“That’s…that’s—” Presumptuous. True, but presumptuous.
“I’m sorry. To me, it’s clear so I’m just stating a fact.” Mike stood up, grabbed a beer from the refrigerator, tossed the cap into the trash. “You like helping people. I like rehabbing buildings. Everybody should do what they like.”
She couldn’t find fault in that logic.
Her phone buzzed and she found a message from another client, a teacher in a private school who taught gifted students.
Gifted students. Hmm.
She read the message: Good news, Lia! The proposal you helped me develop was approved. I got funding to build a Maker Space. Need help finding grants, etc. to help me stock the space. Legos, Snap Circuits, any other games you can find that support education.
Lia grinned. Yes. She texted back a congratulatory message. Then, she sent a text to Gabriel.
Ask Olivia’s school about enrichment programs or gifted classes.
“Good news?” Mike asked.
“Very. A teacher client of mine just got funding to build a Maker Space.”
“Right. I’ve heard of them. Robotics and stuff?”
“It could be anything, really.” Lia elaborated. “It’s space for students to work with their hands instead of just listening to teachers talk.”
“And what does she need you to do for her?”
Emmy brought her book so Lia hauled the baby up to her lap and opened the book. “Find her some programs like grants and awards to help her stock the new space.”
“Try tomorrow’s builders clubs. There are a bunch across the country. They may offer you supplies like Legos and Tinker Toys to start with.”
Lia made a note. “Thanks. I will.” She turned to Emmy. “What book is this? Oh, this is a good one.” Lia smelled her little head and did her best to ignore the clutch in her center when the baby gripped her hair and laid her head on her breast.
Emmy enjoyed the book, clapping her hands and saying “Again!” when Lia finished.
She and Mike chatted about Gabe, about their work, about their exes for the rest of the afternoon. Lia angled her head and studied Mike. He was an interesting man. Attractive.
And totally Roseann’s type.
A slow smile spread across her face.
*
Gabe turned the key in his front door.
“Uncle Mike!” Kimberly shouted.
“Lia!” Madison shouted.
Gabe had picked up both girls while he was out fighting for Olivia. He needed to make sure everyone was safe.
“Hey, girls.” Mike stood up, hugged Maddie and Kimberly and to Gabe’s mortification, Gabe.
“Mike.”
“So you had a hell of a day.”
“Yeah.”
“Come on. Got beer. Sit down before you collapse.”
God, it was good to see him. “Glad you’re here, man.”
“Yeah, you are.” Mike smirked.
Kim dropped her backpack on one of the kitchen chairs. Maddie opened the refrigerator, humming a song. Olivia, still clutching the tablet, wandered back into the living room and sat on the floor. Gabe sat on the sofa where Lia and Emmy were cuddled together.
“Hi, Dad-dee.”
“Hi, E-Rex. Are you reading a book?”
“Ee-ah.”
“Oh, Lia’s reading to you. Thanks for watching them, Lia. Sincerely.”
She smiled and kept reading.
“Who has homework?” Mike asked.
“Me!”
“Well, step on up, Miss Maddie. I’ll help you with it while your daddy enjoys his beer. Kim?”
“I don’t need help.”
“Then you can do yours on your own while I help Maddie. Come on.”
Maddie eagerly dumped books on the kitchen table but Kimberly looked from Mike to Gabe to Lia. “What’s…what’s going on?”
Shit. His eyes cut to Olivia but she wouldn’t look at him. “Olivia cut school today,” Gabe began.
Kim spun on Olivia. “Are you crazy?”
“Your dad flipped out when the school called him,” Mike explained. “Called the police, called me.”
“And you came,” Gabe added, voice gruff with emotion.
“No question. I nearly drove into a ditch when I saw the Amber Alert on one of the road signs.”
“Olivia. Jeez.” Kimberly gave her sister a look.
Olivia squirmed under everybody’s scrutiny. “Okay, I messed up. I’m sorry. I promised Daddy I won’t do it again.”
Kimberly wasn’t convinced. “Did you have to talk to the principal, Dad?”
“Yeah. I got Olivia moved to Mrs. Salony’s class.”
