5. Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Evan
A s I pull into Cody's parents’ place, I park my car and take a few minutes like I do every day to leave work at work and refocus on being present with my daughter. Dealing with this drug case is taking a toll on me, but I have never brought my work home before and I don't plan to start now. Thankfully, Maggie and Don understand and will keep her occupied until I walk through the door. They are heaven sent. Not only do they watch her for me after school, but they help her with homework. For now at her age, it’s mostly reading and spelling words.
Once I feel like I've fully left work at the office, I step out of my car and go inside. I don't knock. When I was a kid and knocked, I’d get in trouble because Maggie would tell me I was family, and family doesn't make her get up from the couch to open the door for them.
“It smells like cookies!” I call out, opening the front door to the delicious smell of Maggie’s chocolate chip cookies filling the air.
“Daddy!” Skye squeals and comes running to me from the kitchen. “We made cookies for a snack, and I got to mix and lick the spoon!”
It’s pretty obvious because there is flour on her shirt, and chocolate smeared on her face.
“She didn't have homework today and got a one-hundred on her spelling test, so I thought we'd celebrate.” Maggie greets me with a kiss on my cheek as I walk into the kitchen.
When I set the lunch box Maggie insists on packing me on the counter, she takes it and packs leftovers from whatever they had for dinner last night in it. I then put it in the fridge so later I can take it home and have it for lunch at work. She claims to prepare it for me because she can't cook for just two and feels bad about it going to waste. I think it's her way of taking care of me, and I let her do it because Maggie is the best cook I know.
“That's amazing, princess! Way to go on your spelling test! We have to stop at the grocery store on the way home How about you pick out what you want for dessert tonight?” I set her on the kitchen counter and grab a paper towel to clean her up.
“Anything?” She asks, excitement in her voice.
I pause because I know a setup when I hear one. But she's seven so how bad can it be?
“Within reason,” I say to cover my bases.
“I want one of those unicorn ice cream sundaes Nana and I saw on the TV yesterday,” she says.
The happy excitement on her face is something I’d do almost anything to see, but I have no idea what she is talking about so I look over at Maggie who is on her phone.
“Unicorn Sundae? Do they sell them at the Whiskey River grocery store?” I ask.
“You have to make it, silly,” Maggie says, showing me a video on her phone.
The unicorn sundae is more sugar than Skye gets in a year combined. It’s a chocolate coated waffle bowl, not a cone, but a bowl that holds six scoops of blue, pink and purple ice cream. The ice cream is topped with bright blue frosting and glitter sprinkles. Then, if that’s not enough sugar, a large lollypop is stuck in. To make it look like a unicorn, they’ve added candy eyes and candy corn.
“Good lord, who even eats that?” I hand back Maggie’s phone.
“Please, Daddy?” Skye begs.
“Let's see what the store has, and we can make a much smaller version with one scoop of ice cream,” I say, attempting to compromise.
“See, I knew you wouldn't say no!” Skye jumps off the counter and runs to get her backpack and I know I've been played.
“She asked me yesterday, and I said you would tell her no. Heck, I would have said no,” Maggie laughs and starts putting the cookies away.
Once Skye has all her things and goodbyes are said, Maggie reminds me once again that tomorrow is picture day and to make sure Skye dresses up. Finally, we are out the door.
On the way to the store, she tells me all about her day. How she had pizza for lunch, and we should have spaghetti for dinner so she can keep the Italian theme going. She tells me how her friend Becky’s family has plans to go camping in Yellowstone and when can we go to Yellowstone. Then she asks twenty questions about Yellowstone and makes me promise to take her this summer.
Every summer, we go on a small trip. Just her and me. Last year it was down to Bozeman, Montana because she was obsessed with dinosaurs, and we did the museum there and part of the dinosaur trail. Though I don't start planning anything until a few months ahead of time because she changes her mind at the drop of a hat.
We go inside the store and grab a cart. She likes to push the cart, and I steer to make sure she doesn't crash into anyone. I pull up the list on my phone that I had made over the last few days with dinners to get us through the weekend. When we get to the baking aisle, we look for items to make her mini version of a unicorn sundae.
“Look daddy! Glitter sprinkles! They have them!” Skye jumps and points to them on the shelf.
