6. Chapter Six
“Hi, Ms. Kelsey!”
I search through the sea of children until I spot Evie running toward me, sporting a giant grin. I can’t hold back the smile that pulls at my lips from seeing the joy on her face.
Tyler arranged for me to meet Evie briefly last night so we’d know each other when I picked her up from school today. She was shy then—nothing like the enthusiastic girl in front of me now.
“Hey, Evie.” I kneel so I’m on her level. “Did you have a good day at school?”
“I finished writing the whole alphabet today,” she says enthusiastically as I help her into the booster seat Tyler gave me, and she buckles herself in. “Most of my friends are still on ‘m’.”
“Wow, that’s awesome.”
I can’t remember anything about kindergarten. Well, except that a boy named Owen was obsessed with me, chased me on the playground, and kissed my arm, leaving behind a ketchup stain on my favorite sweater. You know, the important things.
When I return to the driver’s seat, I ask, “Do you like your classmates?”
She regales me with all the kindergarten drama for the rest of the drive home. By the time I’m helping her out of the booster seat and grabbing her backpack, I know about everyone in her class, from the kid who is a booger-picker and which of her friends always has the best food at lunch.
I stand in front of the door and hesitate. It feels weird entering Tyler’s house without him there…like I’m breaking in even though I have a key. I’m half-worried that the cops will show up the minute I open his front door, but thankfully, instead of sirens, all I hear is the sound of Evie’s little feet pounding against the hardwood floors as she runs past me into the house.
I lock it behind us and follow her into the kitchen, placing my purse on the counter. “Let’s get you a snack.”
Evie wrinkles her nose. “Uncle Ty has healthy snacks.”
I hold up a box of fruit snacks like it’s Simba from The Lion King . “Except when Ms. Kelsey helps him shop.”
“You’re the best.” Her grin is the widest one I’ve seen yet.
I tear a pack of fruit snacks open and hand it to her with a cheese stick because I’m all about balance .
“Can I see what homework you need to get done?” I ask as she bites into the cheese. I’ve always been more of a tear-it-and-eat-it kind of girl, you know, since it’s called string cheese, but I digress.
Evie pulls a blue folder from her backpack and slides it across the granite countertop. “Ms. Martinez puts new homework on one side and my graded work on the other for my mom to see.”
“Mind if I look?”
Evie shakes her head, and I sift through the pile of graded homework. I blow out a low whistle. “There’s a lot of A’s in here. You should be proud of yourself.”
She shrugs, popping another fruit snack in her mouth. “Kindergarten is easy.”
Evie’s words come out like she’s saying the sky is blue or Taylor Swift is the best pop star of our generation —something that’s an irrefutable fact.
I take out the single sheet of work on the other side. “This is all you have to do tonight?”
“Yep.” She reaches over, takes it, and pulls a pencil out of her backpack. Evie makes quick work of her math sheet as she finishes her snack. After putting away her homework, she smiles up at me. “Want to see my room?”
“Sure.”
I follow her up the stairs but quickly regret my decision when she opens the first door on the left.
“This is Uncle Ty’s room.”
I didn’t want to walk in Tyler’s front door, let alone see enemy territory—his bedroom. My hand pushes the door open a little further as if it has an independent brain controlling its actions.
Well, since it’s open, I may as well take a small look. My eyes roam over the space, not surprised in the slightest at how tidy it is. His whole house looks clean enough to perform surgery in, but still homey at the same time with little touches of him.
There’s a picture of Tyler with his parents, sister, and Evie on the nightstand, and a book propped open. He has the same navy blue throw pillows on a small couch and his bed, bringing a deeper tone to contrast with the house’s white walls.
Beautiful pieces of abstract art are perfectly placed on the walls throughout the home. The only thing out of place is Evie’s art on the fridge, filling the space with an array of colors it would otherwise be lacking.
Evie groans, grabbing my hand and pulling me down the hall. “His room is boring.” She points to the next room on the left. “So is this one. I’m not allowed in there.”
I know what’s behind the door before I even open it. His workout room—the real enemy territory. The room where he blasts his hip-hop music and wakes me up every morning like the class-A jerk he is. I push the door open and find exactly what I expected: a treadmill, a weight bench, dumbbells, and the like. I have no idea what the weird fabric covering all the walls is, but I don’t work out, so maybe that’s a normal thing.
