Page 63 of Wishing for Love

“We?” he asked, looking at Crystal. “You too?”

She felt the heat fill her face. “I couldn’t let Elsie do it alone.”

“Do you have any pictures of this?” he asked. He picked Elsie up and kissed her on the nose.

“Crystal videotaped it,” Elsie said.

“Then I’ve got to see it,” he said. He put his hand out for her phone.

She pulled it out of her back pocket. “Don’t laugh. I took a lot of videos and pictures of us making and painting the wings, then painting Elsie’s face.”

“Was your face painted?” he asked.

“Crystal cleaned her face before the pizza was delivered. I told her it’d be funny to answer the door that way.”

“I didn’t agree with it,” she said, winking.

She unlocked her phone and handed over the video for him to watch with Elsie. There was music playing in the background and her phone had been leaning against the counter while she and the little girl danced around the room.

“This is nice,” he said. “It looks like a lot of fun. And no evidence of it around.”

He was looking around the island where they’d been painting. “Some people clean up well,” she said.

“Some are just beauties to begin with,” he said, smiling as he held her stare.

“Am I a beauty?” Elsie asked.

“You are my best beauty ever,” he said. He set her down. “Can you show me your dance in person?”

“We need music,” Elsie said. “And Crystal has to do it with me.”

“Yes,” he said. “Crystal needs to do it with you.”

She smirked at him and he laughed. “No more paint on my face though. It takes too long to get on and off, but we will put on our dance for you.”

She found the song and turned it on. Then Elsie and she started to dance around the room in the choreographed moves. She had more fun doing that with Elsie than painting and making their costumes.

Phoenix clapped his hands when they were done. “Not bad, huh?” she asked.

“I think it was perfect. A great way to come home and put a smile on my face too,” he said. “Really, it was. I could get used to his.”

“It’s a good workout,” she said. “Elsie is very particular about her dance moves.”

“I can’t wait to start dance lessons soon,” Elsie said.

“Not much longer,” she said. Something she could drop the little girl at after school and wait in the lobby area.

“How long is it going to take to get that paint off your face?” he asked Elsie.

Elsie looked at her and shrugged. “It wipes off pretty easily with soap and water,” Crystal said. “Elsie needs to take a bath and wash her hair tonight too. Why don’t we get that started since it will take time to dry it.”

“Will you put it in a braid tonight so it’s wavy in the morning?” Elsie asked.

“I will,” she said. “Let’s get your water running.”

“I’m going to take care of a few things while you do that,” he said.

She hoped he wasn’t working all night when they’d planned on their first “date” but if he had to, then she wouldn’t complain about it either.