Page 23 of Play With Me
She’s headed straight for the stairs, saying, “I’m fine, thanks,” to my outstretched arm.
My stomach drops. This is all my fault. Nora left, sure. But the reason was me. And by coming here, what, did I figure we could just gloss over everything? Why do I just assume everyone will think my ideas are as great as I did?
Out of nowhere, I think of this time Dad had asked all five of us kids to put ideas for what we should do with Mom on the weekend when she wasn’t at work managing the hotel on a little scrap of paper. Then we were to fold them all up and stick them in the SUPER FUN ACTIVITY jar he kept on the kitchen counter.
“They have to be super special,” he said.
I think I was the only one who took the job seriously.
Where my siblings said stuff like hikes, picnics, and various local attractions, I wrote down things like “spelling our names in river rocks on the sidewalk that we spray different colors” and “sushi-making with fresh trout we catch ourselves.”
Whenever one of my ideas was pulled—which was frequently, given I’d often sneak extra ideas in the jar at night when no one was looking—my siblings would groan; or worse, outright object. My oldest siblings, Cass and Eli, would even straight-up say they were a waste of time.
But not Dad. He was as enthusiastic about each of the ideas as I was, even though sometimes he’d let the other kids veto them.
“Dad?” Cap asks now. He’s looking at the stairs like they’re Everest.
Nora’s already halfway up the first flight, gripping the banister to guide her.
I crouch down. “Come on.”
“I’m too big for piggybacks, Dad.”
“Listen, even Captain America had to be carried sometimes.”
“When?”
“In one of the comic books.”
Cap frowns. “Which one?”
“One you don’t have.” I lean in close. “Nora can’t see you, remember? I’ll put you down before we get up there.”
That’s good enough for Cap.
He hops on, looping his arms around my neck, and immediately sags against my back. He’s light enough that I could still jog up the steps, but I keep it slow to give Nora space. I wonder if she’s hoping I’ll give up and let her go the rest of the way on her own? Or if she knows there was no way I’ll leave without knowing she’s safely in her apartment.
“Dad?” Cap asks.
I thought he’d nodded off. Cap could fall asleep at the drop of a hat, just like me. “Yeah?”
“What’s going on with you and Nora?”
My stomach tenses. I’d wanted to shield him from what was going on between us, but he’d seen right through me.
“I’m not actually sure,” I confess.
“Is she mad we’re here?”
“No,” I say quickly. “She loves you, Cap.” My throat goes tight at that truth. “She was so happy to see you, remember?”
“Yeah. But she doesn’t seem happy to see you.”
I glance up at Nora, but she’s rounded the corner, her footfalls sounding from up the next flight. “I didn’t tell her anything about us coming.” That was the part I could share with Cap.
He rests his cheek on my shoulder. “Why not?”
“I didn’t want her saying no.”
