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“A hockey player. This is starting to make sense now. Is he nice?”
“Nicest guy you’ll ever meet. He’ll give you the shirt off his back, but he’s also full of himself. He could use someone to take him down a peg or two.”
I pull out my keys and unlock the door. Maven gasps when she steps into the foyer.
“No way,” she whispers. “I’ve always wondered what penthouse apartments looked like.”
“Shawn lives somewhere nice, doesn’t he?”
“He’s out in the suburbs now, and where he was before wasn’t nearly as big as this. How many bedrooms are there?”
“Four.” I head for the kitchen and drop my keys on the counter. I hear her footsteps behind me, and I’m taking it as a good sign she hasn’t run away. “Do you want a tour?”
“Sure. Do I need supplies for the journey? Water and food in case I get lost? You don’t even know my emergency contact.”
“She’s got more jokes.” I laugh and pat June’s head, letting her run toward the playroom down the hall. “I have binoculars somewhere. You can use them to see me from across the living room.”
Maven’s smile splits into a grin. “I’m glad you can take it and dish it back out, Lansfield. That’s going to make this so much more fun. Show me around. I’m sure I’m going to have a couple other one-liners up my sleeve.”
“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t. Trust me; for the boy from Georgia who grew up in a two-bedroom house and had to share a room with his sister until he was sixteen, this still blows my mind a little.”
I lead her to the playroom first where June is busy with her Barbies. Instead of giving the pink walls and the toys in messy piles a quick glance then asking what’s next, Maven walks to mydaughter and sits down. Her dress fans out on the ground, and she reaches for a doll.
“Which one is your favorite?” she asks June.
June holds up a doll with brown hair and a gold dress. “This one.”
“Mine, too. Her outfit is gorgeous. I think I still have some of my old Barbies in storage somewhere. Do you want to see the ones I played with when I was younger?”
“You like Barbies?” June’s eyes widen, and she scoots closer to Maven. “Which ones?”
“I like all of them. For my sixth birthday, my dad took me to the toy store and let me pick out anything I wanted, no matter how big it was. I found a Barbie Jeep and rolled out of there in the driver’s seat with ten new Barbies by my side. I used to cut their hair and give them makeovers, too.”
“Wow,” June says, and I don’t think she’s blinked in two minutes.
“Maybe we can convince your dad to get you a Jeep. We could drive it down the hall. It’s wide enough to be a freeway.”
“Whoa, okay, slow down. Three minutes together and y’all are already joining forces? I think I might be in trouble.” I lean against the doorframe and watch them. A wave of affection ebbs towards me the longer I stare, and something pulls tight in my chest like a string. I don’t remember the last time someone showed an interest in the things June liked, and I feel bad pulling Maven away from her. “JB?”
She’s too busy handing Maven a plastic hairbrush to glance up at me. “Yes, Daddy?”
“I’m going to show Maven the rest of the apartment, okay?”
“Can she stay for dinner?” June asks. “Please?”
“She might be very busy. Maybe we can plan another day,” I say.
“I’m not busy,” Maven says. “And I love dinner, believe it or not.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.” She stands up and smooths her palms over her dress. My eyes follow her hands as they run over her thighs before I blink and pull my gaze away. “I’ll be back soon, June. Then you can show me your other toys.”
We head down the hall, but Maven stops and stares at the framed photos hanging on the wall. She taps the picture of me with confetti stuck to my uniform and helmet, and she smiles.
“This was after you kicked that game-winning extra point at the Super Bowl a couple of years ago, isn’t it?” she asks.
“Yeah. First ring of mine, and definitely the sweetest.”
