by Laura Burton
Taking another drink from his cup, Parker dips an eyebrow, concern lacing his character. “You sure about that?”
“Positive. Although our first date was pretty rough.”
“Really?” His voice sounds shocked.
“Yeah,” I sigh, never having told him this. “I lost my favorite necklace that night.”
Turning to me, Parker searches my eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that.”
I shrug. “It’s okay. I guess we just weren’t meant to be,” I whisper, nudging him with my shoulder again in jest.
Parker blinks at me for ten seconds, his eyes exploring my face for something. “Why no more romance then?” he finally asks.
“I got a message from a guy I saw last week asking if we could get up to… and I quote… mischief tonight. Who does that?”
“Wow.” He runs a hand through his hair as a bead of sweat trickles down his sideburn, and weirdly, I find myself wanting to swipe it away for him. “That’s amazing, actually,” he chuckles.
I roll my eyes. “Stop it. You know it’s the worst.”
“Fine. I suppose that does warrant giving up romance. But for good?” he asks, circling back around, probably just to make sure I mean it.
“Yes. For good.”
Parker shakes his head and attempts to conceal a smile, obviously calling my bluff.
“Cheers to giving up. You on work. Me on romance.” I hold my half-demolished Diet Coke in his direction.
“Cheers,” he laughs, clinking his cup to mine, causing a muted dink of plastic. “Turns out we make pretty good failures on multiple fronts.”
Pushing my wispy hair away from my neck, I nod brightly. “Yep. Failures together.”
Within a few more minutes, Nora comes racing over from her blanket with my pup trailing her in excitement. “Pepper said she wants to be in your lap for a minute so she can rest.”
“Okay,” I laugh. “Thank you for watching her. You were so gentle.”
“You’re welcome. She’s cute enough,” she says before skipping back over, clearly eager to dive back into the slime.
“You know, you’re good with her, too,” Parker says to me now, something meaningful brewing in the timbre of his voice.
“Oh.” I shrug, finding his compliment to be the overstatement of the year. “Not really though.”
“Can I ask you something?”
Looking over, I watch as he traces the lines of his now-empty cup. “Sure.”
“Do you enjoy kids?”
Feeling a shiver race down my spine, I shake my head. “They’re okay. They’re fun. Sometimes. Why?” Furrowing my brow, I’m completely unsure of why he’s suddenly grown so sentimental on me.
“I know you’re done with romance and all that now. But do you ever see yourself... being a mother?”
“Holy mackerel.” The question grips my heart with a fist of concern as I pet Pepper and focus on the space separating Parker and me. Pushing my hot hair off my shoulders again, I feel my pout grow sour. “I don’t know, Parker. That’s really far-off. If ever. Why?” I ask again as if his earlier answer hadn’t quenched my curiosity.
He sets his cup on the other side of him and leans forward, plucking two blades of grass from the field, fiddling with them. “I don’t mean to alarm you by telling you this. But I thought maybe you should know how much Nora looks up to you.”
Feeling the gravity of his sobriety infiltrate me, I shake my head as if I don’t want it. She obviously didn’t mention Mr. Wacky Tube Man or any of the other outrageous bits I’ve resorted to during yoga class just to gain everyone’s attention. Parker honestly has no idea how awful I am with kids.
“She asked me yesterday if you could be her mom.”
Nearly choking on a cough, I clear my throat and will my soul to not explode as I whip my head up, looking at him. “She said that?”
Parker nods and zeroes in on the kids who are now stretching the slime just as far as they can between one another.
Realizing just how much a comment like that could affect a daughter’s dad, I straighten myself and try to turn inward. “I told Nora she could come over to the house if she wanted. And I’m happy to help you with talking to her during any—” I shake my head, not knowing the right words. “During uncomfortable girly talk times or whatever, if you want. Because those conversations can be very important.” Watching Parker’s profile, I grow sad as his expression wilts, knowing what could be in store for him. “I’m also somewhat sorta kinda good at doing hair,” I lilt, trying to get him back to his playful self.
“No,” he says with a shake of his head. “I didn’t mean for you to pick up all my slack like that. I just wanted you to know she thinks highly of you.”
