The Sweetest Gift - Scarlett Cole Page 0,20

my dance moves for tomorrow,” Uncle Cujo said. “Will you dance with me then?”

Petal pursed her lips. If they didn’t dance tonight to practice, their dancing wouldn’t be very good tomorrow. But at least he’d said he’d dance with her tomorrow.

“Okay. But will you dance with me, Daniel?”

Daniel looked down at his plate. He still had three slices of pizza on it. Daniel ate so much food, she’d heard Auntie Kendalee tell Auntie Georgia that it was like feeding a horse. “I’m still eating, Bug.”

She had no clue why he called her Bug, but she was the only one he called it, which made it a special name just for her.

Continuing her path around the room, she asked everybody. Uncle Jordan wouldn’t let Auntie Lexi because she was tired and had been sick. Petal thought her mom had said it was morning sickness so why Auntie Lexi needed looking after when it was nearly her bedtime didn’t make sense. And if the baby was making her sick, maybe she should just send the baby back to wherever babies lived before they came to live with you. Auntie Harper and Auntie Lia said they had last-minute wedding things to do.

Everybody said no.

Her surprise dance troupe for the wedding was going to be a disaster.

If she had to, she could dance by herself, but there were at least ten plus three plus eight people here, and none of them wanted to dance with her.

If nobody in here would dance with her, she’d see if anybody outside wanted to. The door was right there. She looked at Uncle Jordan, who was whispering something to Auntie Lexi. And her dad was in conversation with Uncle Nik. A loud crash made her jump, and everyone looked in the direction of the sound. A lady carrying plates and glasses had dropped her tray, and Petal seized her chance.

She slipped outside the door.

Immediately, Petal wished she’d thought to bring the pretty jacket Auntie Lia had bought her for her trip. It was covered in sequins and when it was sunny outside, bursts of sparkles reflected off it in all directions. Instead, it was placed neatly on the chair next to her sister, Arwen. Arwen was nearly three and past the fussy stage she’d gone through where she put everything in her mouth. But she was clumsy and Petal worried that she might spill her juice on it or something.

She eyed the door cautiously, wondering if she should pop back inside and grab it, but dismissed it because someone would probably see her.

The streets were busy, but she remembered that the beach was just across the road. There, she’d find the dancers she’d seen earlier when she’d gone for a walk with Uncle Jordan and Arwen and Daniel. They would help her.

People swarmed around her, but the funny thing about adults is that most of them never took any notice of her. They were too busy laughing with friends, and if they were alone, they were usually on their phones. Hardly any of them looked down at her as she weaved between their legs to the beach.

It was a very grown-up feeling to be out on her own. Petal pulled her shoulders back because Auntie Lia had always told her to be proud of who she was and to never slouch.

A loud bang made her jump, and she turned to see a car on the road that was actually bouncing. Her heart raced as she watched it move jerkily down the road. It was the coolest thing, and she added it to her list of things she wanted. She’d asked her daddy for a pony. She’d also mentioned it to Uncle Jordan as back up. She’d also asked Uncle Jordan for the bright red scooter she’d seen. She’d asked Uncle Nik for three boxes of her favorite candy, and Uncle Elliott for another baby girl cousin. Perhaps she’d see if Uncle Lennon could buy her a car.

A loud growl right by her ear made her scream. The dog had its teeth bared and, for a moment, Petal thought it was going to bite her face until the owner pulled on its chain.

“Uther, stop,” the dog’s owner shouted. Petal watched, open-mouthed as he forced the dog to sit and told it off. “You okay, kid?” he asked.

With her pounding heart and shaky hands, she nodded. Tears welled in her eyes, but she bit them back.

“Where are your parents?” he asked, scanning the sidewalk.

But she didn’t want to tell him,