Playing the Player(48)

Unfortunately, Slade hadn’t sprouted any weird skin growths or a third eye since Monday. Still gorgeous. But which Slade was here today? Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde?

After I buckled my seat belt, I forced myself to look at him. He smiled, looking almost embarrassed. He reached into the cup holder and handed me a silver travel mug.

“I brought you coffee,” he said.

I blinked in surprise, and then took the mug, careful to avoid any skin contact. “Wow. Thanks.”

“Sure.”

I felt his eyes on me as I took a sip.

“Wow,” I said again. My vocabulary was shrinking by the second. “This is amazing coffee.”

“I know, right? My dad’s a coffee snob. So am I, thanks to him.”

I kept my eyes on the coffee mug, unsure of how to respond to this Slade.

The car pulled out of the parking lot, and we sped toward the kids. He shut off the radio, silencing a couple of guys who’d been arguing about the Rockies’ chances of winning against the Dodgers on Friday.

“So,” he said. “What’s the plan for today?”

“Zoo,” I said, swallowing the scalding coffee.

He nodded. “Sounds good.”

We sat in silence then he spoke again. “How was your Tuesday?”

I took a deep breath. “It was okay,” I said. “I hung out with my mom.”

He glanced at me. “Are you and your mom close?”

“Yeah.” We had no choice. Dad bailed not long after Brian died, so it was Mom and me against the world.

“That’s good.” He smiled, almost shy.

“How was your day off?” I asked.

He didn’t reply but I saw his jaw tighten. “Okay.”

I wondered what that was about. An image of the girls from the park passed through the TV screen in my mind.

“Something strange happened, though,” he said.

“Really? What?”

“This girl I know skipped her swim lesson. Apparently she dropped out.”

I flushed under his stare, willing him to focus on the road instead of me.

“I guess she had a problem with the instructor,” he continued. “I heard the guy can be kind of a dick.”

My mouth opened in surprise, and he sighed next to me.

“Did you quit because of me?” he asked, his intense gaze feeling like it burned my skin.

The question hung there between us.

How could I explain this to him? I still felt raw, the pain of Brian’s anniversary still so fresh. “It’s just…taking these lessons is hard enough…and you—”

“Made it even harder.”

It was true, but not in the way he probably imagined.

“I switched my lessons last Saturday,” I said.

Our eyes met briefly, and his flickered in surprise.

“Oh,” he said. “So…before I was a total dick at the park on Monday?”

I laughed softly. “Yes. It was a pre-dick switch.”

His laughter made my heart flutter, rousing it from its post-anniversary sadness.

“Is that a compliment?” he asked.

“I wouldn’t go that far,” I said, relaxing a little. I liked this Slade so much better than the one who’d ignored me. “But I didn’t switch because of you specifically. I would have switched out of any class taught by someone I know. It’s just too embarrassing.”

I watched his hands tighten on the steering wheel. “You shouldn’t be embarrassed just because you never learned as a kid.” He paused. “Why didn’t you, anyway?”

I swallowed over the lump that rose in my throat. “I’d rather not talk about it.” I met his gaze. His eyes were kind. Not a trace of mockery to be seen. Could I tell him? Did I want to?

“So,” he said, suddenly looking back at the road. “Any bets on which kid will freak out today? Maybe Max has an undiscovered fear of elephants.”

I laughed. “Let’s not take Gilly into the bird exhibit. All those wings fluttering. Just to be safe.”

“Deal,” he agreed.



Nobody was afraid of the penguins. Or the elephants. Or the giraffes. The hyenas, however, were another story.

Max backed away from the railing. “They look like mean dogs,” he said, reaching for Slade’s hand.

“Yeah,” Gillian agreed, looking up at me. “Did you bring your magic?”

Slade winked, and my heart dive-bombed to my feet.

Gilly tugged at my hand. “Max said you have magic skin. Is it true?”

Pretty soon all of Denver was going to be talking about freaky Trina and her magic wrists.

“I don’t think we need magic today,” I said. “The hyenas won’t hurt us.”

“Hyenas?” Max squeaked. He and Gilly gaped at each other, terrified.

“Like in the Lion King?” Gilly asked, bottom lip quivering.

Uh oh.

“Who wants a snow cone?” Slade said. “I bet you guys can’t beat me to the snack shack.” He took off slowly, jogging backward, but managing not to crash into anyone. Max and Gilly giggled and chased after him.

Crisis averted, at least for now.



The rest of day was easy and fun. No tears or freak-outs or potty accidents or attempts at full or partial nudity. We ended the day by riding the train around the zoo. I sat next to Gilly, who was entranced by the pink flamingoes.