Free A Child's Heart (Trent & Cassie's Story) A River City Novel by E. Ayers Page B

all the little plastic shards and place
them in the trashcan. Then she handed him hers and this time he
popped it into only a few pieces that were easily retrieved.
    Using a napkin and a fresh bottle of water, she wet
the tattoo and put it to one side. “Arr, Captain, where do you want
it? Shall we put it on your bicep so you can show the world what a
tough man you are? Or do we put it on your forearm as a warning to
other pirates that dead men don’t talk?”
    “Right here.” He clasped his bicep.
    She wet another napkin, and rubbed his arm furiously
with hopes of removing any sunscreen, while turning the wet napkin
into a disintegrated mess. Then she carefully applied the
tattoo.
    “Where should I put mine?”
    Shawn instantly pointed to her chest. Trent covered
his mouth with his hand, but the merriment danced in his eyes.
    Decorously, she pulled at her shirt’s neckline.
“Here? What makes you think it should go there? Can’t I put it on
my arm too?”
    “Because that’s where girls wear them.”
    “What gave you that idea?”
    “Because Daddy’s magazine--”
    “Shawn, have you been snooping in my room?”
    The little boys eyes grew wide. “Un-ah.”
    “There’s no point in lying about it.”
    She dissolved into giggles as she watched Trent’s
face turn bright red, even though his eyes had narrowed, and he was
trying to be stern.
    “I think you’ve both been caught. Shawn, I’d prefer
to put it on my arm. That way we match. Besides, I’m going to need
some help.”
    Shawn soaked her tattoo, then put water on a napkin
and did to her what she had done to him. Soon she was sporting a
yellow-orange lily on her arm. It wasn’t as if she, too, had a
skeleton with a sword, but she knew in Shawn’s mind, they now
shared something special.
     
    ***
    Still reeling from his son’s revelation, he wasn’t
sure if anyone still wanted to continue fishing. “Shall we pack
up?”
    She looked up at him with her blue-blue eyes and
cocked her head slightly. “I thought the plans were to go back to
fishing after our meal. It’s still early.”
    “I figured you didn’t want to spend the rest of the
day with a degenerate.”
    She giggled. “Why because you have a few
magazines?”
    “One. I bought it a long time ago.”
    “You need to find a better place to hide it.” She put
her hand on his shoulder. “We’re mature, single adults, and we’re
entitled to our private moments.”
    He looked at his son, who had wandered off a short
ways before looking at Cassie. “I’ve never asked a woman this, but
do you keep a stack of magazines?”
    “No, I have a toy.”
    He looked at her askance. "A toy?"
    “A dildo. But since that mutant from Death Star Three
Sixteen probed me, I’m certain I’ll never need it.”
    “Shh.” Trent stood up and they walked back to the
pier, calling Shawn to join them.
    Shawn had baited his own hook and was attempting to
cast his line. The hooked worm plunked into the water next to the
pier and, as Shawn attempted to pull the line up, his rod bent
downward.
    “You’ve got it caught on something,” Trent said, as
he took the rod. Trent jerked the line and suddenly it began to run
out.
    “That’s a little fast for a turtle, and litter
doesn’t swim,” Cassie said, as she broke into a round of
giggles.
    It was obvious that it was small, and Trent allowed
his son to grab it with the net.
    “Don’t know what it is, but it’s too little to
keep.”
    “Don’t throw that back in. It’s a bluegill perch.
Tasty, and actually that one looks like it’s at least a pound,” the
Vietnam vet said. “It’s a lot of work for a little fish, but it’s
worth it. Delicious little things.”
    “Thanks for the info. We’ll put it in the cooler with
the others.”
    They caught more fish before their picnic than they
did afterwards, but they still had fun. When Trent announced it was
time to leave, Shawn protested and started to cry.
    “Hey, there’s no point in crying.” Cassie