“Whoa, this is so nice!” Chrissy shouts. “Can I sit in the front? Please?” She looks at Camarra.
“Sure.”
“Yes!”
The car unlocks as I near and we get in.
“Oh my god, this is like a spaceship!” Chrissy says. “It’s so cool. Everyone at school is going to ask me a million questions.” She looks at me. “What can I tell them?”
“Oh, uh… well, maybe that your brother’s friend is really cool and has an awesome car.”
“So true,” she says, buckling her seatbelt.
“Where do we go for coffee?” I ask.
“Go that way,” she says, pointing straight down the road. “I’ll navigate.”
To be honest, I never thought I would have children in my car. Never. Not once. It’s certainly not a problem. It’s… enjoyable. Chrissy is lively and joyful.
She gives great directions to where we need to go. I don’t miss even a single turn.
“Is it okay if we go inside?” she asks.
“Of course.”
I pull into an empty spot, and we empty out of the car to go into the small building that smells overly sweet like pastries and with a hint of coffee.
“Are you going to get something?” Chrissy asks, bouncing on her feet.
“I’m not sure… I’ve never been here before. What’s good?”
“Hm,” she says, scanning the menu. “Are you a chocolate guy or vanilla guy?”
“Are those my only options?”
“Well, no, I was going easy on you. There’s pumpkin, hazelnut, caramel, butterscotch, cookie butter—”
“Cookie butter?” I ask.
“Oh, it’s my favorite. Do you think you’ll like it?”
“Let’s try it,” I say with a smile.
“You’re so cool,” she says, hooking her arm in mine and tugging me toward the counter. I glance at Camarra over my shoulder, who is laughing to herself. I can tell she’s as protective as Cassius is.
We get our coffees, and though I argue over paying, Camarra says they have an app they use, and it gives them points and comes directly off a gift card. I give in.
We get into the car with a bag stuffed full of pastries and each with a coffee in our hand.
“Honestly, you’re so much cooler than Cass. He never lets me get this much stuff.”
“That’s because it’s full of sugar,” Camarra comments.
“I can agree with that,” I say. “But splurging now and then is okay.”
“What do you think of the coffee?”
I pull it from the cup holder and take a sip.