CHAPTER FOURTEEN #3
Or should I be pleased that Naomi was making an effort to connect with Mabel?
This was such new territory for both of us—all of us. Which way was north? Was any of this normal?
Her hand rested on my arm, and she gave it a gentle squeeze.
“If things got worse, I would have called you. But I think we managed to get it under control and comfort her. She has a fear of abandonment, and by us not involving you, we showed her that it’s not just you two against the world.
You have a village. We’re here for both of you.
” Her eyes softened. “If you’ll let us.”
Clenching my molars so I didn’t say something I’d ultimately regret later, I simply gave her a soft nod. But she still looked hurt.
Crap.
I stepped back over to my daughter. “Ready to go, kiddo?”
She finished the last bottle, then stood up.
She folded the heavy, gray weighted blanket before setting it on the booth bench.
“Thank you for allowing me to sit with you and for helping me with my panic attack. While I still worry about becoming an orphan and Kyla coming back to kill my dad, I appreciate your attempt to help me worry less.” Her words—as always—were wooden and without inflection.
It didn’t mean that she wasn’t sincere; it just conveyed her still minimal grasp on emotions and social context.
She wasn’t making eye contact with anybody in particular, but rather just staring at the bowl of pretzels on the table.
“You’re welcome here anytime, sweetheart,” Gabrielle said. “You’re a hard worker. If you want a job this summer, we’d definitely hire you. No interview or résumé required.”
Mabel looked up at the vineyard matriarch. “What does it pay?”
Several people snorted around the room.
“W-well, um … you’re how old?”
“Almost fourteen. And technically, I’m not allowed to legally work in the state of Washington until I’m fourteen. At which point, the minimum wage for fourteen- and fifteen-year-olds in the state of Washington is $14.56 an hour.”
“Are you okay with $15 an hour, under the table until you’re fourteen?” Gabrielle asked, hesitation in her voice.
“Under the table is illegal. It often implies tax evasion or bribery. Are you trying to evade paying your taxes?”
I let out a deep sigh and snagged Jagger’s blue eyes. They were full of amusement. The man was trying not to laugh. “Mabes, she’s just trying to offer you a job before your birthday. Nobody is trying to evade paying their taxes or bribe anyone.”
My daughter’s back went straight. “I must politely decline. I am not comfortable doing anything illegal. However, should you still require an employee after I turn fourteen at the end of June, then I should very much like to discuss procuring a job here. Thank you for the offer.” Her cheeks went pink.
“I have done illegal things before, and they make my stomach very ill.” She glanced at me.
“My father made me drive home when he had a headache and a panic attack. I didn’t like it. ”
“We should get going,” I said with another sigh. I met Naomi’s face. She seemed unsure, and still a little hurt. “Thank you for watching Mabel and keeping her safe. I really appreciate it.”
Her smile was small. “Anytime.”
“Yes, thank you,” Mabel said, following me to the front door.
“I … um … I’ll walk you out,” Naomi said, wringing her fingers together before prying her feet off the wood floor and following us.
The breeze was warm as it swept across our cheeks, bringing with it the scent of honeysuckle and salt air. I glanced around in search of honeysuckle, only to realize it was all over the pergola and gazebo that made up the tasting room patio.
Mabel climbed into the front passenger seat and sat there, dutifully waiting for me.
Shoving my hands into my pockets, I leaned against the driver’s side door.
“Thank you,” I said again. “This is all very new. I thought that when I started dating someone—if I ever started dating someone—that I would wait a considerable amount of time before I introduced them to my kid. Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do? ”
Her mouth twisted slightly, and she shrugged. “This is all new to me too.”
“And considering I’ve never dated anybody before, and you’ve already met my daughter, and I’ve met your kids, we’ve all hung out together, this feels like it’s moving at warp-speed.”
“Do you want to slow—”
“No!” Lobbing a breathing, mirthless chuckle, I cast my eyes up to the stars for help. “We’re already taking it slow.” I met her gaze again. “In other ways. And while none of this is conventional or how I thought it would go, I don’t want to go backward either.”
