Chapter 16
Fresh blueberries always made muffins taste terrific. Warren and Mikaela were both shocked to learn that Sierra had never baked with fresh berries before. It was Tuesday morning, and they stood in the kitchen, next to the mixing bowls.
“It’s not like I’ve never had blueberry muffins before,” Sierra explained. “It’s just that my mom usually makes the kind from the box.”
“The box?” Mikaela’s mouth gaped open. “How can blueberries come from a box?”
“They don’t.” Sierra shook her head. “The blueberries are in a little can, and you have to peel back the lid carefully, so you don’t cut your fingers.”
Canned blueberries? Dawn fed her daughter processed berries? Warren shuddered. Well, nobody was perfect.
“We grow our own blueberries.” Mikaela picked up the smaller of the two mixing bowls. “Let’s go pick some before the birds eat them.”
“Okay.” Sierra shrugged. “It sounds like a lot of work, but maybe it’ll be fun.”
Both girls were acting a little cranky, and Warren suspected it was because they’d stayed up so late talking. He’d knocked on their door three different times last night, trying to settle them down. Each time he knocked, they would get quiet all of a sudden, but both girls would burst into laughter as soon as he walked down the hall. They hadn’t fallen asleep until after midnight.
Warren poured a second cup of coffee and prayed for the caffeine to take hold. He was exhausted—not just from supervising the sleepover, but also from staying awake until three in the morning, rehearsing what he’d say to Laurie and Alison about their proposal. Laurie was stopping by on her way home from Seattle that evening to talk.
His phone buzzed, and he rushed to answer it, hoping it was Dawn. Instead, he found a text from Saul.
Is your morning as good as mine? Next came a picture of Saul and Luke dropping a crab pot into the Sound.
The sliding glass door opened, and Sierra burst into the kitchen. “Would you look at all these blueberries? They’re huge!”
Mikaela was right behind her. “That’s because my dad fertilizes them with coffee grounds and compost.”
Warren felt a thrill of pride, hearing Mikaela praise him.
My morning’s going great, he texted Saul. Hope you hit the limit on your catch.
“What’s compost?” Sierra asked.
“Food scraps.” Warren collected the compost bucket from underneath the sink to show her. “We take this out to our compost bin, mix it up with some dry leaves, and turn it into fertilizer.”
“Cool.” Sierra scrunched up her nose. “But also stinky.” She went over to the sink and washed her hands under the faucet. “My mom gardens, but she doesn’t compost.”
“Maybe she never learned how.” Mikaela gave Warren a side hug. “My dad’s a great teacher.”
Warren couldn’t believe his good fortune. First, Mikaela complimented him, and then she gave him a spontaneous hug. He didn’t know if she was happy because of the sleepover, the cell phone, or the pierced ears, but her mood seemed lighter.
“I’ll get the muffin liners.” Warren reached into the upper cabinet where they kept miscellaneous baking supplies. “Then I’ll get out of your way.”
Sierra’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re letting us bake muffins by ourselves?”
“Of course.” Warren handed her the muffin liners. “You two are capable middle schoolers, and I trust you.”
“I bake all the time,” said Mikaela, which was only partly true. But it was true enough that Warren didn’t bother correcting her.
“I’ll be in the living room if you need me.” He grabbed his phone off the charger and headed for his recliner. He was anxious to hear from Dawn to see if she had any updates on her mother. She’d called him that morning and said Beth was moving out of the ICU and into her own room later, but he hadn’t heard from her since.
Warren sat in his recliner and kicked up his feet. Swiping his phone screen to life, he checked his messages again in case he’d missed a notification.
When he didn’t find any new ones, he texted Dawn. The girls are making blueberry muffins and having a wonderful time.
That’s great, she answered a few seconds later. Thank you so much!
Warren smiled when he saw the heart emoji Dawn had added. No problem.
My mom’s room will be ready soon. I’ll probably be here all day.
Warren was just about to text that keeping Sierra longer wouldn’t be a problem, but Dawn sent another message before he could.
