Page 89 of Dear Mr. Brody
I bit the side of my cheek, knowing damn well I sucked at this stuff, but I accepted the challenge, ego be damned. I bought three rings for ten bucks, cringing at the price. But Anne held her toy elephant close to her chest and clapped furiously, her eyes wide with excitement. I guessed ten bucks wasn’t much if it garnered that type of response.
“You can do it, Daddy.”
Daddy.
My heart squeezed. She hadn’t called me that in years.
How hard could it be? There were several tall, narrow glasses all stacked closely together. Each glass was filled with water and a single fish swimming circles inside of it. All I had to do was get a ring around one of the glasses and the fish was mine. Easy.
I made my first throw from behind the wooden barrier right as Parker poked me in the ribs. The ring clattered off several glasses and fell to the hay-covered floor.
“No cheating,” I said, and he held up his hands with a wicked smirk on his handsome face. “Watch him, Anne.”
She giggled but narrowed her eyes, not letting him leave her sight.
I tried again and missed.
Parker leaned in, his lips close to my ear, and I shivered. “Shoot for the middle glass, the rest are all too close together.” He grinned at me as I looked at him over my shoulder. “You got this,Daddy.”
I huffed out a laugh and turned back toward the game. Anne stared up at me, her eyes big, silently imploring me to win, win, win. Taking a deep breath, I aimed for the center glass and tossed it. Sailing through the air, the ring landed just short of center, and by some miracle or force of God, it flipped and circled around the center glass.
Anne screeched, jumping up and down before tackle-hugging me. “You did it!”
“Were you worried?” I asked and laughed when she nodded. “Ye of little faith.”
“Huh?” she asked, and I shook my head.
“Never mind, go pick out your fish.” I mussed up her hair with the palm of my hand as she turned toward the vendor.
“I would have totally bailed you out, you know, if you missed. I mean, the girl had to have a fish.”
Parker reached for my hand, and without thinking I took it and pulled him close. I kissed him on the lips and his breath hitched. I realized what I’d done, and my stomach dropped. Anne was staring at us, plastic baggy in one hand, her elephant in the other. A fat goldfish swam around and around inside its new home while everything else had frozen in time. Everything except for the damn fish.
Instead of letting go of my hand, Parker held on tighter.
“Cool fish,” he said, even and unruffled. Like this whole thing hadn’t been turned upside down. Like my panicked heart wasn’t trying to claw its way up my throat. “Check out its fat cheeks. What’re you going to name it?”
Anne blinked once and then again, her smile slow and steady as it spread across her lips. “Tony.”
“Tony?” Parker laughed and I remembered to breathe. “That’s an interesting name.”
She looked back at the booth. “It’s his name. I thought it fit.”
We all looked at the vendor and he waved. He had big cheeks and a handlebar mustache.
“Tony works,” I said, and despite the fact my palm was sweating inside Parker’s hold, my voice sounded normal. Unfazed.
“I think I’m going to get some fries. You guys want anything?” he asked.
“I’m good.” I couldn’t eat anything if I tried. “Anne?”
“No, thanks.”
He smiled and gave my hand a short squeeze before letting go. “I’ll meet you at the Ferris wheel?”
“Alright.” I watched him walk away, wishing I could follow, or at least fall into a hole.
Anne held the bag close to her face, making fish lips. I wasn’t sure if I should say anything. Maybe she thought that’s what friends did. Friends could hold hands and kiss each other.