by Claire Adams
“She’s an honest girl,” I muttered. “Abby, those cinnamon rolls are prepackaged. Anyone could make those,” I said.
“Then you make them, Daddy,” Abby said. Everly smiled at me.
“She has a point, Maddox. Prepackaged cinnamon rolls are the best.” She flashed me a warm smile.
“I don’t know if I like the both of you ganging up on me,” I said. “It’s not fair.”
“It’s not fair,” Abby repeated, and I groaned. Everly watched with amusement in her eyes as Abby ate the rest of her breakfast as she repeated my words over and over again. “It’s not fair. You’re not fair.”
“Abby,” I said, but Abby ignored me.
“Do you have a parrot, Everly?” Abby asked.
“No.” She smiled.
“Daddy says he has one,” Abby said.
“I think you’re the parrot,” Everly said, and Abby tilted her head.
“I’m a kid,” she argued. “A parrot is a bird, silly.”
“Abby, go put your plate in the sink,” I said.
“But I’m talking to Everly,” she whined.
“Abby, plate, sink, now.” My tone had grown demanding, and Abby pouted as she slid off of her chair.
“I’ll be right back!” she said, not wanting to miss a moment with Everly.
“I’m sorry,” I said when she was out of earshot. “She loves talking to new people, which I’ll admit, isn’t often.”
“She’s cute,” Everly said. “Not nearly as awful as Belle was at that age.”
“You haven’t seen her tantrums.” I shivered. “You’d be running for the hills.”
“Do you want to watch a movie?” Abby asked as she returned. “I’ll ask Uncle Nick for Chainsaw the Two.”
“Chainsaw the Two?” Everly asked, shooting a sideways glance toward me.
“She means “Saw Two.” I sighed. “Nick watches horror movies at night for inspiration when she’s supposed to be asleep. She fakes it, of course.”
Everly laughed. “Maybe next time, Abby,” she said. “But let’s pick a different movie. That movie is too scary for me.”
Abby crossed her arms and tried thinking of another movie to watch.
“Abby, is your room messy?” I asked as I took Everly’s plate and set both of ours in the sink. Everly and Abby followed me into the kitchen.
“No,” Abby drew the one syllable out.
“Abby?” I asked again.
“Maybe a little,” she admitted with a blank stare.
“Do you think you should go clean it? You know you usually keep things clean. Let’s not change that, okay?” I said.
Abby glanced at Everly with worried eyes. She really didn’t want to leave her.
“I’ll come back, I promise,” Everly said, and it meant more to me than she could have realized.
“Okay,” Abby relented. “I’ll clean my room, Daddy.”
“I should probably get going,” Everly said as Abby ran upstairs. She grabbed her purse from the entryway table, and I followed her outside.
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
“Yeah, I just wanted to apologize again. For what I said.” She offered a small smile, and I realized then that she truly felt bad.
“I’m sorry I kept Abby a secret from you,” I added.
“I sort of understand,” Everly said. “It really isn’t an easy thing to tell someone.”
“Especially not someone you like,” I said before thinking. Everly blushed, and I stuffed my hands in my pocket. I felt like a silly schoolboy with a silly crush.
“What was up with the breakfast?” she asked, changing the subject. I was ready for this question.
“Cooking breakfast is a necessity when you have a kid,” I said. “It’s about the only thing I can manage, though.”
Everly nodded. “That makes sense. It wasn’t bad, at all. You have more talents than you realize, Maddox.”
My name on her lips did more than she would ever realize.
“Thanks,” I breathed.
“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said with a smile. “Last night gave me a new idea to try.”
“I look forward to it,” I said honestly. She bit her lip.
“Good.” She turned and walked down toward her parked car in my circular driveway. I wasn’t used to seeing her leaving my house in the daylight, and I tried to memorize how bright her hair was beneath the sunlight. I glanced up at the sky.
Odd. It wasn’t cloudy or rainy.
