Make a Wish (Spark House #3)(11)

“That sounds like a lot of fun!” I reply.

I settle on Sprite to drink, and we decide on a large pizza, half cheese and half with all the toppings.

Peyton wrinkles her nose. “Dad likes mushrooms on his pizza, but they feel like sponges in my mouth.”

I chuckle and wrinkle my nose. “They do feel weird in your mouth, don’t they?”

She mirrors my scrunched nose, then asks, “Do you like mushrooms on your pizza?”

“Sometimes. It depends on the pizza. You might like them one day. But you know what?”

“What?”

I love the way kids hang on every word, like you’re telling them the secret to all of life’s mysteries. And I guess in a way, we are, because we’ve had all the experiences and they’re learning little bits about the world with every new adventure. “My favorite kind of pizza is plain cheese too.”

“Really?” Peyton’s eyes go wide.

“Yup. Sometimes cheese pizza is just the way to go. I’ve made it my mission to try the cheese pizza at pretty much every place in town.”

“You have?”

“Yup. I’m basically a connoisseur of pizza.”

“What’s a conno-saur?”

“An expert,” Gavin says, rubbing his bottom lip while grinning.

“A pizza expert? Is that a job? Can I become a pizza expert?” Peyton asks.

“You have to try a lot of pizza to become an expert, but I bet you could be one. Maybe not for a job, but it’s a great hobby.” I throw a wink Gavin’s way. He’s sitting back in his seat, his heavily muscled arm stretched across the back of the booth. He grins, obviously enjoying this conversation as much as Peyton and me. See? I can do this. I can have lunch with my former charge and her father without it being super awkward or breaking out in hives. I just need to stay focused on the reason I’m here—Peyton wanted to see me.

“Hmm.” Peyton taps her chin thoughtfully. “Eating pizza seems like a fun hobby. But would we have to try a new place every time? Or could we go back to the same place a few times if I really like it?”

“You can go back as many times as you like. The great thing about being a connoisseur is that it takes quite a few years to become one, so you don’t have to rush it.”

“Okay. That sounds good. Because sometimes when you find a place you like, you want to go there a lot. I think I’ll want to come here a lot, but not just because of the pizza. Do you have a favorite pizza place?”

“I sure do. It’s called Joe’s Great Pizza, and they have the best cheese pizza in all of Colorado Springs. It even says so on their website.”

“Then it must be true,” Gavin says wryly.

“Maybe we could go there one time? Dad can take us on another lunch date! They’re my favorite! But we’d have to do it before school starts because I can’t miss school for lunch dates.”

“You definitely don’t want to miss school.” I don’t address the rest of the proposed second lunch date since I have no idea what, if anything, is going to come of this. I came into it hoping for closure on that chapter in my life, and so far it’s been a positive experience. With no hives. I don’t want to push my luck though. “Should we play some games now?”

“Yes! Yay!” Peyton claps her hands and bounces in her seat. “Can we get the tokens now, Dad?”

“Sure, kiddo. Why don’t you use the bathroom and I’ll buy some?”

“I can take her,” I offer, and we all slide out of the booth.

Peyton chatters with excitement as I take her to the bathroom and stand outside the stall. “The day after the birthday party, Dad found my baby photo album and we looked through it together and you were there! You look almost the same, and so does Dad, but his hair is longer, and I obviously look a lot different because I was a baby.”

“You have definitely changed the most out of the three of us,” I agree.

When she’s done washing her hands—we sing “Twinkle” twice through—we head back to the dining area. Gavin is waiting with tokens, and almost as soon as he hands them over to Peyton, he gets a phone call.

“Shoot, this is important, do you mind if I take it?”

“Not at all, Peyton and I can hang out.”

“Thanks.” He brings his phone to his ear and heads for the front door.

“Dad’s been really busy with work since we moved.” She glances over her shoulder, out the window to where he’s standing on the sidewalk before she drops her voice and whispers, “Sometimes he falls asleep on the couch when we’re watching TV at night, and I get to stay up a little later because he sleeps through my bedtime.”

I laugh. “Not too much past your bedtime, I hope.”

She shakes her head. “Not really, but it’s summer break, so I don’t have to be in bed as early as I do during school.” She looks around at all the games. “Where should we start?”

“Hmm.” I tap my lips. “What about the ball toss? Are you any good at that?”

She shrugs. “I don’t really play team sports.”

“Me either, but my older sister did. Sometimes she’d make me be the goalie when she had to practice for soccer games. Should we see if we’re any good?”