Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 100713 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100713 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
“Thanks for helping out today,” I said to my sister.
“No problem,” she said, opening the back passenger door of her minivan for Daisy. “Hug Uncle Beckett goodbye,” she told her daughter.
My niece clung to my legs a moment, and I rubbed her back. “See ya, kiddo. Thanks for coming to hang out.”
She looked up at me. “Can I play with Elliott again?”
“Definitely. Did you have fun?”
“Yes.” She tilted her head. “You’re sure he’s a boy?”
I laughed and tweaked one of her braids. “I’m sure.”
She hopped in the car, and Mallory shut the door. “I wish I could help you out more than once a week. Amy said you put another ad in the paper?”
“Yeah. Hopefully I’ll get some replies soon.” I glanced toward the house. “I need to find someone like Maddie. She hung out with him all day yesterday. They made breakfast together, she took him into town for lunch, he gave her a tour . . . then we all went over to the ball field and played around a little. Dad even got out on the field. He loved it.”
Mallory laughed as she walked around to the driver’s side. “I asked him what he did yesterday, and he said, ‘Not much.’”
I shook my head, following her. “Figures. His short-term memory is pretty much shot. Ask him what his date wore to the movies in 1958, though, and he can tell you.”
“Poor Dad.” She opened the car door. “And poor you. Too bad Maddie’s not moving back for good, huh?”
I gave her a look. “Stop.”
“Come on, Beck. There’s something between you.” She patted my chest. “Relax, I think it’s nice. It’s healthy. What’s not healthy is being cooped up in here with Dad day in, day out.”
“It is nice to have her here,” I admitted quietly. “And getting to know her son.”
She grinned. “Such a cool kid.”
“But she lives in Ohio, Mal. End of story.”
“Boo. That ending stinks.”
“Maybe around three next Saturday if that works?” I asked, anxious to move on from the topic of Maddie and me. “I think I have to be at Cole’s by three-thirty.”
“Of course. Don’t worry about a thing.” She rose on tiptoe and ruffled my hair. “Just get all dressed up and show Maddie a good time. Make it the prom night you never had.”
I frowned. “How did you know I wanted to take Maddie to the prom?”
“Please.” She rolled her eyes. “Everyone in the house knew. Even Dad.”
“He did?”
“Yeah. After you left to go get your date, he wondered aloud why you hadn’t asked Maddie. And then—I’ll never forget this—he said, ‘I bet he marries that girl.’”
Laughing, I shook my head. “He needs to get over that. We’re not getting married.”
She gave me a hug. “Hang in there. I’ll see you in a week. And don’t hesitate to call me if you need a break sooner. You don’t have to be Superman, doing all the things.”
I flexed my biceps. “But I make such a good Superman. Don’t I, Daisy?”
She giggled from the back seat. “Yes!”
Mallory laughed too as she slid behind the wheel. “Even Superman had a Lois Lane. Don’t forget that.”
Inside, I let the dog out one last time, got my dad into bed, and finished loading the dishwasher. I was almost finished when Maddie entered the kitchen.
“Hey,” I said. “Did you make your call?”
“Yes.” She frowned, leaning on the island and crossing her arms. “Sam gave Elliott about five minutes before saying he had to go because he had plans. And he was totally distracted the entire time. I think his girlfriend was there.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” She closed her eyes and took a breath. “I don’t even bother getting my hopes up anymore with him.”
“How’s Elliott?”
“He’s okay. He’s in the shower right now, and then I told him he could have some extra iPad time before bed.”
“Sounds good.” I loaded the last few pieces of silverware and put in the soap. “Daisy is very excited to come back and play with him.”
She laughed gently. “He won’t stop talking about her either. I’m so happy she was here today, even if she wasn’t as excited about his home run story as he’d have liked.”
“What about his dad?” I shut the dishwasher and started it.
“He said something like, ‘That’s great, bud, but you have to learn to do that when it counts.’”
I turned around to see her scowling and didn’t blame her. “I’m sorry.”
“I am too, for Elliott.” She shook it off. “Anyway, I just wanted to come down and say goodnight.”
“Oh. Okay.”
She walked toward me, twisting her hands together. “It’s not that I don’t want to come to your room tonight. I just don’t think I should. Elliott is feeling sad about the phone call, and if he wandered into my room and I wasn’t there, he’d be scared.”
“You don’t owe me an explanation, Maddie. It’s okay.” But my heart had sunk to my heels.