Also, there’s a high probability my stomach won’t appreciate it.
“You sure? This might be your last chance. No one has had an accident on me yet, unlike last year, but that could change any minute.”
I can’t help but laugh. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
Win pulls off his horse’s head, revealing a grin. He says to Lina, “Tell her about last year’s party.”
Lina turns from her dad to smile at me, and she isn't the only one. “There was an accident. I paid to have the horse costume dry-cleaned.”
I giggle. “On yourback?”
Win’s eyes sparkle. “It was a warm, gradual seepage.”
“No!” I clap my hand over my mouth, laughing. “Stop it. That’s hilarious. Obviously not for you, but…”
Hunching over, I laugh harder when I picture Win’s slow mounting horror in his costume, not understanding at first what he was feeling, then trying to decide what to do about it, and finally taking the costume to the dry cleaner and having to explain what happened.
Minutes later, I’m still laughing as I wheeze, “Sorry. That couldn’t have been fun for you.”
As I brush tears from my eyes, I find Win on his feet, studying me with a soft, warm smile. “Oh, it was hilarious. I laughed about it for days afterward.”
When I’ve finally got all the laughter out of my system, I straighten. Too damn fast.Ooh. My stomach roils, and I swallow to stop all the ginger ale I sipped from coming back up.
Win moves toward me, drops his horse’s head, and steadies me with an arm around my waist. “Whoa, I got you. You okay?”
I look for somewhere to put my ginger ale. “I shouldn’t have stood up that fast. Or drank so much ginger ale. Bathroom?”
Win takes the cup from me and leads the way to the house. “I’ll show you.” He turns to Lina. “I’ll be back. Can you keep an eye on Ben?”
Lina’s face twists in sympathy. “Already watching him. Take your time.”
I look for Ben. He’s sprinting around a tree with a red flag while another kid chases him, and one of the parents shouts out directions. Honestly, I could have left this party minutes ago, and Ben wouldn’t have even noticed.
Win shows me to the white-and-green bathroom, setting my ginger ale down on a side table as we pass through the homey, cozy house in earth tones and deep reds. As I hug the toilet bowl, I’m grateful I braided my hair so it’s out of my face. Win disappears for a few seconds, then returns with a small blue towel and a bottle of water.
“Thanks.” I take the towel and water, then sit on the floor with my legs stretched out in front of me. After a small sip of water, I put the bottle beside me and keep the towel in my lap. Who knows how soon I might need it?
Win joins me on the floor and wraps his arm around me.
“You’re brave getting this close to me,” I say.
“Better a gross thing I see coming than one that surprises me,” he says, his voice warm with amusement.
With my head on his shoulder, I smile. I’m almost tempted to get up and grab my cell phone from my white cross-body bag, which I dropped by the bathroom door, just to snap a picture of our legs and capture this strange moment of him in a horse costume from the neck down and me in a cute summer dress and sandals.
“What?” Win asks, noticing my smile.
I point. “Look at our legs.”
He chuckles. “Want me to take you home? I can drop you off, then come back to keep an eye on Ben if you’re not up to all this noise and food smells.”
Yeah, all those food smells definitely played a part.
I close my eyes and lean against Win, breathing in the subtle scent of his coconut shampoo, comforted in a way few things ever do. “It’ll pass. Hunching over to laugh like that was asking for trouble.” I open my eyes and brush a kiss across his jaw. “Thanks, Win. For looking after me and knowing I would worry about Ben being here alone.”
He freezes, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallows.
I make a face and lean away. He walked into the bathroom to find me with my head over the toilet not that long ago. “Um, sorry. Ben thought it would cost him a ride in a fire truck if I threw up over Joel, but I promise I don’t go around throwing up over people. Just my shoes that one time when the wind turned. I wouldnevervomit and kiss you afterward.”
