Page 159 of Small Town, Big Storm

Fuck yeah,again.

And again.And again.And?—

“Storm!”she shrieks, her hips jerking against mine, that cunt clamping down around me, milking me into an orgasm that has me seeing stars and barely keeping my feet.

“I think,” she says a long time later, “the floor’s been mopped enough.”

I grin.“I think you’re right.”I button my pants, double check the doors are locked and carry Poppy upstairs on legs that feel like they’ve just completed a marathon.

We manage to make it into bed, collapsing in each other’s arms as sleep drags us under.

And like always, I wake up with Poppy pressed against me.

Yeah, life as a Harrison in Cedar Hollow is definitely looking up.

“Dad?”Holly asks a few days later, coming to a halt on the edge of the playground.

“Yeah, peanut-who’s-not-a-peanut?”

She narrows her eyes at me in a remarkable impersonation of her mom, her cone with bubblegum ice cream poised an inch from her mouth.

I bite back a smile and wait for her next question.

Our walks are usually filled with them.

Dad?

Yeah, peanut-who’s-not-a-peanut?

Did you know that bird steals other birds’ nests?

Followed by a three-minute dissertation on the evilness of Scrub Jays and how they push out eggs for their thievery.

Dad?

Yeah, peanut-who’s-not-a-peanut?

Did you know that tree’s called a zombie tree?

Trailed by facts on Blue Oaks who drop their leaves and look dead in the summer but come back to life the following spring.

Dad?

Yeah, peanut-who’s-not-a-peanut?

Did you know that some trees need fire to grow?

After which she tells me all about the Giant Sequoia relying on fire to open its cones.

All things she learned at camp this summer.

Atsix.

And even if I wasn’t going to help with the fundraiser already, I would have after just one of our walks.Seeing Holly happy and dirty, tired but full of knowledge and excitement after a day at camp, and it’s easy to see why the town is fighting so hard to keep the programs at the Pioneer Museum running.

The kids spend most of the day outside learning about nature and friendship and teamwork.They take field trips to the beach, to the ice rink, to the park, to Scoops.They play games and make crafts and learn about the native people who once lived in the area.

It’s killer.