“I didn’t do anything,” he said. “You would have gotten through just fine on your own.”
“I know. But it was easier with you there.”
“Good,” he said, and smiled at her before leaving.
* * *
“It’s crooked,” Holly announced in the morning, entering the kitchen.
Sam looked up from pouring a bowl of cereal. “What’s crooked?”
The child turned around to show him the back of her head. She had asked Sam to arrange her hair in two ponytails, a painstaking process that began with drawing a perfectly straight part down the back. The ponytails could not be too low, too high, too loose, or too tight. Usually Mark was recruited to do Holly’s hair, since he had the knack for doing it the way she liked. But Mark had spent the night at Maggie’s house, and was uncharacteristically late getting back that morning.
Sam examined the part at the back of Holly’s head. “It’s as straight as a cat’s tail.”
She gave him a mildly exasperated glance. “Cats’ tails aren’t straight.”
“They are when you pull them,” he said, and gently tugged one of her ponytails. He set the bowl of cereal on the table. “You’re going to be late for school if I have to redo it.”
Holly heaved a sigh. “I guess I’ll have to go around like this all day.” She tilted her head at a compensating angle.
Sam laughed, nearly choking on a swallow of coffee. “If you hurry through breakfast, we might have time to fix it.”
“Fix what?” came Mark’s voice as he entered the kitchen. He went to Holly and knelt by her chair. “Good morning, sweetheart.”
Her arms went around his neck. “Good morning, Uncle Mark.” She kissed him and pressed a grin against his shoulder. “Will you fix my hair?”
Mark gave her a sympathetic glance. “Did Sam do it crooked again? I’ll take care of it. But first eat your cereal while it’s still crunchy.”
“How’s it going?” Sam asked, while Mark emptied the coffeepot and strainer basket. “Everything okay?”
Mark nodded, looking weary and perturbed. “Great dinner with Maggie last night—everything’s fine—we’re just trying to figure out some tricky scheduling.” He paused, his dark brows drawing together. “We’re trying to set the wedding date. Maybe move it up a little. I’ll tell you more later.”
“Why the rush?” Sam asked. “It’s not like there’s a time limit on your engagement.”
Mark filled the tank of the coffee machine. He slid Sam a guarded glance. “There is, actually.”
“I don’t get it. Why…” Then it hit him. Sam’s eyes widened. “We’re talking about a nine-month time limit?” he asked gingerly.
A slight nod.
“Is Maggie going to have a baby?” Holly asked around a mouthful of cereal.
Mark turned away and swore quietly, while Sam gave Holly an incredulous glance. “How did you know what I was asking?”
“I watch the Discovery Channel.”
“Thanks, Sam,” Mark growled.
Sam grinned and gave him a back-slapping bear hug. “Congratulations.”
Holly leaped from her chair and bounced up and down. “Can I help take care of the baby? Can I help name it? Can I have a day off of school when it’s born? When’s the baby coming?”
“Yes, yes, yes, and we don’t know yet,” Mark said. “Sweetheart, is there any way we can keep this private for a little while? We’re not at the point where Maggie wants to start telling people yet.”
“Sure,” Holly said brightly. “I can keep a secret.”
Mark and Sam exchanged a rueful glance, knowing that everyone at the elementary school would know by day’s end.
After Mark had dropped Holly at school, he came back to find Sam staining the newly installed wainscoting in the living room. The smell of the stain, a dark walnut color, packed a hefty punch even though Sam had opened the windows to provide good ventilation.
“Don’t come in unless you want a buzz,” Sam said.
“In that case, I’m definitely helping you.”
Sam smiled quizzically as Mark entered the room. “The news was a shock, huh? You two weren’t planning on this?”
“No.” Sighing, Mark sat beside him and picked up a paintbrush.
“This wainscoting’s a son of a bitch to stain,” Sam said. “You have to get it into all the grooves. So how did you react when Maggie told you?”
“One hundred and ten percent positive, of course. I told her it was the best news ever, and I loved her, and everything’s going to be great.”