“I’m sure it’s hard for her to not have one— a mom,” I say, turning weighty again, realizing what kind of damage an absence like that could cause in a child.
“You know, her mom hasn’t once sent a birthday card. Hasn’t called her for Christmas. I don’t even know where she is—” His words die off.
The thought of a mother doing her child like that claws at me. Turning my attention back to the stage and to the madness of the kids playing over on the quilt, the feel of the oncoming night cools me, giving me a strange but new lease on life. “Why don’t we plan a movie night then? Something fun for her.”
Parker chuckles. “That’s not necessary.”
Setting my drink down, I turn to him. “I’m serious. It’ll be fun. I’ll get to spend more time with her. And though I’m certainly, most definitely not her mom, I am an old hag of a female who can act motherly if I need to.”
A small smile forms on his lips.
“Please?” I bat my eyelashes just as Nora had to see if it works as well coming from me. “I’ll bring the candy. No melty chocolate, no fancy floss sugar, no gourmet caramels. Just Pop Rocks and Sour Straws. And maybe some brownies. What do you say?”
“That’s not putting you out at all?”
Scrunching my face in the most ridiculous expression I can manage, I shake my head. “Of course not. It’s a movie. What could possibly go wrong?”
Suddenly, an icy voice approaches from the other side of the oak tree. “Parker? Is that you?”
Looking over, I spot a blonde woman who’s hovering just above us. She’s wearing a pair of jeans and a red chiffon blouse with a rich black bow tied around the collar.
“Oh, hey.” Parker hops up from the ground as if he hadn’t just been sitting next to me at all. Glancing in Nora’s direction, he sneaks the woman a hug. “What are you doing here?” Running a hand down the side of his face, he grins, obviously embarrassed. Instead of waiting for an answer, he continues. “Susan, this is Hadley. Hadley, this is—”
“His girlfriend. Hi, I’m Susan,” she says, extending her hand down to me, clearly trying to establish her dominance.
“Girlfriend,” I say with a quaint smile, not realizing he’d been seeing anyone. Although, I guess I was the one who was just harping on being done with romance. Not him. “Hi,” I smile. “It’s really nice to meet you.”
“Why don’t you join us?” Parker asks, sitting again, obviously overwhelmed at her presence.
“No. I need a drink,” she hums behind a flustered expression. “I’ll be back.”
One more look at Susan tells me she’s about to blow as she saunters away, not even waiting for Parker to join her. Leaning over, I whisper to him. “I can keep an eye on Nora if you two want to go do whatever—”
“Do what? Mischief?”
Snorting into the quiet, I slap my hand to my mouth and muffle my laugh.
Parker grins. “It’s fine. She went to grab a drink,” he says, clearly proud of the reaction he won from me.
Feeling like a whispering kid in the middle of the most confusing Algebra lecture, I feel my eyes grow wide that he’s just going to leave her to her own devices. “I didn’t realize you had a girlfriend,” I taunt, unsure of why I suddenly care so much.
“Wh
at’s it matter?”
I shake my head. “It doesn’t. But are you sure you shouldn’t go, like, be with her? She looks mad.”
“We have a set of rules around the kids, and I’m not about to break them just because she clearly feels threatened.”
“Threatened?” I hiss. The word slides off my tongue as my eyebrows climb my forehead in shock.
“Yes, Hadley. By you.”
Parker
“Daddy, I can’t find my shoes,” Nora shouts from down the hallway.
Sitting in my at-home office, I’m in the middle of responding to Dixon’s email regarding the meeting we’d just had about market research for an upcoming push to expand our candy bar selection. The idea had come from someone on our Commerce Team, but I’m willing to reach for anything at this point. “Your Paw Patrol shoes? They’re in your closet.”
“No, my rainbow ones that light up.”
Of course, it’s her new shoes that are missing.
“Have you checked by the back door?” I ask. If she’s worn them outside on the trampoline, that’s usually about the place she kicks them off once she’s back inside.
Her bare feet pad down the hardwood of our hallway until I hear her shout half a minute later. “Found ‘em!”
