Page 32 of Animal Beats

I toss my head back and laugh. “No, smartass. It’s delicious. I can order you one so you can try it.”

“And finish it for me if I don’t? No, thank you.”

Damn. My babysitter’s smart as well as snarky.

A busker sets up over to one side, putting out plastic pails and retrieving drumsticks from his back pocket. “Hey, this guy’s probably pretty good. Let’s go check him out.”

She looks around the crowd. “I don’t think we should.”

The busker starts tapping out a beat, and I’m entranced. It’s always great watching other performers, especially on the drums. While I also play guitar, the keyboards, and can sing, the drums always have been my first love. This guy sounds like he’s the real deal.

“Why not? He’s probably as good as the drummer from centuries ago surrounded by the villagers.” I lean into her ear. “Afraid you’ll drag me off to some corner and have your wicked way with me?”

“Río! I take it back! There’s nothing regular about you.”

Despite her protests, she grabs my offered hand and follows me to the outskirts of the drummer’s circle. His beat is catchy, and the way he throws his entire body into his performance is rad. I, like everyone else around him, bounce to the beat.

Some of the people start dancing. I remain bouncing in place, admiring the busker’s talent on the buckets. His head swings in time with his beat. I look at Hayden, who’s studying me.

I mouth, “What?”

“Want to join him?”

I shake my head. This is his time to shine.

She returns her attention to the busker. I nod toward the others who are dancing and tip my chin in invitation. Hayden worries her bottom lip, then begins bouncing to the beat. Soon, she’s full-on dancing. I divide my attention between the drummer and my babysitter, undecided as to who is having more fun. Something tells me letting loose like this isn’t her usual MO.

The next thing I know, she strips off her cardigan and tosses it at me. Guess she’s not cold anymore. Newly freed, she joins a group of ladies and dances with abandon, all the while keeping perfect time with the busker.

When my attention is turned to the drummer, two large guys rush the ladies. I swing around and catch limbs and bodies flying through the air. One of the women laughs and smacks a guy on the shoulder. Guess they’re all friends.

Hayden, though, is on her knees. Oh shit. I rush over to her, my hand landing on her elbow. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah. I think so. Just got the breath knocked out of me.”

“Here, let me help you up.”

I bring her back to standing, and run my finger over her body to confirm she’s not hurt. While the rest of her appears relatively unscathed, her dress now sports a large tear, which I point out.

“Oh no!” She pulls up the bottom of her dress, exposing her shapely legs. Which would look very nice wrapped around my waist. “This isn’t fixable.”

Remembering what Nese said in the store, I recognize finances are tight for her. Still, her dress is kinda ruined. I pass her the cardigan, which she puts on, but it doesn’t cover the rip. She needs a new dress. Pronto.

Her money issues don’t have to prevent me from getting her the dress. But I need to do one thing before we leave. “Wait here.” I hightail it over to the busker’s empty hat and put one-hundred American dollars into it. I hope he uses it well. With a nod to the street performer, I return to Hayden.

“Come on, we have to get you fixed up.”

She takes a few steps. “I have other clothes at the hotel. Sorry to cut your time in Barcelona short.”

“We’re not going all the way back to the hotel.”

We retrace our path to the shop Nese took us to. “This isn’t the hotel.”

“Ding! Ding! Give the babysitter a prize.” I open the door and practically have to shove her through it. A salesclerk rushes over to me. “There was a dress left in the dressing room before. It was white and gold, with a halter top.”

“Oh yes.” She walks toward the racks and pulls it out. “This one?”

Hayden’s face lights up, then she looks down to the ground. “No.” She lowers her head. “I can’t afford it.”