putting her hand to the cracked drying mud on her cheek.
“Mine too!” Cam said, but she couldn’t stop laughing and cracking the mask.
“Wait till she sees!” Amy said.
“I know!”
“Wait till she sees what?” I asked, glancing nervously around, looking for some unholy mess that would turn the night into a living nightmare.
“Rick!” Cam said.
At the same time, Amy said, “Dad!”
“Where is he?” I asked.
He must have heard them shout his name, because before they could answer me, the bedroom door opened, and he said, “I’m coming, I’m coming. How long do I have to leave this on?”
I looked up just in time to see him see me, and both our eyes went wide.
For him it was more painful, though, given the fact that his face was also covered in a dry mud mask and contorting it into shock had to have hurt.
“Erin.” He gave a stiff nod, though I could see the mud cracking at the corners of his mouth as it turned into a smile. “Good to see you.”
“Well, well,” I said. “Nice look. It works for you.”
“Thanks. It’s just a little something I’m experimenting with.”
“Very hot.”
“That’s what I thought.”
Cam and Amy shrieked with laughter, then both of them recoiled at the pull of the tight masks.
Rick glanced in their direction. “Is it time to rinse this mess off or is my humiliation still incomplete?”
“Oh, I can answer that one,” I said, going to the foyer table to look for my camera. “Your humiliation is not complete until we have documented this digitally.”
“No way,” he said, and started back for the bedroom. “I don’t care if I’m not beautiful yet, you are not putting this on Facebook.”
“Wait! Wait! Dad, just a minute!” Amy scrambled off the sofa and ran over to block his way.
Cam was right behind her, grabbing his shirt and trying to stop him. “Rick, you have to let us take your picture! You look so funny! Please?”
“Yeah, Dad, come on. Please?”
He stopped and looked back at me for a minute before shifting his gaze to them and raising his arms in a broad shrug. “You have thirty seconds. After that, I’m rinsing, whether you’ve found the camera or not.”
“In the drawer!” Cam shrieked, and she and Amy ran toward the table.
“It will be on Facebook, you know,” I said to him.
“Oh, I have no doubt.” He didn’t sound very worried about that. I was glad. “Good thing I’m not on Facebook myself.”
“Doesn’t matter. They’ll still tag you.”
“I don’t even know what that means.”
I laughed. “It means they will make it so that if a cursor runs over the picture your name will pop up.”
He shrugged. “I doubt we have the same friends.”
“I dunno, hon.” I shrugged. “I’m friends with both of them. So is Jordan. And probably a lot more people than you think.”
He remained unconcerned, in the way that only a very confident person can be.
“There it is!” Cam cried, digging through the drawer. “Got it!”
“Stand still, Dad. No, wait, smile. That will look hilarious!”
“That’s great, since hilarious is usually the look I’m going for.”
“Not to worry,” I said to him, knowing the girls were about to be very disappointed. “The camera battery is dead.”
“ What? ” Cam looked as if I’d just slapped her. “What do you mean, the battery’s dead?”
“Remember when you took the camera to Tristan’s birthday party and then lost the charger in your room and swore up and down you would find it and recharge the battery?”
Understanding dawned on her face. “Oh, yeah.”
“Yeah. And I asked you again and again to do that?”
Amy put her hands on her hips. “We’re going to miss this picture because of that?”
Cam looked guilty.
Rick looked smug.
Amy looked like she was struck by a great idea. “Oh, no, we’re not!” Faster than I would have thought possible, she whipped her phone out of her pocket and whirled around to take the picture of a surprised
“Mine too!” Cam said, but she couldn’t stop laughing and cracking the mask.
“Wait till she sees!” Amy said.
“I know!”
“Wait till she sees what?” I asked, glancing nervously around, looking for some unholy mess that would turn the night into a living nightmare.
“Rick!” Cam said.
At the same time, Amy said, “Dad!”
“Where is he?” I asked.
He must have heard them shout his name, because before they could answer me, the bedroom door opened, and he said, “I’m coming, I’m coming. How long do I have to leave this on?”
I looked up just in time to see him see me, and both our eyes went wide.
For him it was more painful, though, given the fact that his face was also covered in a dry mud mask and contorting it into shock had to have hurt.
“Erin.” He gave a stiff nod, though I could see the mud cracking at the corners of his mouth as it turned into a smile. “Good to see you.”
“Well, well,” I said. “Nice look. It works for you.”
“Thanks. It’s just a little something I’m experimenting with.”
“Very hot.”
“That’s what I thought.”
Cam and Amy shrieked with laughter, then both of them recoiled at the pull of the tight masks.
Rick glanced in their direction. “Is it time to rinse this mess off or is my humiliation still incomplete?”
“Oh, I can answer that one,” I said, going to the foyer table to look for my camera. “Your humiliation is not complete until we have documented this digitally.”
“No way,” he said, and started back for the bedroom. “I don’t care if I’m not beautiful yet, you are not putting this on Facebook.”
“Wait! Wait! Dad, just a minute!” Amy scrambled off the sofa and ran over to block his way.
Cam was right behind her, grabbing his shirt and trying to stop him. “Rick, you have to let us take your picture! You look so funny! Please?”
“Yeah, Dad, come on. Please?”
He stopped and looked back at me for a minute before shifting his gaze to them and raising his arms in a broad shrug. “You have thirty seconds. After that, I’m rinsing, whether you’ve found the camera or not.”
“In the drawer!” Cam shrieked, and she and Amy ran toward the table.
“It will be on Facebook, you know,” I said to him.
“Oh, I have no doubt.” He didn’t sound very worried about that. I was glad. “Good thing I’m not on Facebook myself.”
“Doesn’t matter. They’ll still tag you.”
“I don’t even know what that means.”
I laughed. “It means they will make it so that if a cursor runs over the picture your name will pop up.”
He shrugged. “I doubt we have the same friends.”
“I dunno, hon.” I shrugged. “I’m friends with both of them. So is Jordan. And probably a lot more people than you think.”
He remained unconcerned, in the way that only a very confident person can be.
“There it is!” Cam cried, digging through the drawer. “Got it!”
“Stand still, Dad. No, wait, smile. That will look hilarious!”
“That’s great, since hilarious is usually the look I’m going for.”
“Not to worry,” I said to him, knowing the girls were about to be very disappointed. “The camera battery is dead.”
“ What? ” Cam looked as if I’d just slapped her. “What do you mean, the battery’s dead?”
“Remember when you took the camera to Tristan’s birthday party and then lost the charger in your room and swore up and down you would find it and recharge the battery?”
Understanding dawned on her face. “Oh, yeah.”
“Yeah. And I asked you again and again to do that?”
Amy put her hands on her hips. “We’re going to miss this picture because of that?”
Cam looked guilty.
Rick looked smug.
Amy looked like she was struck by a great idea. “Oh, no, we’re not!” Faster than I would have thought possible, she whipped her phone out of her pocket and whirled around to take the picture of a surprised
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