Page 60 of Worth the Fall
“No, silly. Gloria the Cooking Queen made it.”
I finally spoke up for the first time since she’d set foot in my home. “Gloria the Cooking Queen is Mrs. Green. She’s Clara’s sitter. She lives across the street.”
Brooklyn’s eyes met mine, the softness there almost bringing me to my knees. When had I fallen so hard for this woman?
“And she makes you food?” She cocked her head to the side.
“She does,” I answered with a smile. “Trust me, I need all the help I can get in the kitchen.”
“Can I do anything?” she offered, but I had everything under control.
“I got it. Can I get you something to drink?”
She looked at Clara first before looking back at me, as if unsure of how to answer the simple question. It struck me immediately that she was taking the fact that Clara was around into consideration. Clara was a part of her decision-making process without my prompting.
“What are you having?”
“Probably a beer.”
“I’ll take one too then.”
“Me too, Daddy,” Clara said, and I shot her a look while Brooklyn laughed.
“I don’t think so.”
“Fine. I’ll have apple juice, but in a fancy glass. Please.”
It was Clara’s way of compromising while still being damn demanding.
I poured the drinks before grabbing three plates and setting the table. When I returned with the drinks in hand, Clara and Brooklyn had rearranged the settings and were sitting next to each other instead of across from one another, the way that I’d planned.
“So, what are you going to be for Halloween?” Brooklyn asked as she took a sip of her beer, and Clara got even more excited, if that was possible.
Her head swung toward me. “Daddy, can I show Miss Brooklyn my costume? Can I? Can I?”
“Sure,” I said as I made my way back toward the potpie that was now cooling on top of the granite countertop.
“I’ll be right back. Don’t move. It’s a surprise!” she insisted before running upstairs and disappearing into her bedroom.
Brooklyn got up from the table, beer in hand, and made her way straight to my side. “Your house is really lovely. It so homey and comfortable. I like the way it feels.”
“Thank you.” It was kind of the ultimate compliment for a single dad like myself. I didn’t realize how much I’d needed to hear it.
“You weren’t kidding about all the pictures.”
She grinned, and I shook my head once.
“I told you.”
Her hand slid down my back briefly before she pulled it away. The gesture was intimate, and I wanted more of it. Almost kissed her right then and there, but stopped myself.
“Hey, you guys moved! Well, here I come!” Clara shouted from the top of the stairs.
I started choking on my laughter. I’d thought my daughter was going to run up to her room and grab her costume, not put the damn thing on.
Her long black wig was crooked, and the hat on top was barely staying in place with each step she bounded down. Her black tutu was full of white lights and sparkles, and her tights had holes in them that I swore hadn’t been there before. She carried a broom in one hand while the other held a light-up wand that matched the rest of her.
“Are you a good witch or a bad witch?” Brooklyn asked as soon as my daughter ran up to us.