Olivia’s gaze snapped to Gabe’s. “You did?”
Nodding, Gabe elaborated. “Yes, Newton, I did. Mr. Kress doesn’t understand you. I talked to Mrs. Salony and I think she will. I also asked about enrichment programs. Thanks for that suggestion, Lia,” he added. “But you need to understand something, too. School isn’t playtime. There are certain lessons you have to do, no matter what.”
Olivia sighed. “I know but—”
“Uh-uh. No buts.”
“Dad-dee, shush.”
Everybody laughed when Emmy put a chubby hand over Gabe’s mouth. He pretended to bite it, making her shriek with giggles. When she slid off Lia’s lap to pounce on top of him, he figured things were as normal as they got around here.
“Okay, okay. Easy on Dad, E-Rex. I’ve had a tough day.” He stood, hitched the baby on to his hip and remembered her diaper…or lack of one. “Hey, are your pants dry?”
“Dwy, Dad-dee.”
“High five.” He held up a hand that she smacked and took her into the kitchen.
“Oh, I already gave her a snack. She had a cup of milk and a cookie.”
Gabe nodded and handed the baby to Mike, who was sitting at the table with Maddie doing math homework. “Thanks. I’ve got a chicken to roast. You’ll stay?” he asked her.
Lia blinked at him, looking lost on the sofa, still clutching Emmy’s Dr. Seuss book.
“Oh, I’ve got a ton of things—”
“Stay, please, please, pleeeeeeeease?” Maddie pressed both hands together.
Lia’s eyes stayed glue to his and Gabe began to sweat. They obviously needed to talk—about Olivia, about them. He really hoped they were still a them.
Mike cleared his throat. Gabe tore his gaze from Lia and shook his head at the question in his friend’s eyes. He wished he could get Lia alone for five damn minutes. He needed to talk to her, needed to touch her, to reassure both of them that they could handle this…that they were worth this. But he needed to talk to the girls first. He couldn’t blindside any of them.
So maybe it would be best if Lia…didn’t stay.
Chapter Thirteen
Emotions played across Gabriel’s face. It both stunned and delighted Lia how quickly she’d learned to read that face. It was already so dear to her.
She hoped to never again see that stark blank stare he’d worn when he’d believed Olivia was missing. She wanted to see the tenderness when he kissed his daughter’s head, the easy grins he gave to the building’s tenants, and that blaze of desire when he turned those blue eyes on her. She wanted to see those. Oh, she ached to see those for a very long time.
But…
She studied his face, saw his indecision, and understood he didn’t feel the same way. She’d acted too fast once before and that had ended with some other woman living the life she’d dreamed of.
“I have work of my own to finish today. Another time.” Yeah, they definitely had a lot to talk about. If Olivia didn’t want Lia in her dad’s life, Gabriel would honor that and Lia could never fault him for that. When the pain of that knowledge spiked, she turned to go.
To her surprise, all of the girls moaned objections, even Olivia.
“Lia, I’m really sorry I wasn’t nice to you. I promise to be nice from now on.”
Well, that was something. Lia glanced at Gabe but he seemed
as surprised as she was.
Taking in the awkward moment, Mike groaned. “Jeez, Ivers, you really have lost your touch. Here’s how it works.” He got up, took Lia’s hands in his and smiled wide. “Please stay, Amelia. Allow me to repay your kindness for babysitting my children today.”
The girls laughed and Maddie got in on the act. She dropped to her knees and batted her eyes. “Pleeeeeeease stay?” And then she let out one of her excited little gasps. “Oh! I know! We could do manicure night tonight with Uncle Mike and Lia!”
Mike snatched his hands back. “Oh, um—”
Gabe’s grin was quick and lethal. “That’s a great idea, Maddie. Show Uncle Mike the new color we got. He’ll love it.”
Maddie took off down the hall with a squeal. Mike skewered Gabe with a look.
“Oh, you so owe me for this.”
Gabe only laughed. When he looked at Lia, his mirth faded a bit. “What do you say, Lia? Will you stay?”
She looked from Gabe to Mike to the girls and nodded. “Um. Yeah. I guess I can’t miss manicure night.” His smile flashed in response, quick as lightning and ten times as bright, staggering her with its meaning.
