19. Chapter 19
nineteen
“ R oe Roe, who is Chloé?” Kitty asked as she coloured in a green dinosaur in her new colouring book, purchased less than an hour ago by her favourite person. “Is she your girlfriend?”
“I’m not quite sure that’s how I’d describe her,” Monroe was saying before Kitty jumped in.
“Have you kissed her?” She put her pen down and looked up at Monroe. “Because if you have, then she’s definitely your girlfriend.”
Monroe smiled softly, her eyes drifting to the picture Kitty was so carefully colouring in. “Well, Chloé is someone very special. Someone I’m getting to know, that’s all.”
Kitty tilted her head, her serious little face betraying the honesty in her words. “But you kissed her, didn’t you?”
Monroe hesitated, then nodded. “Yes, I did.”
Kitty beamed. “Then she’s your girlfriend. It’s simple.”
Monroe chuckled, shaking her head gently. “You make it sound so easy.”
Kitty grinned. “Sometimes it is.”
Monroe felt a warmth in her chest—the kind that comes from new beginnings—as she watched Kitty return her attention to the dinosaur, her little world so uncomplicated and pure.
“Are we going to meet her?” Kitty continued her gentle interrogation. “Might want to lock Benji in his room—nobody needs to meet him.”
“That’s mean. Your brother isn’t that bad.”
Kitty fixed her with a glare that said otherwise. “Last weekend he pulled my hair, then…when I hit him, I got in trouble.”
“Oh, well, it’s probably not nice to be hitting or pulling hair. I bet he got in trouble too.” Monroe smiled knowingly.
She knew Poppy and Frank too well. There was no way they’d believe one over the other in a fight.
Looking nonplussed, Kitty said, “So, are we gonna meet her?”
“I don’t know. I only just met her.”
“Yeah, but you must like her.”
“What makes you think I like her?” Monroe asked, intrigued by just how much she wanted to know the answer.
Kitty shrugged. “Simple. You wouldn’t show her my picture.”
“You know, for a kid, you’re pretty smart.” Monroe grinned.
Kitty beamed, proud of her deduction. “I’m a good detective, aren’t I?”
“You are. Better than some grown-ups I know.”
Kitty looked thoughtful for a moment. “Will she like me? Because if she doesn’t, then she’s not the one.”
Monroe’s smile softened. She reached out and took Kitty’s small hand in hers. “I think if she’s going to be part of our lives, she’ll have to like you a lot.”
“And she’ll have to like chips and pens.”
“Absolutely…but that’s a long way off yet. She’s nice, and I’d like to get to know her more. Even if we’re only friends, that might be okay too.”
“Everyone needs friends. I’ve got five.”
“Five? Wow, so many.”
Kitty held up her fingers, counting carefully. “Lara, because she always shares her pudding. Bella, even though she cries a lot. Freya, because she’s really fast and chases the boys away. Isla, but only sometimes, when she’s not being annoying. And you.”
Monroe raised an eyebrow. “Me? I made the list?”
Kitty gave a casual shrug. “You let me use pens. And you never make me eat bananas. And we always have fun.”
Monroe laughed, gently nudging Kitty’s shoulder. “Well, clearly I’m doing something right.”
Colouring in a palm tree with surprising focus, Kitty paused before saying, “So…when she comes next time, can we draw with her?”
“You haven’t even met her yet!”
“But I might like her—if you do.” Kitty looked up, serious now. “And if she’s kind.”
“She is,” Monroe said quietly, more to herself than to Kitty. “She seems like someone worth knowing.”
Kitty nodded once, then returned to her dinosaur. “Then we’ll save her a pen.”
Monroe leant back against the cushions, watching the little girl work intently. Something about the ease of the moment settled her—calm, expectant, and maybe even a little optimistic.