Chapter Ten
Catherine
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I WAS ANXIOUS TO SEE Paisley. Timothy had picked her up at the airport this morning. I had planned to leave them alone and give them time to settle in. But Timothy called and invited me to have dinner with them. I hesitated, but he insisted.
And I could admit I was excited to see Paisley again. Timothy and I had gone grocery shopping yesterday, which was pretty funny. He had never gone shopping before. Watching him marvel at the selection of food was entertaining. He shopped like a man with no budget. I ended up having to get a second cart. He wanted to make sure Paisley had every snack known to mankind. My mind was blown with the total. It was more than I spent on groceries in two months.
I parked the truck and grabbed the bag with the gift I bought for Paisley. It was a simple bracelet, but I hoped it would make her feel special and wanted after her mother had tried to insinuate that Timothy had sent her away. I wasn’t sure what else Regina might have told Paisley. There was a good chance she’d said that I had something to do with her being sent away.
Before I could even reach the front door, Paisley threw it open and rushed toward me. I had no time to react as she burst out of the house and leaped into my arms. I couldn’t help but laugh as I wrapped my arms around her, feeling a surge of warmth at the sight of her bright smile.
“Hey there, kiddo,” I greeted her, my voice filled with affection. “I missed you.”
Paisley grinned up at me, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “I missed you too, Catherine!” she exclaimed, her enthusiasm contagious.
“I got you a gift,” I told her, handing her the bag I had set on the ground. Instantly, her eyes lit up like Christmas had come early.
“Really?” she asked, bouncing on her toes as she took it. The eagerness in her actions made my heart swell with happiness.
Inside was a beautiful silver bracelet, nestled gently among layers of soft tissue paper. The engraving of her name in delicate script adorned its surface, while her birthstone glimmered in the sunlight. Paisley’s face lit up as she gently lifted the bracelet out of the bag.
“It’s gorgeous!” she gasped, her eyes wide with wonder. “Can you put it on for me?”
“Of course,” I replied, taking the bracelet from her. As I fastened it around her wrist, I couldn’t help but smile at how excited she was to see me. I hoped that meant Regina hadn’t poisoned her against me.
“There,” I said, stepping back to let her admire it. “Does it fit okay?”
Paisley held out her arm, turning it this way and that as she admired the gift. The smile on her face was worth more than any amount of money. “It’s perfect,” she announced, throwing her arms around me again for a tight hug. I returned the embrace, a warmth spreading through me.
“Let’s not keep your dad waiting.” I ruffled her hair gently as we broke away. As we stepped inside, Timothy emerged from the kitchen, his face splitting into a wide grin at the sight of us.
“Dad, look!” She thrust her wrist forward to show him the bracelet. “Look what Catherine got me!” she exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement. Timothy looked at the bracelet and then turned to me, his eyes twinkling with gratitude and something else I couldn’t quite place.
“That’s beautiful, Paisley,” he said.
I shrugged lightly, trying to keep the situation casual. “I wanted to get her something nice.” I smiled. “Are you getting settled in?”
“I still need to finish unpacking. What time is dinner?”
“Probably about an hour,” Timothy replied.
“I’ll be back,” she said and dashed upstairs.
Timothy immediately walked to me, pulling me into his arms. “That was really nice of you,” he said. “Thank you for making her feel welcome.”
“I wasn’t sure if she was going to want to see me.”
“Trust me, she was very eager to see you,” he chuckled. “That’s all I heard about on the way home. Regina gave her an earful about how obnoxious you are and how you think you’re a better mother than she is. Basically, Regina hoped to turn Paisley against you, but all it did was make her love you more. She knows you’re the one who talked to Regina. She’s very, very grateful.”
“That’s good to hear,” I responded, feeling a wave of relief wash over me. “I was worried Regina’s words had done some damage.”
He shook his head. “Paisley is smart, and she knows who truly cares about her.” There was a pause as he studied my face. “And she’s not the only one,” he added softly.
“How did it go with the pickup?” I asked.
Timothy’s expression softened as he looked at me, his eyes shining with pride. “It went well,” he replied, his voice tinged with relief. “I talked to her about what happened, and she understands that I had nothing to do with her leaving in the first place. She said she kind of figured it out when her mom was going off on me sending in my—well, she had some choice words about you.”
I laughed. “That’s one good thing about Regina, she says what she’s feeling right to your face. I have no illusions about what she might think of me. It’s very clear where we stand.”
“She’s really excited to be back,” he said.
“That’s good to hear,” I remarked, my voice filled with warmth. “She seems so happy.”
Timothy nodded in agreement, a fond smile playing at the corners of his lips. “I think she’s more excited to be back here with her friends.”
“Hey, if that’s what it takes to keep her happy, so be it,” I replied. “I’ll do a little snooping around town to learn more about her friends. They seem like a good group of kids.”
“I’d like that,” he said. “Maybe I can meet some of the parents.”
“Look at you being all parental,” I teased.
