Kiana Cruise
Page 27
At that point, Kiana thought of something. She had actually been thinking about it for a while, but after all they had been through these past few days she decided it was finally time to come out and say it.
“I was a real witch when I first met you, Christine. I was so worried you were going to come in and steal my dad away from me. But now I know you would never do that, so I apologize. And I know you’ve been staying over a lot lately, which is cool, but if you ever wanted to move in with us, you’d have to work out the details with that big lug over there” (she nodded at Michael when she said it) “but I would have no objection at all. Actually, I’d like it a lot.”
Christine’s eyes got big. She and Michael had actually been discussing the topic and they both wanted Christine to do it but Christine had been hesitant for fear of causing additional issues with Kiana.
“Thank you. That means a lot to me, Kiana. I’d definitely like to move in.”
“And who knows,” Olivia said. “Maybe one day, not too far down the road, there will be a wedding.”
Michael stepped forward. His eyes were big. “Ladies. Maybe we’ll just go one step at a time, okay?”
They all laughed.
“Speaking of moving in,” he said. “Now that your mission is over, Olivia, how about you move in with us for a while, too? Not permanent, I know you can’t stay forever, but a month or so would be nice.”
“I’d like that,” Olivia said, “but I don’t think my supervisor at MI6 will give me a whole month off. He’s kind of strict and since I’m one of the newest agents at my branch I doubt he’ll give me much leeway.”
“Who’s your supervisor?”
“Ian McCall.”
Michael nodded. “It won’t be an issue. I know Ian and he owes me a favor for a mission I did for him a few years back. I’ll talk to him. He’ll give you the time off.”
And so it began. As far as Kiana was concerned, it was one of the best times of her life, if not the best. The first week was pretty hectic, with a lot of post-mission debriefings with Beckman and other high-ranking USIA officials, including several from the USIA’s main headquarters in northern Virginia. In addition, Olivia had to fly to Sydney for a few days to handle things with her supervisors at MI6, but after that life was great. Christine recovered from her concussion and they all helped her move in. Kiana and Olivia even chipped in and bought her a welcoming present, a really nice bouquet of pink roses. They spent the next couple of weeks goofing around and having fun and one night they even went to a store and bought a deck of Ultra 7 cards so Kiana and Olivia could teach Michael and Christine how to play. Like always, the scrambles for spoons were awesome and they laughed heartily one time when Kiana and Olivia went for the same spoon and ended up knocking their heads together (luckily, neither of them was hurt badly but Kiana did see stars for a few seconds). The highlight of the night, however, was when Kiana played one of the DARE cards and then, with a mischievous smile on her face, turned to Christine and said, “I dare you to kiss my dad on the lips.”
“That’s an easy one,” Christine said, then turned and gave Michael a big kiss.
Speaking of kissing, Kiana saw Jacen again, several times, and they exchanged a few kisses of their own, but the complete highlight of the month, at least as far as Kiana was concerned, happened the following weekend. Her softball team had a tournament and it was in Tacoma, which was a city about thirty minutes south of Seattle. Kiana was really excited because everyone was there to watch her play, including Olivia, Michael, Christine, Jacen, and even Beckman. As such, Kiana really wanted to do well and she really wanted to impress everyone.
Much to her delight, she didn’t waste any time doing so.
Her first game was against a team from Seattle called the Spice. The Spice’s pitcher was quite good, a hard-throwing lefty with long blond hair and straight bangs. She used a wicked fastball to get two quick strikes on Kiana but then made a huge mistake. She tried to throw a low changeup but she didn’t throw it properly and as a result it ended up coming straight down the middle of the plate.
Pitches down the middle of the plate were Kiana’s specialty. She felt every muscle in her body tighten as she turned and hit the ball as hard as she could. And she didn’t just hit it. She destroyed it. The Spice’s center fielder didn’t even try to chase after it. She just turned and watched as it flew into the distance.
Kiana’s teammates went wild and the fans in the stands, including her family and friends, cheered loudly (especially Michael, since there was nothing he loved more than out-of-the-park home runs). As Kiana rounded the bases and stepped on home plate, she looked at them all, smiled, and said to herself, “Life is good.”
About the Author
Jody Studdard is the author of several children’s novels, including A Different Diamond, Fastpitch Fever, Escape from Dinosaur Planet, and Dog in the Dugout. He is a graduate of Monroe High School (1989), the University of Washington (1993), and California Western School of Law (1995). In addition to writing, he is a practicing attorney with an office in Everett, Washington. He is a fan of the Seahawks, Storm, and Sounders FC.
Visit Jody at:
www.jstuddard.com
E-mail Jody at:
jodystuddard@jodystuddard.com