Page 322 of Wild Card 13

“I parented.”

Ty leaned closer to me. “Should we be concerned that your father is proud of himself?”

“Yes,” I said. “Always.”

That was when Dottie saw the lake. For one magnificent second, she went completely still.

Then she bolted. The leash slipped from Ty’s hand because Dottie had the density and determination of a sandbag with ears. She launched herself across the grass, through a cluster of players, past a shrieking child holding a juice box, and straight into the shallow, muddy edge of the water.

“Dottie!” I shouted.

She did not stop. She splashed in up to her chest, realized the bottom was soft, froze in deep regret, and then turned back toward us with mud up her legs, across her belly, and somehow on one ear.

Zee wheezed, “Oh my God.”

Dottie waddled out of the lake looking betrayed by both nature and physics.

Ty stared at her. “That is impressive.”

I set my coffee down on the nearest table, marched across the grass, and pointed at the dog. “Do not shake.”

Dottie shook. Mud and lake water flew in a horrifying radius. Marco made a noise like he had been mortally wounded. One of the equipment guys swore. Zee laughed so hard he bent over with his hands on his knees. A child cheered.

I closed my eyes. When I opened them, Dottie was staring up at me with a muddy face and absolutely no remorse.

Ty came up beside me, biting down on a smile.

I looked at him. “Do not.”

“I am thinking our dog has made choices.”

A small ripple moved through the people closest to us.

Bea’s sunglasses slid down her nose again.

I should have corrected him. I should have made a joke. I shouldhave stepped sideways, reclaimed distance, built a wall out of sarcasm before anyone got too close to the truth.

Instead, I looked at Dottie, dripping mud onto the grass, and said, “Our dog needs a bath if she’s going to sleep in bed again tonight.”

Ty coughed once.

Bea went completely still.

Marco’s mouth fell open.

Zee’s head snapped up. Then he threw both arms in the air and shouted, “It’s about damn time!”

The lawn exploded. There was shouting. Laughing. Someone clapped. Someone else yelled, “I knew it,” which was immediately answered by three different people claiming they had known it first. Jonah pointed at Ty and said something about hallway weirdness. Milo shouted that Buzz had been obvious the entire time, which caused Ty to yell back that Milo thought sunscreen was a personality trait, so his observational skills were suspect.

Marco pressed both hands to his heart. “Second chance. Secret coffee. Team lake reveal. Mud-covered dog. This is cinema.”

Zee came barreling toward us like he was going to hug someone. I pointed one warning finger at him. “Do not make me regret this.”

He immediately pivoted to Ty and grabbed him, slapping him on the back hard enough to move him forward a step.

Ty laughed, but his eyes stayed on me.

Ezra joined in from the grill. “For the record, I knew before all of you.”