
“Okay. Go on a date.”
I laugh again. She makes it sound so easy. And maybe when it comes right down to it, it is. “Speaking of that, I wondered if you could help me with some trivia about your Uncle Lucas.”
She wrinkles her nose. “I guess? Not sure how much I know.”
“Do you know his favorite TV show? Food? Sport?”
“Yes.”
I grin at her. “Then between you and your Pops, this will work just fine.”
For the next hour, I alternate between getting all kinds of info about Lucas and hearing about Brooklyn’s week so far at school. Before I leave we make plans to go to the festival on Saturday morning and agree that we’ll let Lucas come with us if we’re feeling generous.
I head back to the Mockingbird and arrive around the same time our first group of teachers does for happy hour, and Ry smiles when I come in.
