Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 100713 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100713 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
I groaned. “Please tell me I will get a chance to make up for that.”
But before she could answer, Elliott came racing into the mudroom, dropping to the floor to tug on his pink boots. He’d changed from the denim shorts and T-shirt he’d had on earlier into a bubble-gum pink dress with a purple-sequined heart on the front. The unicorn barrette was stuck on one side of his head.
“No, Elliott, those boots are dirty,” Maddie admonished. “Can you please go back up to your room and get your clean sneakers?”
“No.” He stood up and looked down at his feet. “These are my favorite shoes.”
Maddie appealed to me. “Beckett, tell him that church is not the place for dirty boots.”
But Elliott was staring up at me so earnestly, and he was so proud of those boots, I didn’t have the heart. The poor kid was probably going to have to deal with a lot of people staring at him for wearing a dress—he could at least walk in there with the added confidence his boots gave him.
“Tell you what,” I said. “Let me grab a rag and wipe them off a little. Then they’ll be in perfect shape for church. Go on into the garage.” I opened the door, and Elliott scooted through it.
“Thank you,” Maddie said, shooting me a grateful smile. “Should I go check on your dad?”
“Maybe. Just knock loud on the bedroom door. He’s probably brushing his teeth for the fifth time. But we need to get going or we’ll end up parked a mile away from church, and he’s a slow walker.”
“I’ll get him.” But as she turned to walk away, I couldn’t resist grabbing her by the arm and yanking her right back to me, kissing her hard.
She laughed. “Beckett, we’re going to be late.”
“The minister will understand when he sees you in that dress.” I pressed my lips to her collarbone. “But my mind is wandering into territory that is not appropriate for church, so I’m going to go clean some boots now.”
Laughing, she playfully pushed me away. “Go. I’ll see you in a minute.”
We managed to leave on time, but still ended up parking several blocks away. Maddie and Elliott walked hand in hand up the street ahead of my father and me.
As we made our way toward the church, my father tugged my sleeve. “Hey.”
“What is it?”
“I think that’s the little girl from across the street. She came home.” He pointed at Elliott.
“No, Dad, that’s Maddie’s son, Elliott.”
“I mean the one in the pink dress.”
“Yes, I know. That’s Elliott.”
He stopped walking. “The baseball kid?”
“Yes.”
“Why’s he wearing that dress?”
“He likes it.”
“For a disguise?”
“No, he just likes wearing dresses sometimes. It’s not a big deal.” I nudged him forward. “Come on. Keep walking.”
He started moving again. “I never knew any boy that wore a dress.”
“Well, things have changed.”
“But when?” he asked, genuinely perplexed. “When do all these things change? I don’t understand.”
I put a hand on his shoulder, wishing I could explain it to him. “Over time, I guess. But it doesn’t really matter exactly when. What matters is that he’s the same kid. He just likes blue jeans sometimes and pink dresses other times.”
My father shuffled along the sidewalk as he thought that over. As we reached the church steps, he shrugged and said, “Okay.”
“Maddie was the little girl across the street,” I said as we began to climb the steps. “She’s all grown up now.”
He stopped and looked at me. “You found her?”
“Yes,” I said, to save time.
“So are you gonna marry her now?”
I glanced up to where she and Elliott were waiting for us in front of the open double doors. “No, Dad. We’re not getting married. We’re just friends.”
He started to laugh as he climbed the steps again. “This is one of those things you’re not so smart about.”
I stood there for a second looking after him, wondering if he was totally confused or I was.
As we walked up the center aisle of the sanctuary, I noticed a lot of people looking at us, but in all fairness, Maddie and Elliott were new faces in a small town, and my father and I usually came to church alone. Everyone looked curious, but most people smiled, and only a few whispered behind their hands.
“Is this okay?” Maddie asked softly, gesturing to a pew on the right about halfway up.
“Sure,” I said.
Elliott slid in first, followed by Maddie, and then me and my dad. As soon as we were settled, Maddie leaned toward me and whispered, “There are like a thousand eyes on me. I can feel them.”
“Relax. It’s only because they’re trying to figure out who you are. And lots of them are probably trying to place you.”
“What if it’s because of this scandalous dress?” She flattened a hand over her sternum. “Are they clutching their pearls?”