“I would never do anything to hurt Mabel. You know that, right?”
“I do. She’s just …”
“She’s your world. It’s been just the two of you for a long time. I get it. It’s scary.”
Exhaling, I allowed my shoulders to slip away from my ears. “Really scary.”
“For what it’s worth, I think you need to give your kid a bit more credit. She’s incredibly bright—as you already know—but also mature. She’s got a really good head on her shoulders. You’ve done a wonderful job. If we don’t work out, she’ll be okay. Because she has you. And you’re rock solid.”
I refrained from bringing up the fact that Mabel’s cause for panic was that she wasn’t sure of my permanency because of her mother.
That while I was rock solid in that I wouldn’t voluntarily abandon her, sometimes life had a twisted sense of humor and liked to fuck things up for absolutely no reason.
Also, I really didn’t like the fact that she just brought up the possibility of us not working out. Was she already thinking about the end? Did our relationship have an expiration date in Naomi’s eyes?
“Are we good?” she finally asked, worry making her voice shake. “Or do you want to take a break?”
“No.” I shook my head. “No break. I just need to talk to my kid. Maybe she needs to increase her counseling appointments for a bit.”
“Maybe she also needs some friends?”
Another humorless laugh launched itself from my chest. “Good luck with that one.”
“Just casually mention it to her and see what she says.” Her fingers continued to twist in front of her, almost like she were having to keep herself from reaching for me.
I kept my hands firmly planted in my pockets so I didn’t accidentally do the same.
While I wanted nothing more to touch her, things between us right now were weird.
“I’ll call you,” I said after a moment of awkward silence passed between us.
She nibbled on her plump bottom lip and nodded before whispering out, “Okay.”
I reached for the handle of the door and yanked it open. “Thank you again.”
She swallowed hard and stepped back. “Anytime.”
Then I climbed in behind the wheel and started the engine, giving her a cursory wave and a closed-mouth smile as we backed out.
I watched her in the rearview mirror more than I watched the driveway and road ahead of me. It wasn’t until we turned off the property and she was out of sight that I allowed myself to exhale.
“I like Naomi,” Mabel said, out of the blue and before we even reached the stop sign at the end of the road. “I like all the women. But since the other three are in relationships, you can’t date them. Naomi is a good choice though. She’s nice. And has great snacks.”
“How did she handle your panic attack?”
“Just like you would have. Calm voice. Reminded me to breathe. Got me a weighted blanket. Talked me down when I couldn’t think. Raina talked me through my senses like you do.”
“You felt safe?”
Mabel faced me. “I felt very safe with her, Dad. With all of them.” Her fair brows narrowed. “You’re not thinking of breaking up with her, are you?”
I shook my head. “No. I like her too.”
“Good. She’s good for you. And for me. And we already know she’s a good mom.”
Whoa.
“I think you should go on more dates with her.”
“Uh …”
“Do you have friends now? Are Jagger, Tom, and Maverick your friends?”
“I think so?”
“Good. You need friends.”
“Do I?”
“Yes. You’re what Dawn calls a ‘social butterfly.’”
That made me smirk. “Ever thought of making some friends yourself?”
Wide eyes of horror stared back at me. “Why?”
“Because while you might not be a butterfly, you are still human, and humans are social creatures. We need connection.”
Her chest lifted on a forced out huff. “I’ll think about it.”
“That’s all I ask.”
“What shenanigans did Pinata get up to?”
I snorted and smiled. “Got stuck in the goat house.”
She exhaled a laugh through her nose. “As Tom says, ‘You let them shenan once, they will shenanigan.’ And he let that donkey shenan once when he first arrived.”
“Did you just make a joke?”
“I repeated Tom’s joke. So technically, it wasn’t my joke. But yes, I said a joke.”
“Wow. We haven’t even been on the island a month, and already you’re developing a sense of humor.”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t get used to it, old man.”
Laughing, I reached over and gently shoved her shoulder. “Watch it, whippersnapper.”