Through the open curtains, I can see the window to my bedroom. A shiver makes its way down my spine, and I quickly pull the door shut.
“ My room is fun.” Evie leads me to the other side of the hallway. With an air of drama, she throws open a door and flips the light switch. A queen bed sits on the opposite wall with a blush pink bedspread. The entire space is a pink haven, from the curtains and rug to the pom poms hanging from the ceiling.
Even though it may not seem like it from her personality, my roommate Mallory is obsessed with all things pink. But I think even she would be a little overwhelmed by its abundance.
Gesturing to the space, I say, “Your uncle did a great job decorating. You must love pink.”
Evie shrugs. “It was my favorite color yesterday.”
I smile at her honesty. “What is it today?”
“Yellow.” She reaches a pinky out to me. “Don’t tell Uncle Ty. I don’t want him to be sad.”
I wrap my pinky finger around her small one. “I promise.”
He might’ve gone a little overboard, but even I can admit that it was sweet of Tyler to decorate for her.
“Let me introduce you to my stuffies.” Evie leads me to her bed, and there’s an entire lineup of stuffed animals on her mattress.
I smile politely through all the introductions , knowing I’ll be lucky if I remember any of their names. Let’s just say I lost count after thirty-seven.
After what feels like an eternity, Evie points to the final stuffed animal in her lineup. “And this one is Snuffykins.” Evie hops up on the bed, looking tiny on the queen-sized mattress. “So, what do you think?”
“Snuffykins is the perfect name for a stuffed elephant.”
She nods. “I thought so.”
“What do you want to do until your uncle gets home from work?”
She looks thoughtful before a smile covers her face. “Maybe we could play a game and then make dinner for Uncle Ty.”
I expected a suggestion like playing a game, but I would’ve never guessed she’d suggest we have a meal waiting for Tyler when he gets home.
I raise a brow. “You’d rather cook than go for a walk or ride your bike?”
Evie nods. “Mama said he was nice to let me stay with him. I’m only five, so I can’t cook, but I figured you could. You have to be at least fifteen, right?”
I laugh. “Try twenty-four.”
Her eyes go wide. “You’re almost as old as Uncle Ty.”
“Really?” I ask, running a hand through my hair. I’ve always been curious about how old he was…just because he’s my neighbor, and I feel like I should know those things. No other reason. “How old is he?”
“Thirty. His last birthday party was called ‘Death to My Twenties’. My mama put a bunch of fake tombstones and skeletons in our backyard. Isn’t that scary?”
“Very spooky.” I smirk. “Let’s go find a game to play.”
Evie jumps off the bed and runs out into the hall. Her feet pound down the stairs before I’m even out of her room.
When I reach the living room, Evie already has Trouble set up on the coffee table.
“Oh, I loved this game when I was your age.”
Well, I certainly don’t like it anymore. Or at least I’m not good at it anymore.
After Evie whips my booty three games in a row, we move to the kitchen to get started on dinner.
“You said your uncle likes healthy food?”
Evie nods. “But can you make something yummy?”
“We’ll do both.”
She comes over and gives me a high-five as I open the fridge and take a look at what Tyler has. I’m not at all surprised to find it stocked with a variety of vegetables and fresh proteins. When I spot fresh mozzarella pearls in the fridge and basil in a fruit bowl on the counter, I know exactly what I’ll cook.
“We’re going to make Caprese chicken with cheesy rice and broccoli.” Evie eyes me warily, and I shoot her a reassuring smile. “I promise it will be good.”
“If you say so.”
I pull some seasonings out of a perfectly organized drawer. “Do you want to help me?”
She nods eagerly, so I search through Tyler’s other drawers until I find measuring spoons and hand them to her. I read the measurements aloud from a recipe on my phone and help Evie add all the seasonings into a bowl.
“Why don’t you tear off these basil leaves for me while I slice the chicken and other ingredients?” I suggest.
Evie sits on the barstool at the island and accepts the bundle of basil I hand her. I preheat the oven and search around the kitchen until I find a cutting board and knife. After slicing a chicken breast in half, I heat olive oil in a skillet and get the rice going before sprinkling the seasonings Evie measured over the chicken. Once the skillet is hot, I place the chicken in it and slice a tomato and the mozzarella pearls.
