Page 67 of Too Far

“Oh yes they will,” I singsong, turning to reach for the game box.

Princess Decker and Princess Kendrick are glaring at each other over the game board. Each man is locked in and determined to win. They’re seated on opposite sides of the craft table, their massive frames comical in the kid-size chairs.

“Come on, Crusade,” Ciara bemoans. “Youhaveto get an earring.”

“I know, I know,” Decker mutters, glowering at the game board as he flicks the spinner.

Collectively, the girls hold their breath.

The air whooshes out audibly when the all-star quarterback comes up short.

“Yes!” Kendrick shouts, high-fiving Morgan and Sawyer with such enthusiasm the green clip-on earrings dangling from his ears sway.

The green team wins, and after another moment of celebration, I encourage the girls to get together and pose for a picture with their princess.

“Oh, good thinking!” Misty chirps, popping up from her perch in the corner.

I shoot her my surliest scowl I can muster. “These pictures aren’t for the public. They’re just for us.”

She scoffs, indignant, but I turn back to the team and ignore her.

Ciara—the leader of the bunch—is explaining to Decker what he should have done differently when he landed onPut One Backa few turns ago.

He harrumphs, his attention fixed on K as Ciara chirps in his ear. Kendrick doesn’t notice. He’s too busy teaching the girls the victory dance he typically reserves for the endzone. I fight back a grin as he eagerly poses with them, still fully decked out in his green costume jewelry.

“That was an unexpected turn of events,” the nurse comments, stepping up to adjust the settings of the one child’s IV drip.

I smile as my chest inflates with a sense of pride.

“Do people come in like this often?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “Most of our visitors on this floor are the regular hospital volunteers. It’s rare to have anyone under fifty interested in volunteering, though. It’s a shame. All it takes is a background check and a commitment to a minimum of one shift a month.”

Her words tumble around in my mind as Kendrick comes to stand beside me.

“Yo, Cap. Your crown’s crooked,” he teases.

Decker brings a hand to his head, then rolls his eyes.

Kendrick snickers. “Oh, that’s right. You didn’t win a crown,” he chirps, twirling the piece of bejeweled plastic around his finger.

“Be nice,” I warn, though I can’t fight the smile splitting my face.

“You’re a genius, you know that?” he asks, wrapping his arms around me from behind and dropping his chin to my shoulder. “Look how happy they all are.”

They are happy. Every one of them is smiling and chattering. The scene makes my heart squeeze in my chest.

“You’re so good with them, Mama.” His praise is a whisper, the words meant only for me.

Beaming, I run my fingers over his hands and sink into his hold.

“I used to think I wanted to work with older populations, like I did with hospice,” I tell him. “But maybe I want to do something with kids.”

“You’d be great at that. You could go into social work. Or hospital administration?”

I nod, still spinning ideas around in my head.

With a featherlight kiss below my ear, Kendrick releases me. “You’ll figure it out, Jojo. And we’ll be here to support you every step of the way.”