He was happy. She’d made him happy. The thought was humbling.
“Okay, girls. Better finish homework fast so we can get this party started.”
By six o’clock, everyone’s homework had been completed and Gabe had the meal served. Maddie kept up a running commentary on everything from her classmates to the neighbors.
“Daddy, can I play with Mason tomorrow?”
“No, you have school tomorrow.”
“After school, I can play, right? Right, Daddy?”
“Yes, Ducky.”
Lia smiled at the nickname. “I’ve been meaning to ask about your girls’ nicknames. Kimberly is Cocoa-Pop. Olivia is Newton and I think I know why. Maddie is Ducky and Emmy is E-Rex.”
“Oh! Oh! Tell her mine, Daddy! Tell her mine first.”
Gabe sipped his beer. “No, no. Kimberly is the oldest so she’s first.”
“Janey and I were completely overwhelmed when Kimberly came home. She had colic and cried a lot. Nobody got any sleep. Until the day when that song came on…shimmy, shimmy.”
“I remember that song,” Lia said, laughing.
“I danced around the house with her, singing Kimmy, Kimmy, Cocoa-Pop and it—”
“You sang it to her? Oh my God, that’s so cute.” Entranced, Lia leaned forward, but Gabriel’s face went pink.
“Everybody calls me Cocoa-Pop now,” Kimberly complained.
“Nothing wrong with that. It’s cute,” Mike said emphatically.
“I’m almost thirteen. That’s too old for cute,” she announced, wrinkling her nose. Lia couldn’t help but notice the pain flash in Gabriel’s eyes.
“Right.” Mike nodded. “The big thirteen is coming up.”
“That’s exciting. When is your birthday?” Lia asked.
“January.”
“You’ll always be my Cocoa-Pop, even when you’re thirty,” Gabriel said. “Now, you think you know why Olivia’s Newton?”
“Sure. Olivia Newton John.”
“Nope.”
Lia noticed Olivia leaning closer. It was clear all the girls had heard these stories many times before and never got bored. Playing along, Lia frowned and said, “I give up. Why?”
“Well, Olivia’s smart.”
“Really smart,” Olivia added. “Daddy likes to call me Professor sometimes.”
“But Newton is in reference to Isaac Newton,” Gabriel said.
“The guy with the apple and gravity?”
“Exactly.”
“Why?”
“Go get the picture, Liv.”
Olivia was already up. She plucked a photo album from the bookcase in the living room and showed Lia a picture.
“Oh wow. Cuteness overload!” The picture showed Olivia as an infant of about six month, wearing a pair of horn-rimmed glasses and holding an apple.
“You always leave out the best part,” Mike complained. “Olivia would watch everything going on around her. Just watch with those big dark eyes.”
“Used to freak out Janey,” Gabriel added.
“How come?”
“Janey always believed that Liv was a full-grown adult born into a kid’s body.”
Oh, yeah. Lia had no trouble believing that.
“Does that mean I can stay up—”
“It does not.” Gabriel cut her off before she finished asking the question. “Janey found Olivia conducting her first experiment before she could walk. She was throwing a ball into the air and watching it fall. Janey said it was like Olivia had discovered gravity all on her own.”
“So…Newton. I love it.” Lia smiled at Olivia. “That’s a great nickname.”
“My turn! My turn!” Maddie thrust her hand in the air. “I’m a dinosaur.”
At Lia’s look of confusion, Gabe asked, “You’ve never seen The Land Before Time, have you?”
Lia shook her head. “I don’t remember.”
“Oh, trust me. You’d know.” Mike leaned against the sink, crossed one leg over the other, and tapped the screen on his phone. “Here.” He handed his phone to Lia and pressed play on a video of one of the movie’s scenes that introduces Ducky the dinosaur.
“Can we watch it, Daddy? Lia needs to see my movie so can we watch it together? Can we? Please? Please?”
“Not tonight. We have nails to paint.”
Maddie gasped. “I’ll get the stuff!” She streaked down the hall.
“Yep. Totally see it now.” Charmed down to her toes, Lia asked, “I’m guessing Emerson’s unique name has a similar story?”