With a relieved shake of my head, I hit send on the email and close the lid to my laptop. Checking my watch, I see it’s almost time for tonight’s movie with Hadley. I hadn’t told Nora yet— wanted it to be a surprise. But the closer it gets to movie time, the more I’m actually anticipating seeing Hadley again.
Standing, I head into the kitchen only to find Nora on the floor, clad in her ice blue Elsa dress as she slides her rainbow sneakers onto her tiny feet. “Is your room picked up?”
Looking up at me in concentration, she nods. “Yes.”
“You sure you’re not sweet-talking me?” I ask in a tease. “If I go in there right now, I won’t find your Barbie house in disarray and your dress-up clothes on the floor?”
Her lips fall into a grin. “No, I cleaned it this morning. Why?”
Shrugging, I sit on the nearest barstool and continue to watch her as she pops up from the floor and walks over to a nearby bookshelf.
Attentive as anything, she preens herself in the reflection of a picture frame of the two of us at a cafe in Paris just before Thanksgiving last year.
“Well, I was thinking we could invite Hadley over to watch a movie tonight. What do you think?”
Turning to me, Nora’s eyes immediately brighten. “Oh yes, please! Oh, please can we, Daddy?”
Loving to see her exalted like this, I nod. “I think that’d be a great idea. What movie do you want to watch?”
Nora holds a thoughtful finger up in the air just before she chomps her teeth together like a baby alligator. Waggling her eyebrows at me in the cutest show of confidence she can muster, she whispers. “It Takes Two?”
With a laugh, I smack my hand to my face. It Takes Two has been a summer staple for this household. In fact, I can’t even count on two separate hands the number of times Nora has watched this flick over the past month. “Alright, sure. Let’s do it.”
“Really?” Her eyes grow wide as diamonds as she’s cautious about her approach.
“Yep. Your movie night, your choice.”
“Popcorn? And gummy bears?”
Fighting a laugh, I nod. “Sure. Might as well. We’ll start at seven, alright? But that means we need a bath and to be in pajamas by then.”
“Okay!” she squeals just before scampering off to her bedroom to start her nighttime routine.
Suddenly, I feel my pocket vibrate. Thinking it’s probably Hadley calling, I pull my phone out to, instead, find a text message from Susan.
Susan: Hey! Bruce has the kids tonight. Are you free for a late dinner at Huron’s?
Things had been awkward four nights ago when she surprised me at live music. I guess it was a random run-in, but I wasn’t— and still am not— ready to take our casual relationship to any different of a level just yet. She’d put the pressure on me after Hadley left, saying she wanted us to start seeing each other more, but I couldn’t agree with her and didn’t want to lie. I pinch the bridge of my nose as I study Susan’s words again.
Me: That sounds nice. But I’m sorry, I can’t make it tonight. Treating Nora to a movie. Maybe we can meet up to talk sometime next week?
Even as I hit send, I imagine my response will aggravate her— for not extending a movie night invite. But this is something between Nora, Hadley, and me. Something sacred and special since I’ve been having to spend more and more time at work lately playing catch-up. And I want to keep it that way, just for tonight.
Right after we get Nora bathed and into her nightgown, I head for the kitchen to fire up the popcorn, but I hear a knock at the front door. “Nora,” I say, calling her name, knowing she’s probably rounding up her stuffed animals for the show.
When I open the front door, I find Hadley wearing an adorable grin. Her gorgeous red hair is pulled up into a flowy ponytail, and she’s got a cute little pin-stripe romper on that makes her look more jaunty than she’s probably feeling right now. She holds both arms up, full.
“What’s this?”
“I brought treats,” she lilts, stepping inside. She comes over to the house once in a great while, but I love that she’s already comfortable enough to enter at her own risk.
“Sour Straws, Pop Rocks, and brownies?” I ask, surveying the contents and also remembering what she’d promised at Drake Park.
“Yep. You can’t have a movie night without cookies and cream brownies.”
“Hadley?” Nora chants her name down the hallway as she comes skipping around the corner. Her arms are full of characters— her Funshine Care Bear, the tall dalmatian she calls Polka Dot, and the baby elephant stuffed animal she lovingly calls Horton-Stampy. “It’s Hadley!!!”