Sierra’s dad will be there to pick her up around eleven. I texted Mark your address.
Dawn’s ex-husband. He was already meeting her ex. A spark of adrenaline shot through him, making his muscles tense. Things were moving quickly with Dawn and yet not quickly enough. They hadn’t gone on an official date yet. If he wanted to change that, he needed to do something about it.
The muffins will be out of the oven by the time Mark arrives, Warren texted. When your mom’s better, let’s try dinner together again. Just the two of us, okay?
I’d love that! She followed up with another heart emoji.
Warren smiled and texted a heart back then added an emoji of two beers clinking together.
“How’re you doing in there?” he called into the kitchen.
“We’re just about to turn on the mixer,” Mikaela answered. “I put the beaters in myself.”
“Awesome job.” Warren grinned and relaxed in his chair. Then he sprang up so fast he didn’t bother cranking the recliner down. “You didn’t add the blueberries yet, did you?” He rushed into the kitchen.
It was too late. Sierra was holding the bowl under the mixer, and Mikaela had just flicked the switch. The muffin batter swirled from cream to purple.
Mikaela screeched and turned off the mixer. “Why did it do that?”
“Purple muffins?” Sierra stared into the bowl. “The kind from the box are never purple unless you forget to drain the blueberries, but our blueberries weren’t in any juice.”
Warren sighed. “They’ll still taste good.” He opened a drawer and took out a rubber spatula. “Usually you mix the batter first, then you fold in the blueberries at the end.” He showed the girls how to scrape the bowl with the spatula. “That way, the batter doesn’t turn blue. But these muffins will still be delicious. Don’t worry.” He passed the spatula to Sierra so she could try.
“Like this?” Sierra attempted to scrape but didn’t use enough force.
“Harder,” said Warren. “Scrape like you’re attacking the bowl.”
She tried again, and this time, made a clean sweep.
“Good job,” said Mikaela. “Sorry I messed up on the blueberries. I forgot about that part.”
“You didn’t mess up,” said Warren. “You learned.”
“How’d you learn to cook?” Sierra asked him.
“Out of necessity.” He put the flour canister away. “When I was a boy, my mom cooked for us. But in high school, I learned to make a few things myself.” Warren didn’t elaborate, but when he’d lived with Uncle Mike, he tried to help by cooking on the weekends. There was only so much smoked fish and mashed potatoes—Uncle Mike’s favorite things to prepare—that Warren could stomach. “When I became a firefighter, my buddies taught me a bunch more recipes. I’m not a great cook, but I can make simple things.”
“He’s being modest,” said Mikaela as she unplugged the mixer. “My dad’s an amazing cook. He can make barbecued chicken and lasagna and pulled pork sandwiches and anything really.”
Anything was a stretch, but Warren felt pleased to hear his daughter’s praise.
“Potato pancakes too,” Mikaela added.
“Potato pancakes?” Sierra licked her fingers. “What are those?”
“Lefse,” said Warren. “They’re Norwegian.”
“How do you say ‘breakfast’ in Norwegian?” Mikaela asked.
“Frokost . ”
“My dad’s teaching me Norwegian,” Mikaela explained. “Isn’t that cool?”
“Yeah.” Sierra wiped her hands on her pants. “My dad doesn’t cook anything except coffee, and my mom is always too busy to teach me,” said Sierra. She looked up at Warren. “This has been fun. Thank you.”
“We’re not done yet.” Warren slid the muffin pan closer to the bowl. “Let’s scoop out the batter and slide these in the oven.”
An hour later, they were finishing their third helping of muffins when the doorbell rang. Sierra’s dad had arrived, ready to collect her. Warren was grateful he’d watered the front lawn this summer, so his house had curb appeal.
Warren had met Mark St. James briefly at the Forgotten Hug, but he’d been so focused on making his point about the bridge proposal that he hadn’t focused on what Dawn’s ex-husband looked like. This time, Warren took a few moments to size Mark up through the peephole before he opened the door. Shorter than Warren by at least five inches, Mark wore slacks, a pin-striped shirt, and a blue tie. Mark seemed fit, although it was hard to tell in office attire. He was balding, but the hair he had left was the same light brown as Sierra’s. Mark’s blue BMW M3 was parked at the curb. It looked brand-spanking new.
