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I nod. “I do like it here. And I’m going to miss it.”
She looks at me confused. “You’re… moving?”
I thumb to the door. “I’d better grab Bug. We have a lot to talk about.”
“You were in New York.” She stands and brushes off her jeans. “We know all about New York. Bug gives us an earful every time you go. Does this have anything to do with Hannah Montana and the extra day you spent there?”
I roll my eyes. “Hannah Montana, huh?”
“That’s what she calls the woman—or the‘girl who’s barely older than she is’—whenever it comes up.”
“Her name is Allie. And she’s twenty-eight.”
Her head moves from side to side as she studies me. “Ahhh. So not Oregon. New York.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Asher, the second you said her name, it was written all over your face.”
“Please don’t say anything to Mel yet. I have to tell Bug.” I sigh. “I’m just not sure how she’s going to take it.”
“Bribery works.” She climbs the porch steps. “When we told Mel we were moving across the country, we softened the blow by increasing her allowance, buying her a new gaming system, and promising to get a dog.”
“Bribery. Right.”
“Dad!” Bug comes bounding out the front door.
I hug her and she squeezes me tightly. I love that about her. While a lot of kids her age act too old to get a hug from their parents, she’s never been shy about it.
“I missed you, Bug. Sorry I had to extend by a day.”
“It’s okay. Mel and I had fun.”
She runs back inside, grabs her bag and backpack, and hugs Mel. They share a look. A conspiratorial one. And I fear I may be in for a long night.
“Where should we go for dinner?” I ask, pulling out of the driveway. “The Rainbow Room?”
She puts down her phone and stares right at me. “Why do you want to take me to my favorite restaurant? The one we only go to when it’s my birthday or other special occasion?”
“I just feel bad about leaving you so much. It was a lot easier when Aunt Marti was around, don’t you think?”
Her eyes are back on her phone and she shrugs. “The Harrells don’t mind when I stay with them.”
“I’m glad. But that doesn’t keep me from feeling guilty. Don’t you miss the times you got to stay with Aunt Marti and Charlie?”
Another shrug. “Sure, but they’ve been gone for a while now. Plus, you take me up there every few months.”
“How’s Mel feeling about Oregon? I’ll bet she’s excited to get out of the heat and humidity. It sure does get sweltering here in the summer. The idea of living somewhere where you don’t sweat the second you walk outside is kind of appealing, wouldn’t you say?”
“Never bothered me,” she says, tapping away on her phone. Probably texting or snapchatting or whatevering Mel even though we literally just left.
“So is Mel upset about moving?”
“She’s still pissed. But the idea of getting a dog is growing on her. She says she’s going to get the biggest dog there is. What do you call them, Great Danes? Those dogs are huge. Did you know their poops are bigger than human poops? We read their poops can be as big as a size fourteen shoe.”
At a stoplight, I turn and stare. “You researched Great Dane poop?”
“We researched a lot of things.”