Free How to Get Dirt by S. E. Campbell

her head.
    â€œ I think I know just the thing. ”
    David walked toward her, kneeled down, and then took her in his arms. Like usual, he smelled of woodsy cologne. Pickles wrapped her arms around his back as tears spilled down her cheeks. Being with this family felt so good. What was she going to do if she lost them?
    When David pulled away from her, his eyes widened when he saw her tears.
    â€œ What ’ s wrong? ” David asked.
    â€œ I just have these bad dreams. ” About losing you and Miranda.
    â€œ I knew something was up , ” David said. “ You ’ ve ha d a hard life. Nobody can be so… composed. ”
    â€œ Composed? ”
    David shook his head, grabbed her hand, and the n squeezed it.
    â€œ Tell you what, Pickles, ” David said, “ let ’ s do what Miranda always does when she ’ s upset. ”
    Because Pickles had never seen Miranda upset, she wasn ’ t sure what that was. David opened the freezer and pulled out a large tub of chocolate ice cream. He then also grabbed caramel and fudge from the refrigerator as well as some whipped cream. Pickles expected him to retrieve some bowls, but he didn ’ t. Her jaw dropped when he just grabbed two spoons and handed one to her. For her , it was a rarity to have ice cream during the day, let alone in the middle of the night.
    â€œ What about bowls? ” Pickles asked.
    â€œ The number one rule about being upset is you have to eat ice cream straight out of the container , ” David said, grinning. “ And you have to be sloppy. ”
    Pickles cocked her head. “ Sloppy? ”
    â€œ Yeah, like this. ”
    Seizing the whipped cream, David pulled the top off of it and then made a massive layer of white fluff on top of the ice cream. He then poured more fudge and caramel than she had ever seen in her entire life on top of the whipped cream . Chocolate ice cream mi xed with whipped cream dripped onto the counter, something Miranda normally would have been upset at David for, but he didn ’ t appear to care.
    Instead, he just grabbed his spoon and dug into the me ss . T hen he shoved a large bite into his mouth. He shut his eyes while moaning , “ Mmmmm. So good. ”
    With a laugh, Pickles plunged her spoon in too and then slid it into her mouth. It was delicious, more d elicious than any ice cream than she had ever had before. Maybe it was because it was straight out of the container, the way she wasn ’ t supposed to eat it. She ate bite after bite until her stomach threatened to burst. Finally, her eyes grew itchy . She realized that now more than ever what she wanted to do was sleep.
    David watched her from over the quickly melting tub of chocolate ice cream. He picked up the ice cream, put on the lid, and slid it back into the freezer. He also put away the whipped cream and s auces, but he ignored the brown milky puddle on the counter.
    â€œ You should be getting some sleep, ” David said, checking his watch. “ Come along, Pickles, my dear. ”
    The two of them went up the stairs together. Pickles expected to part ways with him at her bedroom because that was what they usually did, but instead he followed her inside and tucked her into bed. Then he surprised her even more by lying at her side while hugging her in his arms. He still smelled like chocolate, which made her smile.
    â€œ So , Pickles, tell me what ’ s upsetting you, ” David said sleepily.
    â€œ Do you really want to know? ” Pickles asked.
    â€œ Uh-huh, ” David said, as his eyes fluttered like butterflies.
    â€œ I ’ m so scared of losing you that I— ”
    David let out a massive snore which caused her eyes to widen. Though she still felt guilty, exhaustion won out this time . With a sigh, she shut her eyes and fell asleep too.

 
Chapter Fourteen
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    That night, she dreamt of whipped cream, chocolate ice cream, and caramel sauce.
    Her day was less pleasant