A Smidgen of Sky by Dianna Dorisi Winget Page A

studied my hands. Even though I’d scrubbed them hard, black streaks still outlined my fingernails. “You were nineteen when I was born?”
    â€œAlmost twenty.”
    â€œWere you ready for me?”
    â€œYou mean, was I ready to be a mother?”
    I nodded.
    Mama considered it. “I’ve never regretted having you, Piper Lee. But if I could do it over, I think I might have waited a couple years longer. Having babies is a huge responsibility. You really need to wait until you’re grown up and ready.”
    â€œGinger’s mama wasn’t ready,” I said.
    Mama’s shoulders jumped back. “No. No, she wasn’t. Some women never are.”
    â€œNever?”
    â€œNot everybody wants children, Piper Lee. And that’s perfectly okay. Course, the time to decide that is before you have one, not after. But Ben’s done a terrific job with Ginger all on his own. That’s one of the things that makes me respect him so much.”
    â€œBut he’s not like Daddy, is he? He’s not a risk taker.”
    â€œLordy no, thank goodness. I need some stability in my life. But he . . . he’s the kind of person who I know will always be there for me. For us. I feel real safe when he’s around.” She cracked a silly grin. “That and the fact that he’s as cute as a speckled pup.”
    I groaned.
    Mama laughed. “And speaking of the raised bed and nice surprises, did Ben happen to mention the surprise he has for you?”
    All my muscles tightened. “What surprise?”
    â€œHe’s scheduled to work the Saturday of the air show, but he signed up to take the afternoon off so the four of us can go together.”
    It felt as if the car seat dropped away from underneath me.
    â€œThat’s right,” she said. “He’s taking four hours of his vacation time to do something you want to do.”
    â€œBut I never asked him about it.”
    â€œI know. I decided to. He already knew about it—said you’d mentioned it the other day at the beach. But I didn’t ask him to take time off from work. He came up with that all by his lonesome.”
    â€œWow,” I whispered. “I don’t believe it.”
    â€œYeah,” Mama said. “Pretty nice guy, huh? And what’s he gonna get in return?”
    It took a while before it dawned on me that she expected an answer. “Oh, um—a thank-you?”
    â€œThat’d be a good start, along with a good attitude, maybe. Think you can manage?”
    â€œYes, ma’am.”
    Mama reached over and patted my knee. “I’m bushed, too. Let’s run by the bank quick and then just go home and watch a movie and kick back. How’s that sound?”
    â€œSure,” I said. But I didn’t know what I’d just agreed to. My head buzzed like a honeybee in a whole field of blooms.
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    That night I snuggled in bed with Mowgli and tried to sort stuff out. I’d been stupid as a loony bird to help Ben with the garden the way I had. I’d been too nice and spent too much time with him. He probably thought I was starting to like him, starting to be okay with him and Mama getting married. Maybe he was trying to make me like him by doing nice things.
    That’s why he hadn’t tattled on me for swimming out to the island. And why he’d offered me money for ice cream. Now he was fixing to take me to the air show. He probably had a plan of his own. A plan called Operation Winning Over Piper Lee.
    Maybe going to the air show would be a mistake. But I wanted to go real bad. I already had three dollars saved toward a ride on the sonic boom flight simulator. And I wanted to see the Blue Angels perform their famous Diamond Formation. See the rolls and dives and hear the booms of thunder, maybe even get an autograph from one of the pilots. Just thinking about it made my heart beat faster.
    I had to go—but I didn’t have to be nice