Everly got into her car and drove off. I couldn’t wipe the silly grin off my face as Abby met me outside several minutes after Everly was already gone.
“She’s pretty, Daddy,” Abby said, and I held her hand and nodded.
“She is,” I said. “She really is.”
Chapter Eighteen
Everly
My phone wouldn’t stop ringing, but despite running my arms around my bed, I had no idea where it was. I opened my eyes and glanced at the floor, where my phone was lit with an incoming call from Lacey.
“Hello?” I groaned into it and realized I hadn’t pressed Accept. “Hello.” I tried again.
“I lost my key,” Lacey said. “Open the door.”
I rubbed my eyes and slipped on a pair of pajama shorts along with a T-shirt and opened my door, where Lacey and Belle waited.
I moved aside to let them in. “Maybe losing the key was a sign,” I said and got myself a glass of orange juice.
“A sign that Belle needs to stop going through my purse looking for lost Shopkins?” Lacey offered. Belle smiled sheepishly and apologized.
“They’re just so tiny,” she said.
“That’s why I keep buying you carriers for them,” I said. “I’m guessing you're here for breakfast?”
“Can I put an order in now?” Lacey joked. I rolled my eyes and started getting out my pans. Without thinking, I started making my version of an egg and mushroom muffin, and realized that I had all the ingredients for French toast as well. A few minutes later and I was frying two diced potatoes in a skillet. It seemed Maddox was the one giving me inspiration for menus.
“I’m giving up on men,” Lacey said as she leaned against the kitchen counter. “I’ve had three awful dates in the past month. Three, Everly. Who has this kind of bad luck?”
“Someone who goes on three dates in a month? I don’t know,” I said. “You’re the one who always told me I needed to put myself out there.”
“I might have been wrong about that,” she said. “I might try again next month.”
“How’s kindergarten?” I asked Belle, desperate to change the subject.
“It’s fine. We’re making these weird macaroni drawings.”
“I remember doing that,” I said. “Your mom tore mine up and ate the raw noodles just to be a butt.”
“I wouldn’t trust the memory of a 5-year-old,” Lacey added as she scrolled through her phone at the breakfast bar.
“And yet you happen to remember the exact age I was when it happened.” Belle and I laughed. Lacey rolled her eyes and reminded me that she was the older sister, and therefore always right.
“You’re lucky you’re an only child,” I said to Belle. “Or else you’d have to deal with someone like her.”
“She says I’m too much like you,” Belle said.
“She’s right.” The more Belle had grown, the more she resembled me. I finished up the French toast and pulled the muffin tin out of the oven.
“So, have you started looking for another job?” Lacey asked as we ate breakfast. I hesitated. I didn’t want to have this conversation with her again, and I didn’t think it would end any better this time.
“Since 18 hours ago when you first suggested it? No,” I said. “And like I said last night, I’m not sure if I want to find another job.”
“Everly, don’t be like that. The guy purposefully lied to you about having a kid. That’s reason enough to quit. If he’ll lie about that, what other kinds of things will he lie about?”
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“She really isn’t that bad,” I said. “I met her yesterday. She’s a good kid.”
“It doesn’t matter if she’s royalty,” Lacey argued. “It’s the fact that he hid her from you, and probably wasn’t going to tell you about her until way later, if he was going to come clean at all.”
“I really don’t think he was planning on hiding her forever,” I said. “He’s not a bad guy. He’s just a little nervous to be dating again. He hasn’t since he had her, and I can see why it might intimidate someone. I remember you weren’t so keen on getting back out there.”
“He’s a bad father,” Lacey said, and I felt the sudden urge to defend him. “Has he told you anything about the baby mama?”
I realized he hadn’t. “Well, no. But I figured that might be a hard topic to bring up. What if she died?”
“Then she would be the least of your worries,” Lacey said, and I flinched at the dark humor. “But if she isn’t? You have no idea, and that’s not something you want to get involved in. Plus, aren’t you against divorcees? The odds that they’re divorced are overwhelming at his age.”
