AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“And,” she continued, “you are lucky that there are fans blowing in here because the solder you are going to use has lead in it.” She said every word distinctly and didn’t use contractions. Why in the world did this child know so much about the process of making stained glass ornaments?
My wide eyes met Jonah’s from across the table. Jonah’s eyes said I know what you’re thinking. I wasn’t sure if he did know, because I wasn’t sure what to think of the Mensa candidate he was raising. You read about baby geniuses, but you never think you’re going to meet one. Or in my case, you never thought your ex (or whatever Jonah was) would raise one. I mean, Jonah was smart, but he wasn’t Einstein. I had a feeling his little girl was. She could probably teach us all about the theory of relativity.
“Is there really lead in this solder?” one woman asked me, worried.
I forced my eyes away from Jonah’s. It was harder than I thought it would be after all this time. “There are in some types of solder, but not in the kind we are using tonight.” I turned back toward Jonah and smiled at his daughter so she knew I wasn’t trying to correct her. Whitney tilted her head, studying me like a test subject. I wondered if she knew anything about me.
Jonah wrapped his arm around his daughter and whispered something in her ear that made her smile at me. In that smile I saw her father and the life I might have had. Though I couldn’t imagine any children with my DNA turning out as smart as Whitney. My five-year-old would probably be eating finger paints and running around barefoot singing some silly song at the top of her voice.
That thought had me grabbing my stomach. Having a child of my own was one of those wishes that made me ache because I knew a wish was all it would ever be. Or . . . I focused back on Jonah. Did it have to be only a wish? Jonah caught my gaze and opened his mouth to say something. That shook me out of my ridiculous line of thinking. I turned from him before he could speak and focused on the woman next to me who was grinding her piece of stained glass down to nothing.
I berated myself internally for thinking that Jonah had come back here to make babies with me. I took the piece of stained glass out of the woman’s hand. “Here, let me help you,” I offered, wishing someone could help me. Maybe it was time to seek some real therapy. Or a vacation.
As the class went on, I found myself paying a lot of attention to Whitney and Jonah, from afar that is. His little girl intrigued me—as did her father, but I wouldn’t admit that out loud. For as grown up as she looked and sounded, I saw glimpses of timidity within her. She refused to use or be anywhere near the solder iron, even if she wore the protective gloves. She said, “Father, do you know that those can cause third-degree burns?” Jonah lovingly tried to coax her into trying it, but to no avail. She started talking about skin grafts.
How she knew so many medical terms and that solder irons could give you third-degree burns, I had no idea. Was Jonah giving her his medical books? Could she even read them? I had a feeling she could. How was that possible? And why did she call him father? She sounded straight out of the Victorian era. Jonah was more of a daddy, not a father.
Brock, who was sitting at the far table, caught me staring at my past. “Why are you avoiding Jonah?” he whispered.
I took the stool next to him. His date had vacated it to use the restroom and “powder” her nose. Who talked like that anymore? If she came back out with any more powder on her nose or more layers of lipstick on her pouty lips, I was going to have to ask her to stay away from any heat sources. How Dani approved of Alexandra, I had no idea. She so wasn’t Brock’s type. But maybe that’s why Dani gave her the green light.
I leaned in close to the love of Dani’s life and whispered, “Why are you wasting your time with Alexandra?” I asked instead of answering him.
He swallowed hard while his eyes flickered toward Dani, who was doing her best to act happy with Kinsley. She was laughing louder than she usually did and was purposely not looking at Brock.
“It’s complicated.”
“Is it?” I said ultra-quiet. “You know how Dani feels about you.”
Brock’s face flushed red. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“Try me.”
His gaze drifted toward his twin brother, Brant, who was there with a woman named Jill. Jill seemed nice enough, but she wasn’t Brant’s type. She was more of an understated beauty with mousey brown hair, big brown eyes, and a tiny frame. Brant typically liked his women with curves for days and features that made most women jealous. Women like Dani.
