Chapter 5
SMALL LESSONS
“It sounds like you had a great time with Alana last night,” Brennan said the next morning when his daughter came barreling into the kitchen.
“Yes!” Becca said. “I’m hungry.”
“I bet you are. What do you want?”
“Pancakes. Did you read me a story last night?”
“No,” he said. “After I walked Alana out, I returned to your room and you were already sleeping.”
Becca’s jaw dropped, her eyes got wide, a pout on her lips. “I was?”
He tapped her on the nose. “You were. And your hair stayed in those braids. I guess you didn’t move around much either.”
Normally Becca’s blonde hair looked as if a cyclone blew through it in the morning. Maybe his daughter was so exhausted she barely moved in her sleep.
He’d popped his head into her room an hour ago to check on her. Then went up five minutes ago to wake and carry her down the stairs after her bathroom break.
She could walk, but he had to admit he loved holding his daughter in his arms when she was first up and wanted to cuddle.
But it wasn’t just about holding her. He feared she’d take a tumble down the stairs in her morning enthusiasm, and if he could prevent an injury, this was what he’d do.
But the minute he set her down, her feet revved up as if there were mini propellers inside her soles.
Becca’s hands went to her head and grasped both of the ends of her braids on each side. “Yay! Now Grandma doesn’t have to do it.”
His mother was a lifesaver in more than one way.
He opened the freezer and pulled out the box of mini pancakes his daughter loved, popped several on a paper plate and stuck them in the microwave while he got the maple syrup.
As they cooked, he filled her milk cup and brought her to the table to set her up.
The microwave dinged. He put the syrup in the plate's corner—his daughter preferring to pick up each pancake and dip it, then take a bite.
He refilled his coffee and joined his daughter like he did every morning. He’d already eaten. Something he could do in peace while she was sleeping.
“Did you buy toys for Saturday?” Becca asked.
“I didn’t,” he said, not surprised she remembered. “You fell asleep and we said we’d pick them out together.” He had his laptop on the table and opened it. “These are the ones I picked out that can be here on Friday, if we order them now. You can pick three out of it.”
He had six on the screen and watched his daughter purse her lips, her finger to her chin as if deep in thought. Her antics always brought a smile to his face.
“Can we get them all?”
He expected her to ask that. “No. Just three.”
They were all the same value. It had nothing to do with the money but that his daughter had to learn to decide in life. He tried to impart small lessons when he could.
“I like them all though.”
“I know. And you’ve got some of those toys.
But it’s not what you like, but what you think other kids would like.
Alana said that they get a lot of toys for younger kids, but very few things for older kids.
So you get to pick out three on that page and then I’m going to give them a gift card to order what they see fit for the older kids.
For three things. So see, we are still giving six. ”
“Oh,” Becca said, her mouth open. “Three from you and three from me.”
He smiled. “There you go.” His daughter’s comprehension of things was greater than her years.
Becca continued to eat her breakfast while she studied the six toys. It could be a thirty-minute decision on his daughter’s part if he didn’t put a time limit on it.
“I like the paint set.”
“I knew you would,” he said. One down.
Two more pancakes were gone in that time. “And the books.”
“That’s a good choice,” he said, looking at his watch. “Pick the last one, please. I’d like to read the news before we have to get you dressed.”
Becca closed her eyes and swung her finger in the air and popped the sticky maple covered digit right on his screen. “That one.”
He looked at the Bluey doll. “Got it.” He pulled his laptop closer, wiped the screen with a napkin and placed the order.
While his daughter finished her breakfast, he drank his coffee. In five minutes he’d have to get her dressed and ready to bring to his mother’s. He’d go a few minutes earlier, knowing his mother would want to talk about his date last night.
He could play the game he didn’t have time and rush out the door, but his mother would hunt him down to get the information another time, so he might as well get it over with.
“I’m done.”
Becca’s plate was clean, her finger running through the rest of the syrup and licking it off. Guess he gave her more than he should have.
He wiped her hands before he picked her up. He didn’t need any of it transferred onto his clothes since he was dressed for work.
Becca raced to the stairs and grabbed the railing, then went up them one step at a time as if he’d throttled her energy back. It’s like she did it in exaggerated moves on purpose half the time to humor him.
Or maybe it was the fear that she’d get carried because, if she moved too fast, he snatched her up again. Two-story living was a new thing in their lives.
Once in her room, he pulled out underwear and a T-shirt, letting her choose her jeans and sweater. He was fearful of having a little fashionista on his hands in the future. He didn’t even want to think about all those things as a single father.