“Shit, I’m going to need a book to navigate the rest of this.”
“You’ll do fine,” I assured him.
“I was hoping we could start my dad training tonight,” he said.
“If you think I’m going to call you Daddy, you’ve got another think coming.”
He laughed and kissed me. “I like where your mind is going, but that is not what I was saying. I was going to ask if you could show me how to make one of those pizzas we bought.”
I looked at him with a combination of shock and amusement. I shouldn’t be that surprised. He was rich. Very rich. He didn’t have to cook for himself. He’d grown up wealthy.
“Yes.” I smiled. “Maybe we’ll have to have a cooking class or two.”
“Now that I could get behind.” He grinned. “You’ll wear an apron...and nothing else.”
“Very funny. What about your chef?”
“I’ll probably have him make some meals up and store them in the freezer, but I don’t want her to rely on a chef. I grew up like that, and look at how incapable I am.”
“You’re not incapable,” I said.
He gave me a dry look. “I can’t even make a frozen pizza.”
“Yes, you can,” I said. “All you have to do is read the directions.”
“It’s going to be a learning curve. I braced Paisley for it. But I want to be able to cook her a meal. I want her to feel that sense of normalcy that I never really had.”
“You mean like us regular folk,” I teased.
“Yes. Exactly that.”
“And what about your job?” I asked.
“I’m retiring.”
“Seriously?” I asked.
“That’s the plan.” He shrugged. “I’ve already started the ball rolling. I’m going to be a full-time dad. That’s my goal.”
I was impressed. It made me happy to see him giving this his all. “All right, we’ll pop in a pizza,” I said. “Possibly two. It would be good to have a salad to go with it.”
He cringed. “She’s not going to want a salad.”
“You’re parenting a growing teenager. She needs a balanced diet. My dad used to insist on a fruit or vegetable with every meal. When I would go to my friends’ houses for dinners, their moms always served some kind of vegetable. It’s the thing to do.”
“Okay.” He nodded. “Good. I can do that. A salad.”
We made the quick dinner together, calling Paisley down when it was finished. When she reached for a bowl and dished up some salad, I gave Timothy a smile. He winked in response.
After dinner, we settled into the living room. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of contentment. Paisley and Timothy were talking about her first day of first grade and how nervous she had been. It was Timothy that had taken her to school and was there to pick her up. It was clear they shared a special bond. I felt grateful to be a part of their lives. And to have played a small part in bringing them together.
“Do you know what you want to study?” I asked her.
She shrugged. “I’m not sure. I know it’s a small school, so I’m guessing it’s going to be limited.”
“Actually, it is a small school, but they have some really great programs,” I said. “They focus a lot on technical stuff because the fact is, not a lot of people around here can afford to go to college.”
“What kind of programs?” Timothy asked.
“When I was in school, there was a great arts program. I loved it. I’m not artistic, but it was important to help me hone my creativity skills for my work.”
“I love art.” Paisley nodded.
“I think you’ll love it,” I said, my voice filled with enthusiasm. “There are so many opportunities to explore your passions, and with it being a smaller school, it’s pretty easy to make friends.”
“I can’t wait!” she exclaimed, her voice filled with anticipation. “I can’t believe I’m actually excited to go to school.”
She turned to Timothy. “Dad, what did you study in school?”
I loved that she was calling him Dad again and not Timothy. It was a good sign things were going in the right direction.
“I studied business and management. Not the most exciting thing, but it’s suited me well.”
“I think I’d like to study art and business both,” Paisley said softly, worry creasing her forehead. “Is that possible?”
Timothy looked at me, his eyes filled with surprise and parental pride. “Anything is possible.”
“Absolutely.” I nodded in agreement, catching Paisley’s unsure gaze. “There’s no reason you can’t pursue both.
We talked a bit more with Paisley asking me questions about the school and teachers. Unfortunately, I hadn’t been in school for a while, but I knew some of the teachers were still there.
“I’m going to call Sarah,” Paisley said. “We were talking about going to the movies or something. Is that going to be okay?”
“We’ll figure it out when you tell me who’s going and what time,” Timothy said with an authoritative voice.
“Fine,” Paisley said and hopped up.
Timothy wrapped his arm around me. “You know, Regina might have been right.”
“About?” I asked.
“I’m not sure I’m ready to raise a teenage girl,” he said. “Am I fooling myself?”
“My dad raised a teenage girl,” I reminded him. “And Paisley is a good kid. I don’t think she’s going to give you a lot of trouble. You might have to deal with some of the typical drama, but that’s another great thing about living here...it’s pretty laid back. A lot of the people here have lived here for decades. People look out for one another.”
“I’m going to be leaning on you a lot,” he said.
“And I’m happy to be leaned on. I have to tread lightly, though. I don’t want Regina to get pissed I’m getting too close and yank her back.”
“Paisley is going to need you,” he said. “I need you. Regina can fuck off.”
I burst into laughter. “That’s so eloquent.”