Page 162 of Small Town, Big Storm

Toward myice cream.

“Ow!”I exclaim as his beak comes down on the back of my hand, my fingers spasming open, my cone dropping to the ground.

Quick as a flash, he scoops it up and starts waddling away.

“Gerald!”Holly commands, slipping by me before I can stop her and marching over to the goose.

“Hol—”

“Drop it,” she orders sharply.“Rightnow.”

Gerald looks at her—those beady, soulless black eyes fixing on my daughter.

I lurch up to my feet, turn toward them.

But before I make it so much as a single step, Gerald spits out the cone, dropping it to the pavement.

Holly picks it up as he turns and shuffles away like the head of the Cedar Hollow Mafia wasn’t just told off—tamed?—by a six-year-old girl.

“Here, Dad,” she says as she walks back over.

“Um…”

She shoves the melted, goose-drool-covered ice cream into my hand, finishing off hers at the same time.

“I’m gonna go slide now.”

Forty-Two

Poppy

“And then Gerald just waddled away!”Gertie exclaims.“I caught the entire thing on video.See?”

Gertie plays the clip for at least the tenth time that evening.

“It’s official,” Storm says, lifting my hand and pressing a kiss to my now naked wrist (the cast came off only hours ago and I, for one, am thankful I won’t be whacking myself in the face with it ever again).

“What’s official?”

“Our daughter is the head of the Cedar Hollow Mafia.”

I giggle and lean against him.

“Killer!”Shep says.“We can run all of our criminal activity through her.”

I jab a finger at him.“Not funny.”

Clarke, sporting black-framed glasses and a close-cropped blond beard, grins.“It’skindof funny.”

My finger jab extends to Clarke too.“Hush, you.”

He grins, opens his mouth (definitely not tohush)—

“Hey, handsome.”

I still, but Paige isn’t paying attention to me.She’s sidled up to Clarke and is trailing a hand down his arm.

“Buy me a drink?”she croons.“Poppy, I’ll take?—”