“He’s not that old,” I said.
“For me, no, he’s not that old. But for you?” Lacey spoke as I washed the dishes. “I’m just saying this is too complicated, especially since you don’t even know the full story yet. You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.”
I couldn’t argue with that. Lacey wasn’t entirely wrong, but I didn’t want to give in so easily.
“I’ll see how this next week goes, okay?” I offered. “If it’s awkward, or if I find out he’s lied about anything else, then I’ll quit. No questions.”
“Promise?” Lacey asked, and I nodded.
“Good. Now that we have that over with, I just have to complain for a moment about Kim.” She sat at the table and explained in great detail how her coworker was slowly ruining the company. Belle sat quietly at the dinner table and played on a tablet. I tried paying attention to Lacey, but my thoughts continued to run back to Maddox and Abby, and if Belle and Abby would get along.
“Time for kindergarten,” Lacey said and got their things ready. We said goodbye, and I shut the door behind them.
I had made the decision to crawl back into bed when my phone rang. I picked it up, assuming Lacey forgot something, and flinched as Mom’s voice screeched on the other line.
“I have been calling you for over a week, Everly Winters.” The strict tone in her voice would have a drill sergeant shaking in his boots, and I was surprised she hadn’t inserted my middle name as well. “Were you ever planning on calling me back?” I knew better than to answer that question with a big hell no.
“I texted you,” I offered. “It’s the same thing.” To any normal person.
“It is not, and you know that. Now, what’s this Lacey mentioned about you quitting your job?” she asked, and I groaned. Of course, Lacey couldn’t keep her big mouth shut. “You need that job to pay off your loans.” Here we go again.
“I have a new job, Mom,” I said. “This one is going to help me pay it off faster.”
“Is this job one of those at-will employers? Because you know what I’ve always said about those. They’re not trustworthy, and you’re as replaceable as the next person. Everly, you need to find a nice job at a bank. One with regular work hours, and paid time off. You’re putting the wrong degree to work, darling.”
“I have all of those benefits.” I lied. I wasn’t sure if I had paid time off. Or sick leave. Maybe I should have asked Maddox these questions.
“Can you double your monthly payments?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said, and realized that I could. “I can triple them at this point.”
“Oh, thank God,” Mom said. “Maybe you’ll finally put a small dent in them.” She was wearing me out, and I’d had enough of her dramatics for one day already.
“Thanks, Mom.” I sighed, wishing I could disappear. It might be the only way to avoid her from future calls. “Listen, I have a lot of stuff to do.” Plus, I already knew how important it was to pay the loans. I didn’t need to hear it from her every time she called.
“Just promise you’ll actually call me back from now on.” There was a sincere plea and genuine concern in her tone, so I agreed.
“I love you,” I said, and hung up. Saints help me, I did love the woman, no matter how much she drove me insane.
I promptly returned to bed, where thoughts of my student loans and bills and debts filled my head. In a way, both my mom and Lacey were right. I really needed to focus on money, and saving up enough to one day start on my dream. But at the same time, I was right about this job helping with exactly that. I did need the money, and I needed it bad.
I couldn’t afford to start over from scratch, which meant I couldn’t afford to mess up what I currently had. Which, at the end of the day, meant I couldn’t afford to have feelings for Maddox. Everything was a huge mess, and I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t follow my heart or my head without losing out in one way or another.
I groaned and pressed my face into my pillow. Lacey was right; I really had no idea what I was getting myself into.
Chapter Nineteen
Maddox
After a long morning of checking on two locations, I took a moment to breathe in my car. The day was busy, and I hadn’t had much time to reflect on more than menu changes and price increases. I picked an album to play on my phone and connected it wirelessly to the new audio system. A rhythmic bass began, followed by a soothing upbeat tempo that helped me relax.
I was excited for Everly to cook dinner, and even more excited that there was a chance we could have an honest conversation about Abby. We hadn’t discussed the terms of this weird relationship yet, but I felt as if we both were tiptoeing around that conversation. All I knew was that I liked her, and I thought she liked me. Unless I was horribly mistaken.