“Here you go,” Evie says, giving me the basil leaves.
“Thank you.” I quickly chiffon them and start to chop the broccoli. “So, are you in any sports or activities after school?”
“Dance. I’m going to be a ballerina when I grow up.” Her smile falls.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t get to do dance while I’m here.”
I toss the broccoli in some avocado oil, salt, and pepper before putting it in the oven. I turn to Evie, giving her my full attention. “Why not?”
“Mama said she didn’t want to put too much on Uncle Ty’s plate.” Her brow furrows. “I don’t get it, though. There weren’t any plates around.”
“That’s just a saying.” I laugh. “It means she didn’t want to give him too many more things to do since he already has a lot of responsibilities.”
“Then why didn’t she just say that?”
“Sometimes adults make things complicated.”
Evie huffs. “You can say that again.”
I hide my smile behind my hand and move back to the stovetop, flipping the chicken while making a mental note to talk to Tyler about getting Evie back in her dance classes. She shouldn’t have to give up her favorite activity for three months.
I grimace at the idea of calling me and Tyler a we . Let me be clear: we’re only a we in the sense of watching after Evie— not a romantic we .
Once everything’s ready, I dish rice and broccoli onto the plates and then put the chicken with some melted mozzarella pearls, a slice of tomato, and basil on top beside it. I top off the dish with balsamic drizzle, and it looks perfect.
I’m putting the two plates on the kitchen table when I hear the front door open. Evie runs past me and jumps into Tyler’s waiting arms.
“Did you have a good day at school, Eves?”
“Yes,” Evie exclaims before she proceeds to enthusiastically share every detail of her day. When she’s done talking about school and how she destroyed me in Trouble, Evie points to the kitchen. “Then I helped Ms. Kelsey make you dinner.”
Tyler’s wide eyes move to me like he’s shocked I would ever do something kind for him. Or maybe he thinks I poisoned his food.
I shrug. “I’m not a professional chef or anything, but I know my way around a kitchen.”
His smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “It smells great. Thank you.”
I nod and move past him toward the front door.
“You’re not going to eat with us?” Evie calls after me.
I turn to her and offer a warm smile. “I gotta get home, let my dog out, and make my own dinner, but I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Okay, bye.” She waves and heads to the kitchen.
When she’s out of earshot, I look at Tyler and motion to the door. “Can we have a quick word outside?”
His face pales, but he follows me onto his porch. “Did Evie not listen? Are you going to quit? Because if you are, I need at least a week or two’s notice to find someone else.”
I hold my hands up. “There’s no need to get yourself in a tizzy. I just wanted to talk to you about something.”
Tyler clears his throat. “Sorry, what did you want to discuss?”
“Evie mentioned that she loves her dance classes.”
His smile is genuine this time. “I’ve never missed one of her shows. She’s great, and I’m not just saying that because I’m family.”
If he’s not a good neighbor, at least he’s a good uncle. “Did you know that your sister pulled her out of dance for the time Evie’s staying with you?”
“She did what?” he sputters. I think that flustered Tyler is my favorite version yet. It’s nice to see the side of him that isn’t completely put together. “I just assumed dance was a seasonal thing.”
I shake my head. “Most dance schools run for the duration of the school year.”
Tyler runs a hand through his hair. “Why would Tess pull her out?”
“Evie said her mom didn’t want to put too much on your plate.” I cross my arms, trying to stave off the chill from the early fall breeze. “I just wanted to let you know in case you wanted to reach out to her dance studio. I’m happy to drive her there after school if needed.”
He nods. “Thanks for letting me know.”
“I think this might be the most civil conversation we’ve ever had, Dr. Strange.” I walk down his front steps and head toward my house.
“And you had to ruin it.” I turn around just in time to catch Tyler’s mock salute. “See you tomorrow, Crazy Dog Lady.”
I glare at him. “That’s Crazy Dog Mom to you.”
He holds a hand to his chest. “Oh, excuse me.”
“You’re lucky I like Evie,” I call back before continuing my quick walk home.
His low groan hits my ears, but I don’t acknowledge it. If I’m going to have to put up with Tyler for the next three months, he’s going to have to learn to put up with me too.