"I like roller coasters." And so did her dad, even if she didn't know that before. All this meant he'd been a regular kid. Her father wasn't a big bad monster who deserved to get shots like all the kids at school said. He couldn't be.
'Cause if he was, what did that make her?
Kirstie swallowed hard. If she started crying, the teacher might make her go inside and then she couldn't talk to the guy with bushy eyebrows anymore. She blinked back her tears and kept her face forward so she could pretend her dad was pushing her.
"What's your mother doing today?"
She wanted to talk about her father, not her mother. "Working."
"At the house?"
"Nuh-uh. She's flyin' today."
"So your Uncle Vic's at the house?"
Okay, she could kinda pretend these were questions her dad would ask. "Nope. He's gotta fix a cow or bull or something somewhere else. Uncle Seth's gonna take care of me today."
"You don't seem happy about that."
"He's no fun since he can't play ball or nothing. He just sits in front of the TV with his foot up while he makes me do my homework." Her stomach started hurting again. It wasn't very nice to bad-mouth Uncle Seth. "But he says if I get all my homework done, we'll drive to McDonald's for supper."
"He can drive with his busted foot?"
"Yep. As long as he takes the car and not the truck 'cause the car doesn't have a—" She moved her right hand where that stick thing was in the truck, then grabbed hold of the chain again real quick.
"I get what you mean."
"Yeah."
Push. Swoosh. Push. Swoosh. "You'd better do all your homework so you can go."
"I don't like math much." Even her Uncle Seth said fractions were too hard for first grade, but he almost made it fun the night they'd practiced halves and quarters with a pizza.
"But you like McDonald's."
"Yeah."
"Your daddy liked math," the man rumbled from behind her. "He would be proud if you finished up all your math homework so you could go to McDonald's with your uncle. He would probably be happy to know you're getting out of the house and having fun."
"I guess he would." Maybe fractions would work with a cheeseburger.
The pushing stopped and he stepped around in front of her. "I should go now."
"Do you hafta?" She dragged her feet through the sand to slow the swing.
He knelt in front of her, real nice like. "I'm afraid I do. I have to get the sound system working right in the auditorium for the school board meeting this evening."
"Guess that's important. We won't be there, though."
He stood. "Your mom and uncle aren't going to make it back in time?"
She shrugged, wondering if maybe she should try to play sick after all. "Probably not."
"Hmm. I guess there will be no one to keep all your animals company for supper." He backed away with a real nice nod and wink. "Enjoy your McDonald's."
Chapter 6
"Seth took Kirstie to McDonald's," Paige announced, tucking her cell phone into her purse.