But I couldn’t mistake the way she looked at me for anything else. There was a clear desire in her eyes, a flame that I wanted to kindle until it burned brightly between us.
Something caught my eye in the rearview mirror, and I looked up to find Jackie storming toward me. She looked upset, and had a stack of paperwork in her hands as she stomped on tall heels.
I started the engine and peeled out of my spot in record time. Jackie didn’t believe in leaving work at work, and she would have thrown the files in the back seat of my car, given a chance. I decided to make it up to her later.
I drove straight to Nick’s house, pulling into his driveway just as he was getting home from a lunch outing with Abby.
“How was Chinese?” I asked Abby, who offered me a fortune cookie. I stuffed it into my pocket and followed them inside.
“It was good.” Her lip curled into a frown. “But they didn’t have sushi.”
“I already told you, that’s Japanese food. And I promised we’ll get sushi tomorrow,” Nick said.
“Should a 3-year-old be eating sushi?” I asked.
“You’re the parent.” Nick shrugged. “You tell me.”
I made a mental note to look that up later.
“I don’t have anything to cook tonight.” Nick frowned as he checked his fridge. He walked over to his pantry, and his shoulders slumped. “You mind getting Everly to cook up some extra food for us?”
I frowned. “Not a chance. I’m paying her to cook for me and Abby and to teach me how to cook, not provide dinner for my frugal best friend next door. Unless you want to chip in and help with the expense?”
“Yeah right. I wish,” he said. “Nevermind then. We’ll order pizza instead. We like pizza, right Abby?”
“Pizza!” she yelled, and Nick took it as confirmation. “Can I have the kind with fruit and ham?”
Nick gave me a sour look and turned to Abby. “Not when you’re at Uncle Nick’s, remember? Save that weird stuff for your dad’s house, okay?”
“Nervous?” Nick asked as I paced around his living room. Abby turned on the TV and sta
rted looking up videos to watch. I watched her, trying to remember if I knew how to open a door when I was three years old. My daughter wasn’t your usual child; though, and she was far more advanced than I’d ever been.
“No. Yes. I don’t know. It’s just dinner; nothing’s really changed,” I said.
“That’s bullshit,” Nick said and pulled out a couple of beers from the fridge. Abby heard the movement and turned.
“Juice?” she asked, and Nick handed her a bottled fruit juice. I popped open my bottle and took my time enjoying it. Hopefully it would help ease the nerves.
“Everything’s changed,” Nick said. “Do you even know how you feel about her yet? Usually you’re far more open to me about this sort of thing. She’s got you shaken up?”
I didn’t tell him that that very question had been on my mind for days.
“No, I know.” I admitted. “Then again, I have no idea. She’s special. There’s just something about her that makes me excited, makes me want to know more.”
“I think you should probably start backing away from this situation,” Nick said. “If you ask me. But then again, no one ever does, even though I’m usually right.”
The response surprised me. “Okay, I’ll bite.” I sighed. “Why do you think I should back off?”
Nick lowered his voice. “You have a kid, man. She doesn’t want kids. It’s not that hard to add the two together. Simple math.”
“You’re the one who said she might change her mind,” I argued.
“I know, and she still might. But I think you’re a little too emotionally invested in this. You’re too close, and if she ends up burning you, it’s going to leave a scar. An ugly one. Not just on you, but on her,” Nick gestured toward Abby. “This is her first time having her dad date someone. You need to be extra careful, for her sake. When you aren’t around, it’s all she talks about.”
I watched as Abby picked a video of a singing tomato as that all sank in. She clapped along, and even knew a few words of the song. Nick was right; if I got hurt, so would she.
“I’m being careful,” I said. “But you should have seen Everly and Abby together yesterday. She was a natural, and they got along so great. Everly may not want children, but I think she could really fall in love with Abby.”