much alike it's unreal.
"Hmm. Not a bad idea. She's been using lots of curse words today. What do you think, Kia?" Graham looks down at Lori at the same time as she looks back up to him and they exchange playful smiles. Their chemistry is uncanny. They are perfectly synced with each other, knowing what the other one is thinking.
He ushers her toward me. "Kienna Delacroix, I'd like you to meet Lorianne Parker. Lori, this is Kia."
I extend a hand toward her, and she accepts it without hesitation. "It's nice to meet you, Lori." Her hand is tiny, yet her grip is powerful and determined. How can someone so little exude so much self-confidence? Her smile is infectious and with that missing tooth at the top, it's taking all the willpower I have not to pinch her little cheeks.
Lori releases an exasperated sigh and belts out, "FINALLY! Cracker's been un-be-lievable! All week it's been Kienna this, Kienna that, Kia, Kia, Kia, ALL. THE. TIME! I was starting to think HE was the one with the imaginary friend."
Graham rolls his eyes as she talks. "It wasn't QUITE that bad."
Lori's eyebrows furrow and her mouth scrunches to the side, her body perking up in the way I've seen Graham do in one of his eureka moments. "He's right, you're beautiful. You look like an attractive android or a vampire princess. Although, you also look a little wet—have you been swimming?"
"I’m what?" My eyes cut to Graham. "I thought you dried all the water off. No wonder those other women were looking at me funny."
Graham opens his mouth to answer, but Lori is quicker. "Lilah was looking at you funny because Cracker never dates—and she wants to date him so bad. They all do. It's so gross! They're all, 'Graham is so cute,' and, 'Graham is so smart.' They go on and on. All they really want is to have smoochy-smoochy time with Cracker. Blech!" She stuffs her finger down her throat.
I am so taking this kid home with me.
Graham takes a seat next to me on the park bench and whispers, "Don't believe a word she says. It's highly exaggerated. They're not after me for my intelligence." His reply catches me by surprise, and I clasp my hands in front of my mouth to keep from barking out an embarrassing laugh.
A small pair of hands wrap around my wrists, pulling my hands from my face. "These gloves are badass! Can I try them on? My friend Brittany has gloves like these, but hers are pleather and don't have chains around the wrists like yours. These are way cooler. Can I try them on? Can I?" She's like a dizzying whirlwind of constant chatter, hardly breathing between sentences.
I look down to my hands, at my black, fingerless leather gloves and pull them off. "Of course!"
"Cool! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Hey! Do I look like a Ninja?"
As soon as the gloves are on Lori's tiny hands, she starts to mimic battle moves against an invisible attacker, punching and kicking the air and forcing her imaginary adversary into a headlock. "Take that! And that! Ha! These are swicked! Look at me, Cracker!"
"I see you. Looking good, there, Crab Face." He rests his elbows on his knees, watching with pride as Lori rids the world of one imaginary villain after another, her backpack bouncing sassily with each feigned blow.
"Um, why does she keep calling you Cracker?"
"Well, cookies are an essential part of a toddler's life. She's called me Cracker for the last six years—since she first made the connection between my name and the cookie. I get weird looks, but other people's opinions are the least of my worries. She likes the nickname, so I like it, too."
"Graham Cracker, gotcha. In that light, it's sweet. So, Cracker, this is a surprise. Lori... totally not your girlfriend, huh?" I shoulder bump him.
"Nope." He shoulder bumps me back. His eyes remain on his daughter, but his crooked, mocking grin is for me.
"Fucker."
"Excuse me?" He sits up straight and turns to look at me, confused.
"You made me believe she was your girlfriend, and then laughed at me!"
"I did no
"Hmm. Not a bad idea. She's been using lots of curse words today. What do you think, Kia?" Graham looks down at Lori at the same time as she looks back up to him and they exchange playful smiles. Their chemistry is uncanny. They are perfectly synced with each other, knowing what the other one is thinking.
He ushers her toward me. "Kienna Delacroix, I'd like you to meet Lorianne Parker. Lori, this is Kia."
I extend a hand toward her, and she accepts it without hesitation. "It's nice to meet you, Lori." Her hand is tiny, yet her grip is powerful and determined. How can someone so little exude so much self-confidence? Her smile is infectious and with that missing tooth at the top, it's taking all the willpower I have not to pinch her little cheeks.
Lori releases an exasperated sigh and belts out, "FINALLY! Cracker's been un-be-lievable! All week it's been Kienna this, Kienna that, Kia, Kia, Kia, ALL. THE. TIME! I was starting to think HE was the one with the imaginary friend."
Graham rolls his eyes as she talks. "It wasn't QUITE that bad."
Lori's eyebrows furrow and her mouth scrunches to the side, her body perking up in the way I've seen Graham do in one of his eureka moments. "He's right, you're beautiful. You look like an attractive android or a vampire princess. Although, you also look a little wet—have you been swimming?"
"I’m what?" My eyes cut to Graham. "I thought you dried all the water off. No wonder those other women were looking at me funny."
Graham opens his mouth to answer, but Lori is quicker. "Lilah was looking at you funny because Cracker never dates—and she wants to date him so bad. They all do. It's so gross! They're all, 'Graham is so cute,' and, 'Graham is so smart.' They go on and on. All they really want is to have smoochy-smoochy time with Cracker. Blech!" She stuffs her finger down her throat.
I am so taking this kid home with me.
Graham takes a seat next to me on the park bench and whispers, "Don't believe a word she says. It's highly exaggerated. They're not after me for my intelligence." His reply catches me by surprise, and I clasp my hands in front of my mouth to keep from barking out an embarrassing laugh.
A small pair of hands wrap around my wrists, pulling my hands from my face. "These gloves are badass! Can I try them on? My friend Brittany has gloves like these, but hers are pleather and don't have chains around the wrists like yours. These are way cooler. Can I try them on? Can I?" She's like a dizzying whirlwind of constant chatter, hardly breathing between sentences.
I look down to my hands, at my black, fingerless leather gloves and pull them off. "Of course!"
"Cool! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Hey! Do I look like a Ninja?"
As soon as the gloves are on Lori's tiny hands, she starts to mimic battle moves against an invisible attacker, punching and kicking the air and forcing her imaginary adversary into a headlock. "Take that! And that! Ha! These are swicked! Look at me, Cracker!"
"I see you. Looking good, there, Crab Face." He rests his elbows on his knees, watching with pride as Lori rids the world of one imaginary villain after another, her backpack bouncing sassily with each feigned blow.
"Um, why does she keep calling you Cracker?"
"Well, cookies are an essential part of a toddler's life. She's called me Cracker for the last six years—since she first made the connection between my name and the cookie. I get weird looks, but other people's opinions are the least of my worries. She likes the nickname, so I like it, too."
"Graham Cracker, gotcha. In that light, it's sweet. So, Cracker, this is a surprise. Lori... totally not your girlfriend, huh?" I shoulder bump him.
"Nope." He shoulder bumps me back. His eyes remain on his daughter, but his crooked, mocking grin is for me.
"Fucker."
"Excuse me?" He sits up straight and turns to look at me, confused.
"You made me believe she was your girlfriend, and then laughed at me!"
"I did no
Similar Books