Warren squared his shoulders and opened the door. “Hi.” He held out his hand. “Warren Berg. Nice to see you again.”
“Mark St. James.” Mark had a firm grip, and he looked Warren right in the eye. “Thanks for taking Sierra on such short notice.”
“No problem. Come on in.” Warren stepped backward to make room for Mark. “The girls were just finishing breakfast.”
“Up late, I take it?” Mark grinned and came inside. “Sierra knows how to push a bedtime like nobody’s business.”
“Mikaela too.” Warren walked the few steps over to the entrance of the kitchen. “Girls,” he said, “it’s time to say goodbye.”
“Already?” Mikaela whined.
Sierra picked up her plate and took it to the sink. “We can FaceTime later, ’kay? Since I can’t text.” She headed into the living room and hugged her father.
“Hey, sweet girl.” Mark kissed the top of Sierra’s head. “Did you have fun?”
She nodded. “Lots.”
“I would have gotten here earlier, but I had to cancel some meetings,” Mark explained. “I’ll drive you over to Grandma and Grandpa’s house and pick you up tonight.”
“But there’s nothing to do at Grandma and Grandpa’s.” Sierra pouted.
“What do you mean?” Mark asked. “There’s lots to do.”
Sierra wrinkled her forehead. “Old board games with nobody to play them with don’t count as lots to do.”
“There’s also the TV,” Mark observed.
Sierra shook her head. “Grandma Joan refuses to give me the WiFi password, so I can’t watch Netflix, and all they have is cable. Do you know how many commercials are on cable? It’s too much work to watch TV like that.”
Warren had to stop himself from chuckling. He didn’t think Sierra was intentionally acting bratty. Mikaela always expressed amazement about commercials whenever they visited his folks too. She didn’t understand why shows kept stopping and starting.
“When I was your age, I spent summer in the water,” said Mark.
“But Grandma Joan won’t let me put a toe in Lake Washington unless I’m wearing a life jacket and she’s watching.”
“She sounds like a smart grandma,” said Warren, remembering the four-year-old whose body he’d recovered from a backyard pool.
Mark nodded at him with a look of gratitude. He turned his attention back to Sierra. “Tonight, we’ll go kayaking when I pick you up, okay? In the meantime, you’ll need to be creative. Read a book, play in the backyard, write a story. You’ll figure something out.”
It was the same advice Warren had given to Mikaela a hundred times. Learning to entertain yourself was critical for only children but always seemed especially onerous after coming home from a fun adventure, like a slumber party.
Sierra looked over her shoulder at Mikaela. “Maybe you can come spend the night with me this weekend?”
Mikaela’s face lit up. “That would be great.” She looked at Warren. “Can I, Dad?”
“Sure.” He nodded.
“It’ll be so much fun,” said Sierra. “My dad’s apartment is in Capitol Hill. You can see the Space Needle from his balcony. Maybe we could have dinner nearby the Needle in the Armory.” She tugged Mark’s sleeve. “Could we, Dad? Please?”
“Of course.” Mark’s gaze drifted to Warren. “If that’s okay with you?”
Eating out was extremely dangerous with Mikaela’s life-threatening peanut allergy. The back of Warren’s neck grew sticky with sweat. “I’m not so sure if?—”
Mark held up his hands. “It’s okay. I get it. Nobody ever wants their daughter to spend the night at a single dad’s house.”
What was that supposed to mean? Warren felt put on the spot. Had Mark not wanted Sierra to spend the night at his house? It wouldn’t have been the first time he’d experienced judgement like that. But then Warren took a breath, let it out, and realized he was judging Mark in the same way.
“I’d love for Mikaela to spend the night with you guys in the city,” he said. “I’d just need to see the menu from the restaurant first to make sure it’s safe for Mikaela’s peanut allergy.”
