Melody (Logan 1)

hair." He put his nose to my head and then kissed my

forehead. "And I can look into those terrific eyes. You

know you turn me into jelly, don't you?"

This time, I had to laugh. "Don't you mean

cranberry sauce?" I asked.

That brought a wide smile to his face. His blue

eyes seemed to sizzle as they blazed down at me.

"You're smart as well as beautiful. A rare jewel." He

kissed me on the lips, but I was so tense I thought he

would hear my nerves twang.

He gazed at me with a curious smile, then he

leaned over to his right where he had a cloth bag. He

produced a bottle of vodka and two glasses. Then he dipped his hand into the bag and came up with a jar of cranberry juice. "How'd you know I had cranberry

juice? Some little bird at school whisper in your ear?" "I didn't know."

"It's a great drink with vodka. My father's

favorite. Let me fix us a couple."

"I don't like drinking whiskey," I said quickly. "This isn't whiskey. It's vodka. Doesn't stink on

your breath as much, and when you cut it with the

cranberry juice, you hardly notice it. But it sure makes

you feel good. I'm sure you've had it, right?" "Of course," I said, even though I never had.

All I had ever tasted was Mommy's gin and I never

could understand how or why she liked it so much. After he made the drinks and handed me my

glass, he tuned the radio to a station that played softer

music.

"Let's make a toast," he said tapping his glass

against mine. "To us. To good times and good

weather forever."

I took a sip. He was right. It didn't taste as bad

as Mommy's gin.

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