Twenty minutes later, they were in his SUV and driving the five minutes to his mother’s house.
“I thought you’d be late this morning,” his mother said when she opened the door for them.
“Grandma,” Becca said, hitting his mother square in the legs for their morning hug.
“There’s my girl,” Sadie Austin said, picking her granddaughter up. “You’ve got braids in your hair.”
“Alana did them.”
“Alana?” his mother asked.
“She’s my new friend.”
“Interesting.” Becca wiggled to get down. “Why don’t you play while Daddy and I have a chat?”
Becca’s little sneaker-covered feet took off toward the toy room in his mother’s house.
He met his mother’s questioning look. “Yes?”
“I didn’t expect you to bring your date home to see your daughter.”
“I didn’t go on a date with Alana.” Though he would have enjoyed that a lot more. Hell, he enjoyed the fifteen minutes he’d spent with her and his daughter together more than he had the ninety minutes with Celia. “Celia was my date, Alana watched Becca.”
“You found another sitter,” his mother said. “I felt bad about not being around and thought for sure you’d just reschedule.”
“That was my plan,” he said. “But a coworker overheard my situation and offered to watch Becca for me.”
“A coworker?”
“Yes.” He looked at his watch.
“Don’t pull that. You’ve got time. Tell me how your date went.”
“It was fine. We didn’t arrange another, which I was thankful for, and I don’t plan on reaching out to do it.”
“You didn’t set this one up,” his mother said. “What makes you think she will not ask you for a second one?”
“I hope she doesn’t, but if she does I’ll let her down nicely. I don’t want to make it awkward at the pre-K pickup.”
But it wasn’t as if it was the first time he’d had awkward situations around women.
“What was so horrible about it? She obviously has a daughter Becca’s age, so likes kids.”
He snorted. “I’m not so sure how much she likes them when she talked about trying to get away from them so much or why her ex-husband couldn’t take them more so she could have a life too.”
“Nope. She’s not the one.”
“Exactly. Been there and done that with a woman.”
“So Celia is out. What’s the little girl’s name so I’ll know when I get Becca from pre-K and can make sure I don’t put my foot in my mouth?”
“You never do,” he said. “But it’s Polly.”
“Before you take off on me, tell me about this Alana that you work with. Is she married, older, younger? Someone who has a crush on you and is using your daughter to get to you?”
“Hardly that,” he said. The crush part he wouldn’t mind, but he would never think Alana would use anyone.
Not someone who spent her free time giving back to the community.
“I think she’s single. It’s not a conversation I’ve had.
Age, younger than me, but not sure by how much.
She’s always been friendly at work. Becca had a blast with her. ”
“Her new friend?”
“So it seems.”
“What do you think of her?” His mother was wiggling her eyebrows.
“I need to run and get ready for a call. I should be out on time.”
“Have a good day.”
He left to his mother’s laughter. She got more out of him than she normally did and he wasn’t sure why he’d said as much as he had.
He could have just said the date was fine and left it at that, but he’d opened the door for more questions.
When he arrived at the office ten minutes later, he saw Alana getting out of her SUV in the parking lot and pulled next to her.
Rather than walk in, she waited. Exactly what he’d hoped for.
“Morning,” he said. “Thanks again for last night. You were true to your word and wore her out. She was sleeping when I returned to her room.”
Alana smiled, her brown hair blowing around in the early December breeze. Her eyes were almost blue with the jacket she had on. He found himself looking into them more to see what color they might change to.
“Sounds like a good night all around for you.”
“It was better when I got home,” he said, testing the waters.
“Sorry about that,” she said. Nothing more. Just kept walking.
He reached for the door ahead of her and pulled it open. Kelsey was standing outside the door waiting for them both with her jacket on, her bag on her shoulder, and a box of donuts in her hand.
“I’ve got sweets,” Kelsey said, holding it up.
“Frankie got me up early this morning needing to poo and Van wouldn’t get out of bed to do it.
He said it was my fault for giving my baby beef last night.
He was right. I know the end results. Out the end it comes.
So with that is sugar to keep me awake.”
“Thanks for the added details,” Alana said. “Now I’m not sure I want a donut.”
“Just don’t take the chocolate-covered one and you’ll be fine.”
Brennan took the box out of Kelsey’s hand. “I’ll bring them back before I lose my appetite.”
Or have to stand next to Alana any longer and have his ego stomped on.
Guess she might be more interested in his daughter.