Even the Score(71)
“Yay!” she called out, throwing her arms in the air in celebration. “Can we do something fun tomorrow?”
“Like what?”
Sleep in. Please say sleep in.
She rolled toward me and squeezed my cheeks in between her hands. “Like go to breakfast, and then go to the Bouncy Bandit, then go out for lunch, then go to the park?”
“That’s a lot of stuff,” I mumbled with a squished face.
“I know.” She planted a sloppy kiss on the end of my nose and pulled back, letting go of my face. “Can Dani come, too?”
“Honey, I have no idea what Dani’s plans are, but I don’t think we should totally bombard her with stuff, ya know?”
“I know,” she said sadly, rolling onto her back again. “I just like her, Daddy. She’s nice and she let me help her put her clothes in the dresser last night. She even let me try on her shoes.”
“She did?” I chuckled at the thought of Becca prancing around Dani’s room in her heels.
Becca nodded. “She has black shoes, and red shoes, and blue shoes. Those ones are really big!” She turned back toward me again. “Can we just ask her if she wants to go?”
“Sure.” I nodded. “You may ask her once, but if she says no, no complaining and no begging. Got it? You also have to wait until she gets up to ask her. No going into her room and waking her up.”
“She’s already up,” she said nonchalantly. “Her and Gloria are sitting at the kitchen table, talking.”
“She is? I mean . . . they are?” I lifted my head off the pillow, my interest piqued.
She nodded. “Uh-huh. I like her robe, it’s pink like mine.”
Holy hell.
Like a ninja, I rolled out of my bed and sprinted to the bathroom to take a leak. “Why don’t you head down, I’ll be there in one minute,” I called before I shut the door.
I peed faster than I ever had in my whole life, ran my hand through my hair, and brushed my teeth in record speed, hoping to catch a quick glimpse of Dani in her pink robe. I’d never been jealous of my six-year-old daughter before, but I was just then.
The lower part of my body screamed Sprint! but my brain told me to keep my shit together and walk slowly down the stairs like a normal human being.
As I walked into the kitchen, disappointment washed over me when I saw Gloria sitting alone at the kitchen table. She had her coffee in one hand and a book in the other.
“Good morning, Gloria.”
She startled, turning to face me with a frown. “I didn’t hear you come down the stairs.”
“Must have been my stealth-like ninja movements, huh?” I teased as I walked over to the coffeepot.
“Mm-hmm, or you’re trying to give me a heart attack. Either way, good morning, Mr. Shaw.”
“Have you seen Dani yet this morning?” I asked nonchalantly, playing dumb.
“Daddy!” Becca called out as she ran into the room. “I just told you Dani was in here, remember?”
Thankfully, I was facing the counter so Gloria wouldn’t see my bright red face. “Oh, I didn’t hear you. Sorry.”
“Yes, you did.” Becca giggled as she ran over and wrapped her arms around my waist. “Remember, you said go downstairs, you’d be right here?”
I cleared my throat and ignored her, not wanting to dig myself a deeper hole. “So anyway . . .” I turned back toward Gloria, who was staring at me with one eyebrow raised, her lips pursed together. “What?” I asked defensively, holding one hand up.
“Oh, nothing,” she said in a condescending tone. “What were you saying now?”
“Uh, I don’t remember.” I shrugged and stared down at my coffee cup, avoiding her scrutinizing eyes.
“Mm-hmm, sure you don’t,” she said before turning back to her book.
As I made my way over to the table, I peeked into the living room. Becca was curled up on the couch and had already turned on My Little Pony. Logan was nowhere to be seen.
“No Logan yet this morning?” I asked as I set my mug down and pulled the chair out.
“Nope.” Gloria shook her head but didn’t take her eyes off her book. “Probably sleeping off his last few days of summer vacation.”
“By this time next week, it’ll be quiet around here again. You excited?”
Gloria’s eyes flashed up to mine. She set her book down and shrugged. “Not really. I like having them around. They keep me on my toes and make my days fun.” A hint of sadness filled her voice.
“Gloria, how come you never had kids?” In the eight years she’d worked for me, I’d never asked her that question, but I’d always wondered. She was in her late forties. I knew that she’d been married once, way before I hired her, but I never knew why she didn’t have children.