Would it be selfish to wait in order to surpriseher?
What if he could do better than surprising her with thenews?
“Mrs. Lopez-Craine, has Ray’s summer holiday started yet?” Jacques asked, an idea takingshape.
“Yes, his last day of school was Friday, so you can about imagine the effect free time has had on his pleas,” she saidsourly.
This time, Jacques couldn’t stem his chuckle, and to his surprise, Gloria Lopez-Craine chuckled with him. He looked at his bandmates who were all still watching him with silent, rapt attention. They were on their way to shoot their third music video in ten days. And in eight weeks, they’d be on tour. What he was about to do might be foolish, but in the moment, it felt like the universe was smiling on him. If there was ever a time to try his luck, it wasnow.
“What are you and your family doing thisweekend?”
* * *
“Ladies and gentlemen,as we start our descent into Lafayette, please make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position. Make sure your seatbelt is securely fastened and all carry-on luggage is stowed underneath the seat in front of you or in the overhead bins. Thankyou.”
“Is that a swamp?” Ray asked, pressing his finger against the oval-shaped window. In the last two hours — the first in George Bush International Airport and the second on the flight from Houston to Lafayette, Ray had pelted Jacques with about eight thousand questions. The first thousand of them had been about the model fossil set Jacques had bought for the kid at the La Brea Museum, which, to Ray’s credit, had been extremelyinteresting.
Even Kate had enjoyedit.
It had taken a fair amount of convincing to get Gloria and her husband Cliff to agree to accept Jacques’s offer to fly them in. And then it took more than a little finagling to actually coordinate their schedules so that the Lopez-Craine family and the band Heroine could connect in Houston and take the same flight toLafayette.
Where Rainey would be waiting at theairport.
Jacques leaned over Ray’s seat. “Yes, it’s a swamp.” It had probably been Gloria’s idea of retribution to give into Ray’s pleas to have Jacques switch seats with his mother on the fifty-five-minuteflight.
“Are there alligators init?”
“Almostcertainly.”
“You said we’re going to take a swamp tour on Saturday in Lake Martin,” Ray said, nudging his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose. “I looked it up on the internet, and I saw that it’s a bird sanctuary that’s home to more than two hundred species of native and migratoryfowl.”
Jacques grinned. Although he was insatiable for information, no one could say talking with Rainey’s little brother was boring. “Yep. That’s true. We might not see as many large groups of birds because it’s June, but we’ll see plenty ofalligators.”
Behind his glasses, Ray’s eyes grew wide. “Wewill?”
“Guaranteed.”
Ray blinked. “Alligators are rare in Kentucky, and I’ve never seenone.”
Jacques quirked a brow at him. “Does that mean you’reexcited?”
Ray noddedfiercely.
Jacques gave him a look of mock suspicion. “Maybe even more excited to see an alligator than to meet yoursisters?”
The ten-year-old scowled. “Of coursenot!”
His genuine affront had Jacques laughing and shaking his head in apology. “I’m just teasing, buddy. I know you’re excited to seethem.”
The plane dipped a little in its descent, and Ray gave Jacques a sly smile. “We’re almostthere.”
“Yep.”
Then the boy narrowed his eyes at Jacques. “You’ve kept it a secret? You haven’t given Rainey even one little hint?” heasked.
Jacques tamped down on his grin. “I just told her that I have a surprise for her.” He held up his hand as though taking an oath. “I swear, she thinks it’s something fromCalifornia.”
Seemingly satisfied, Ray sat back in his seat and was remarkably quiet as the plane made its approach and finally toucheddown.