Mark’s frozen expression softened. “Absolutely. Or we could order from the nut-free bakery in Capitol Hill. They have a soup and sandwich menu.”
“I’ve heard of that place.” Warren looked at Mikaela. “That’s where Laurie and Alison bought you those cookies for your birthday. That would be perfect.”
“Does Friday night work?” Mark asked.
“Hang on. Let me check.” Warren popped into the kitchen and looked at the master calendar. He watched the boys on Wednesday and worked on Thursday, but he would be free all weekend. “Friday’s clear,” he said when he came back to the living room.
Both girls squealed and jumped up and down.
“I can’t wait!” Mikaela cried. “This is going to be so much fun!”
“We can go to Volunteer Park and climb the water tower.” Sierra gave Mikaela a high five. Then she spun around and looked at Warren excitedly. “And you and my mom can go out to dinner, just the two of you.”
“Yeah.” Mikaela linked arms with Sierra. “On a real date.”
“Great idea,” Mark said in a neutral tone, his expression frozen into an unreadable mask.
Oh, man... Warren didn’t know if the girls had planned this ahead of time or what. He appreciated their efforts because he did want alone time with Dawn. But he wasn’t sure how he felt about them wrangling Mark into providing childcare.
“Dawn’s probably focused on helping her mom right now,” Warren said. Then he figured he might as well be forthcoming with the truth. “But I would like to take her out on a proper date.” He looked at Mark then at Sierra. “I like her very much.”
“Okay then, we can settle the overnight details later.” Mark pulled out his key fob. “Don’t let me forget the second booster seat though. We’ll need that if the three of us drive somewhere.” He put his arm around Sierra’s shoulder. “Are you ready, my darling?”
She nodded. “Thanks again,” Sierra said before leaving.
Mikaela and Warren stood on the porch, watching them go. The house seemed emptier now that it was just the two of them. Quiet weighed down on them like a thick blanket.
Mikaela sighed and leaned against him. “Now what?” she asked. “There’s nothing to do.”
Warren felt like sighing too. Then he remembered the list of activities Mark had rattled off a few minutes ago. “Read a book, play in the backyard, write a story,” he said. “You’ll figure something out.”
“Gee.” Mikaela scowled. “Thanks.”
“Or maybe you could take a nap since you didn’t get a full night’s sleep.”
“But I’m not tired.” As soon as she said it, she yawned. “Okay, maybe I’m a little tired. I need to go clean my earlobes.” She plodded off to her bedroom.
Now Warren was the one left all alone, figuring out what to do. The house looked tidy, the yard was mowed, and he’d already cleaned up the mess in the kitchen with the girls’ help. He saw his battalion chief examination manual taunting him from the coffee table and decided this was as good a time as any to study but not cooped up inside on a glorious day. He collected his study materials and headed to the backyard. After laying the books on the patio table, he pulled the hose out to the raspberries and turned it on so he could give them a good soaking while he read.
A couple of hours passed with Warren absorbing the study guide one section at a time and occasionally getting up to move the hose to a different area of the garden. It was laborious, but he knew his test scores—and the garden—would thank him later. When he heard a car pull up in the driveway, he assumed it was Laurie stopping by on her way home from work. He turned off the hose and looked over the fence. Instead of Laurie’s sedan, he saw Alison’s minivan. She and the boys hopped out of the car.
“I’m in the backyard.” Warren opened the gate. “Come on back.”
“Warren!” Trent and Ash yelled at the same time and barreled toward him.
Warren held out his arms and scooped them up in a big hug, swinging them around. “Did ya miss me?” He set them carefully on the ground.
“How are the worms doing?” Trent asked.
“I don’t know.” Warren scratched his jaw. “Why don’t you go check?”
“We were on our way to the pool,” said Alison, “and thought Mikaela might want to come with us.” Her swimsuit peeked out from underneath her shorts, and she wore aviator sunglasses.
“That’s kind of you to think of her,” said Warren.
