“I said what I said,” Xavier responds, stuffing his hands into his pockets and leaning back on his heels.
It feels as if I have interrupted a deep and long argument, and when Dean sees me over Xavier’s shoulder, he rolls his eyes. Xavier turns to look at me and raises his eyebrows in a similar exasperated expression.
“Emma,” Xavier says. “Dean seems to be under the impression that rollercoasters go before bumper cars. He has no appreciation for the slow increase of H.P.A. and the inherent connection to the perception of fun.”
“H.P.A.?” I frown.
“Heartbeats Per Attraction,” Dean explains. “It’s a system he made up to rank the scariness of rides.”
“Not scariness,” Xavier says. “Otherwise ‘Tiny Tim’ would be dead last.” He shudders. “The clown out front gives me the willies.”
“Dean,” I say, touching his arm, “it’s Xavier’s birthday.”
“Celebration,” Xavier corrects.
“Birthday celebration,” I say.
“Because my birthday already happened.”
“Right,” I say.
“I guess, technically, I could always say that. I have had birthdays before,” Xavier says. “My birthday has happened multiple times over. I am referring to my most recent birthday.” He stands taller and clears his throat as if to make an announcement. “I am celebrating my most recent birthday, not the many birthdays of my past, nor birthdays of my future, should I have any.”
I stare at him for a moment, and when he nods, I assume he is done.
“Right,” I say.
“Which I hope to,” he blurts out before I can continue my thought. I stay silent, waiting for him to say something else, but he doesn’t.
“Right. So,” I say. “Whatever Xavier wants to do, we do.”
“Fine,” Dean admits, “but I am going to chase you around that track until your H.P.A. is at rollercoaster level.”
“I look forward to it,” Xavier grins. “Prepare to be bumpered.”
“They’re called bumper cars because of the bumpers that surround them,” I say. “It’s not a verb.”
Am I correcting Xavier? Willingly opening the floodgates for one of his explanations? What the hell kind of nonsense is going on in my head?
He looks at me and I prepare to chase around his words and try to make them make sense.
“Emma. I was being whimsical.”
“Oh,” I say after a pause. “Well, whimsical away.”
“Dean,” Xavier says. “Prepare to be bumpered. You, too, Emma.”
“I’m well prepared. Let’s go.”
“Not yet,” Dean says.
“We don’t need to wait for Sam,” I say. “He’s just run to the help desk to get us the picture pass. He’ll call me when he’s done.”
Sam insisted on coming down to celebrate Xavier’s birthday with us. He got here early this morning and will head back to Sherwood tonight. It’s an exhausting jaunt for him, but he didn’t want to miss this. He’s so sweet and cares so much about other people. It’s one of the reasons I love him.
“No, not Sam,” Dean says.
“Then who?” I ask, completely confused.
Dean nods behind me. I turn to see Ava making her way toward us, holding a lanyard with a clear plastic cardholder on it to her chest with one hand and the other raised in a wave. She’s jogging toward us in an awkward gait somewhere between hurrying and trying to look as if she’s not hurrying.
Oh, you have got to be freaking kidding me.
I turn back to Dean, heat rising up the sides of my face.
“What is she doing here?” I whisper, trying to keep my voice calm.
“I invited her,” Dean shrugs. “She’s actually a very nice person if you give her a chance. I thought it would be nice to have her with us at the park. Especially considering you kind of abandoned her when you found out Bellamy was in labor.” Those last words spill out of him fast to make sure they’re all out before Ava gets to us. His face brightens in a smile. “Hi!”
I look over at Xavier. His head is tilted to the side as he watches Dean and Ava greet each other. He’s trying to figure it out, to process that she’s there and that he’s going to have to integrate her into his plans. He doesn’t push back, so I take a breath and force myself to get some perspective.
It’s awkward for sure, but I want to make the best of it. The day is about Xavier after all, and as long as he isn’t going to be too upset, I really don’t have a reason to be, either. Dean is right. I did just peace out and go to the hospital without telling Ava we were leaving or that we wouldn’t be there to investigate the next day. I barely even remembered she was a thing until I saw her coming toward us just now.
But this is precisely why I had misgivings about this whole situation. There’s a reason I don’t have pets or houseplants. In a lot of ways, she fits into that category. No pets, no houseplants, no extra people on the periphery of a case.
Sam joins us as we make our way to one side of the park where the games that most closely resemble midway games are. It’s an interesting park, different from any I’ve been to before. But Xavier wanted a roller coaster for his birthday, and this is the closest one we could find. While Xavier frets about raising his H.P.A., I am wondering if there’s even enough to do to make it until nightfall. The park is tiny and unless he’s going to be sampling the kiddie land after the bumper cars, there won’t be much progression to be had.
We stand in line for the bumper cars, and Sam joins us, coming up behind me and wrapping an arm around my waist.
“Bumper cars?” Sam raises an eyebrow.
“Starting slow,” Xavier calls back.
“He has to raise his H.P.A. carefully,” I explain.
“Is that something I need to be concerned about?” he asks. “I won’t give up the cinnamon rolls.”
I shake my head with
