Excerpt: Fragile Broken Things \ The Rabbit Hole

This is an excerpt for the novel Fragile Broken Things.

“How’s it going?” She asked, stuffing her hands in her jean pockets as she watched him hunt around the keyboard for the next letter. It was killing her to watch him “type” like this, her sixth grade typing teacher would’ve eaten him for breakfast.

“Slow. Painfully slow.” He groused.

She watched in silence as he deleted the last word letter by slow letter, instead of just holding down the delete key like any normal sane person would. Zoë beat down the urge to hold his finger down to the key herself, or snatch the whole MacBook away. Some people should not be allowed to touch a computer, and her dad was manning the top of that list like a champ.

“I could type them out for you?” She smiled, meanwhile her brain was positively shouting at him to let her. That way they could finish before she graduated college.

At her words Jack stopped typing all together, his hands hovering and still over the keys. Slowly, carefully he pushed himself away from the desk and turned towards his daughter. For heartbeats there was nothing but silence between them, his head tilting and blue eyes narrowing, as he tried to decipher what she could be plotting behind those big brown eyes.

“Did you get a tattoo?”

“... No.”

“You had to consider that.”

“I had to consider whether or not Jo hit you with a gun again.”

“Is Lucas in your closet?”

“What?” It came out as half laughter.

“You’re being nice -”

“I’m always nice!”

“Yes, but this is extra nice, this is a week’s worth of over due paperwork nice.” He paused again. “Did you get accepted to that school in Edinburgh, because your mom and I haven’t agreed on anything yet.”

“Dad!” This time it was a full laugh. Sometimes he could be such a parent. It was funny to see him get worked up over something so simple and, though she’d never tell him, she loved when he went all ex-Marshall on her. It made her feel safe and loved in a way that she’d been missing in life before Eureka. Plus, it was hilarious too. “You’re driving me nuts with all the pecking, if you’d just let me type them up we could be done before I leave for college, and there would be time for ice-cream.”

“Ah, now your real motives come out.” A slow smile formed.

Zoë bounced on the balls of her feet with a grin. “I’m outta Mint Chocolate Cookie.”

Jack leaned back in his chair, lacing his fingers over his chest. “And I supposed this means I’m supposed to drive into town - out of the goodness of my heart - to feed your addiction?”

“Mmm, yeah. Because the bunker poltergeist finished off my pint of Crème Brûlée.”

“I told you it was stolen, and I’m standing by that statement. No witnesses have come forward ...”

“Because you bribed Sarah with Buffy dvds!” She said. “You, dad, are her dealer.”

“I can neither confirm nor deny that fact.” He grinned, blue eyes twinkling.