“Hey,” she laughs. “There you are.”
Nora attacks her with hugs. “Hi! We’re watching It Takes Two tonight. I’m so excited.”
Hearing the joy in Nora’s voice makes me kindle with an appreciation for the small things in life.
“That sounds like a lot of fun. I’ve never seen that movie before.”
“You’ll love it. It’s so cute! What do you have?” she asks, suddenly solely curious in the platter that Hadley’s holding.
She lowers it so Nora can get a good look. “Candy. And brownies with cookies and cream.”
“Oooh, I love cookie brownies!” Turning to me, Nora hikes her stuffed animals higher up on her hip in an attempt to hold them all more comfortably as she heads for the couch. “We can wait on the popcorn since we have brownies,” she says, grinning so hard her eyes scrunch into half-moons.
“Alright then,” I chuckle. “We’ll wait on the popcorn. Should we get started?” I take the dish of brownies from Hadley. “What about drinks?” I ask, setting the platter on the granite countertop, as the girls follow me into the kitchen.
“Can I have a juice?”
“Sure. And Diet Coke for you?” I ask, opening the refrigerator. I grab an ice-cold can from the bottom drawer where I’d stowed away a six-pack for the rare Hadley visits and crack it open, handing it to her. “Would you like a cup?”
“Thanks,” she smiles, sipping from the can. “And nope, this is totally fine.”
It’s not long before we settle ourselves on the living room couch and start the movie. Nora is sprawled out between Hadley and me with all three of her stuffed animals intently watching the film. Thirty minutes in, I sneak back to the kitchen and throw a bag of popcorn into the microwave.
Grabbing a glass from the cupboard, I fill it with water and gulp some while looking out into my backyard that’s disappearing into the oncoming night.
Hearing footsteps, I turn to find Hadley entering the kitchen. She stretches, smiles at me as if she wants to ask me a question, but then perches on the nearest barstool.
“Hey.”
“Hi,” she
says with a tilt of her head. “She’s pretty absorbed in the movie out there. I can tell she loves it.”
“Yeah, it’s one of her favorites,” I nod, setting the glass down. I pull the wrapper off the popcorn and toss the bag into the microwave. “Funshine’s favorite, too, apparently.”
Hadley laughs and blinks at me, her green eyes excavating me tonight. “What’s the quote they say?” she asks. “It’s that can’t eat, can’t sleep—”
“Over-the-moon, grand slam kinda love or whatever,” I say, having heard the phrase plenty of times this summer but still unsure whether I’ll ever get the words right.
“Close enough,” she beams. “Can I help?” She rises from the stool as a wave of popping kernels interrupts us.
“Sure. There’s a big bowl up there,” I point to the cabinet above her. “If you can reach it.”
She stands on tiptoes, grabbing the stainless steel one. Handing it to me just as the microwave dings, she looks about as eager for popcorn as Nora did for the movie earlier tonight.
Cracking the seal on the bag, the force wafts a buttery, salted scent to us, immediately making my mouth water as I pour the popcorn into the bowl. “Here.”
“Toss me,” she says, taking a step back, dropping open her mouth.
“Really?” I chuckle.
She nods and holds her hands out to her sides. “Throw it right though. Don’t take it easy.”
Picking the plumpest piece I can find, I flick it in her direction, but she misses.
“Shoot,” she whispers.
“Try again?”
Pressing her annoyed lips together, she smirks. “Yeah, another.” Missing once more, she groans and plucks a piece from the bowl, giving up. “Your aim is off tonight.”
“My aim?” I ask, trying my best to sound offended. Studying the animation of her face as she squints at me, I can’t help but grow captivated. The way her beautiful summer freckles cascade down her nose, cheeks, sun-kissed shoulders. The slight hint of citrus and vanilla emanating off of her. The delicate slope of her neck as she glances at me. “My aim is perfectly fine,” I say, now focusing on the gorgeous shape of her lips as she plucks another piece of popcorn from the bowl and chews. And suddenly, I can’t help but find myself wondering what it would be like to kiss those lips of hers.