“You know, I think I'd have reacted the same way if they had glitter sprinkles when I was a kid,” a familiar voice says behind me.
I turn to find Calista with a big smile lighting up her face. What I didn’t expect was for my heart to skip a beat. She’s in a long flowy shirt and a skirt that hugs all her curves. Her long, dark glossy hair is in a fancy braid, not a normal one. She doesn't look like she has a stitch of makeup on, other than lip gloss.
“You always were glitter obsessed,” I joke and reach for the glitter sprinkles.
“Daddy, who is that?” Skye says, pressing herself into my side.
“This is Calista, Cody's sister. And this is my daughter, Skye,” I say introducing the two.
“You look different than the photo on Nana's mantle.” Skye carefully examines the woman in front of us.
She does look different. The photo was taken the year she graduated from high school. Calista has since filled out, and grown curves I'd kill to get my hands on. In the pictures she’s got on a boho style dress over her jeans. Usually she had on a t-shirt with her favorite pair of holey jeans.
“That photo was over ten years ago. You should have seen your dad back then,” Calista laughs.
“I really like your hair. I have picture day tomorrow and I wish my daddy could do my hair like that, but he can't even braid,” Skye says sadly.
“I'm learning!” I say, trying to defend myself.
“Dad, half my hair fell out when you put the hair tie in. It was a good try though,” Skye says patting my arm.
“Picture day is important. If it's okay with your dad, I can meet you before school and do your hair,” Calista says. Then she freezes and gives me an apologetic look.
I can tell she feels like she overstepped, but the smile on my little girl’s face is totally worth it.
“Can she? Please, Daddy?” Skye asks with all her exuberance and enthusiasm back.
“Are you sure it's not too much trouble? It would be around seven a.m.,” I tell Calista.
“I mean, I live in the apartment over the shops the next block over, so that’s not a big deal. You'd be surprised because I've switched to be more of a morning person over the years.”
Calisa used to be such a night owl. She would stay up well past midnight and hate getting up early for school or any other reason. As soon as she could drive and get coffee herself, she became a coffee addict. Her parents wouldn't let her make any at home because they tried to prevent her from getting dependent on it like her dad, but it didn't work.
“Can she please, Daddy?”
Skye so excited I can't say no. “If you are willing, that would be amazing,” I say.
We make arrangements for her to meet us in the parking lot of the elementary school the next morning. I can feel the excitement radiating off of Skye. It will be good for her to have another woman in her life, I keep telling myself.
“I'm so excited. Daddy does try, but well, he’s a boy and boys don't do hair very good,” Skye says to Calista like I’m not there and they are best buddies wrapped up in a conversation.
“Come on, princess. Let's go find the rest of the stuff for your unicorn sundae.” I say, pulling her attention from Calista, who shoots me a puzzling look.
“I didn't know what a unicorn sundae was until your mom showed me. So, blame her when we are both in sugar comas tomorrow,” I wink at her.
Then, taking Skye's hand, I lead her down the aisle saying our goodbyes to Calista.
“I like her Daddy. She is really pretty,” Skye says when we are in the next aisle. “Did you grow up with her like you did with Uncle Cody?”
“Yeah, but she was older than us, so we didn't hang out with her much. Then she left for college before I was in high school,” I tell her.
We find enough items to make a baby unicorn sundae as Skye is now calling it. Finally, we’ve found everything on our list and we go home with the rest of our groceries.
“While I make dinner, why don't you take a shower and get ready for bed? That way, once you crash from the sugar high of the sundae, you will be ready to hop into bed,” I say. I’m trying to get ahead of the drop she will have later.
She is so excited she doesn't fight me and runs upstairs to take a shower. It gives me a few minutes to get my head around running into Calista at the grocery store. It wouldn't have been so bad if we had run into each other, said hello, met Skye, and we moved on. Regardless, she would have met Skye at dinner this weekend, but I was ready for that.
What I wasn't ready for was her and Skye to bond so instantly. And now for her to be involved with Skye, even if it’s something as small as her hair for pictures. Right now, I need to lock that way around the part of my heart that still really wants a chance with her, because it isn't an option. Not with her brother being my best friend. Her family is the only family my daughter knows. If something goes wrong, Skye and I lose that support in an instant, and I won't do that to my daughter.