“Kindness doesn’t have anything to do with it.” Alison grinned and pointed at his chest. “I want you to study for that battalion chief test.”
“I was studying.” Warren led her to the garden swing.
“Good.” Alison took a seat. “I’m glad you’re taking that seriously because you’d be great.”
“How’s your studying going for the captain’s test?”
“I feel confident.” Alison gave him a thumbs-up. “I’m ready to schedule my exam.”
“That’s good.” Warren leaned back in the cushions and watched Trent dig around the compost bin. Ash had already lost interest in worm hunting and began helping himself to some fresh raspberries. “I’m not ready to schedule mine yet, but I’m getting closer.”
“So,” Alison said, “Laurie told me she’s stopping by tonight.”
Shit, this was awkward. Why had Warren agreed to Laurie stopping by alone? He should have had this conversation with both women together. He could see that now. “I wanted to tell her in person that I can’t be your donor.”
“Well, that’s a relief.” Alison closed her eyes and leaned her head against the cushions. “I’m not ready for another kid yet,” she said when she opened her eyes again. “And as much as I love you, Warren, it would be awkward.”
“I agree.”
“An anonymous donor would be better because I want full legal rights to my children.”
“Exactly. And I couldn’t bear to give my parental rights up.”
“So we agree?” Alison asked.
Warren nodded. “Yes, and not because I don’t think you and Laurie are not excellent mothers, because you are.”
“And you’re a wonderful father.”
“Thanks.”
“How are Mikaela’s ears?”
“They seem fine.” Warren filled Alison in on Mikaela’s sleepover with Sierra last night, and their plans for an overnight at Mark’s apartment that weekend.
“That sounds great, Warren. I’m glad that Mikaela and Sierra are becoming friends, especially after what happened with Emilie.”
“What do you mean? What happened with Emilie?”
“The birthday party stuff.”
“What birthday party stuff?”
Alison sighed. “Shoot, I shouldn’t have said anything. I thought you knew.”
“Knew what?”
“Emilie invited Mikaela to go with her to Great Wolf Lodge for her birthday, and you said no, which I totally agree with, by the way.”
“Yeah, Emilie’s parents are flaky. No way am I sending my daughter off on a weekend with them. Plus, they wanted me to pay four hundred dollars for Mikaela to go.”
“That’s tacky.”
“Right?” Warren was still irritated by the whole thing.
“Well, Emilie ended up taking another girl from their class, and now they’re both ghosting Mikaela.” Alison shook her head. “Girls can be so mean.”
“No wonder Mikaela’s been in such a bad mood this summer.” Warren felt awful for a multitude of reasons but mainly that his daughter had been treated so horribly by her best friend and that she didn’t feel comfortable sharing that with him. “I’m glad that Mikaela has you to talk to,” he said sincerely. “I don’t know what I’d do without you and Laurie.”
“You can pay me back by having a very stern conversation with Ash about his aim,” Alison said. “At least, I think it’s Ash. It might be Trent. But I swear, if I have to clean pee off the floor one more time, I’ll lose it.”
Warren laughed. “I’ll try, but this is a battle you’ll probably face until the boys move out.”
“I’m familiar.” Alison wrinkled her nose. “I deal with crap like that at the station, but at least my home should be clean.”
Just then, they heard another car coming.
“That sounds like Laurie,” said Alison. “Do you want to tell her, or should I?”
Warren stood. “Let’s tell her together. And hey, if it’s okay with you, maybe I’ll take the kids to Woodland Park Zoo tomorrow. It’s not Great Wolf Lodge, but it’s something.”
Alison rose to her feet too. “I bet Mikaela would like that a lot. I know the boys will.”
“Hey, Mom,” Trent called from over by the compost bin, “can I take this worm swimming with me?”
“For the love of...” Alison swore under her breath. “I just want one day without worms.”
“Don’t worry. I got this.” Warren walked over to Trent and knelt in front of him. “Worms don’t like swimming, bud. But I know a tomato plant that would love to have that guy tunneling underneath it.”