“I nicknamed her E-Rex to go along with Maddie’s Ducky dinosaur. E-Rex isn’t a character in the movie but, well, you’ve met Emmy. She’s kind of a terror.”
Everybody turned to look at Emmy, who was busy putting chicken pieces on top of her head.
“I think they’re adorable names.”
“Found it!” Maddie ran back in carrying a clear plastic storage box containing nail polish bottles, cotton balls, files and clippers.
“Wow, look at the time.” Mike looked at his wrist. It was bare.
Gabriel pointed a finger at him. “You’re not going anywhere.”
“You promised,” Maddie reminded Mike.
“Okay, okay.”
The older girls hopped up, began collecting plates and scraping food into the trash bin. Lia got up and did the same, delighted when she noticed the sink was already full of soapy water. God, she was ridiculous. When a sink full of soapy water made you happy, you had issues.
“Lia, what’s your nickname?”
She glanced over her shoulder at Mike but met Gabriel’s eyes instead.
“Besides Lia, I haven’t got one.”
“Really? Your dad didn’t give you some cutesy name like Kitten or Princess?” Mike teased.
She shrugged. Her father had been far too busy cheating on her mother to develop the close relationship Gabriel had with his daughters. “My mom calls me Amie.”
“Oh, that sounds just like Emmy,” Kimberly noted.
“Amie is French for friend,” Olivia said.
Lia nodded. “That’s what she always said, too. I despised it.”
“How come?” Gabriel asked.
She shrugged and smiled at Mike, who’d grabbed a towel to start drying dishes. “She didn’t mean it fondly. It was…criticism. Does anybody want coffee?”
Definitely not the deftest of subject changes, but it worked.
She snuck a glance at Gabriel. Lia knew he had to be absolutely exhausted after the brutal day he’d had. But he sat patiently while Olivia removed the pink polish from his nails and Kimberly worked on Maddie’s. Baby Emmy waved her hands from her high chair and said, “Mine!”
“No, it’s bedtime for you, E-Rex. Say good night.”
“Night, night!” The baby waved and after good-night kisses had been exchanged with
everybody, Gabriel walked her down the hall.
Lia happened to glance at Olivia and squirmed under the little girl’s steady scrutiny. She wished she could find an excuse to leave. She didn’t belong here, in this room so full of love, it practically burst through the windows. Her father had never loved her like Gabriel loved his daughters. Jared had never loved her like Gabriel loved his wife. It didn’t matter how hard she tried. It didn’t matter how helpful she was, or how funny she was, or even how generous she was. People just couldn’t seem to love her. Except for Roseann. Roseann loved her. Lia tried to remember that, tried to take comfort in that.
“What color do you like, Lia? I like this one. And this one. And this one.” Maddie took out several small bottles.
“I like them all, but I think I should go now.”
They didn’t seem to hear her.
“Uncle Mike, which one do you want?”
“Too much to hope for that you’d actually buy clear nail polish once in a while?” Mike complained.
“Uncle Mike wants the blue one, Maddie,” Gabriel called as he left the girls’ bedroom.
Kimberly held up the bottle of blue so bright, it practically glowed in the dark.
“Oh no, Mike doesn’t,” Mike shot back.
“What’s the matter, Mike? Afraid a little nail polish will make you less of a man?” Gabriel asked when he retook his seat.
Mike ignored the jab. “She go down already?”
“Out like a light as soon as I started rubbing her little back.”
Oh, God. He rubbed her back? Even after a nightmare, her parents hadn’t done that for her. When she was about seven, she’d crawled in bed with them one night after a particularly scary dream and her father had threatened to punish her.
“Lia, you okay?” Gabriel asked.
She jumped up, headed for the coffee machine. “Sure. Fine.”
“Wow, feels like she just woke up,” Mike said, reclaiming Gabriel’s attention.
“She can’t seem to give up the afternoon nap yet, which is fine by me.”
“This color, Uncle Mike!” Maddie held up fuchsia.
Mike let out a low moan.
Lia sipped from her cup, standing against the counter, face burning. She was miserably out of place and keenly aware just how much she did not belong here.