“I know the feeling. I didn’t get much sleep last night, either. Too much on my mind, ya know?”
Charlie looked between us. “Were you thinking about what we talked about, Daddy?”
“What were you talking about?” Cleo asked, shifting on her feet. Was that worry or anticipation in her voice? I couldn’t tell.
I cleared my throat, placing my hand on top of Charlie’s head. Here goes nothing. “Well, someone—and I’m not naming names here—wanted to know if you gave private riding lessons. They’re very sad camp is almost over.”
“It’s me!” Charlie shouted, throwing her arms in the air. “I wanna be able to ride like you and I wanna watch the baby birds grow! Have you checked on them this morning? I asked Daddy if we could get here early so we could check on them. Do you think they’re there?”
Cleo laughed—an honest to god laugh that had goosebumps skittering along my skin. It’d been so long since I’d heard it. Especially since I usually got the forced, polite version that Ioften had to pry out of her. “Well, I have checked on the birds. They were sleeping, so we’ll need to let them rest.”
“Oh.” Charlie’s shoulders dropped. “What about the lessons?”
This time, Cleo hesitated. Her gaze flicked between Charlie and me with question. “I’m not really the best one to teach?—”
“Please, Miss Cleo?” Charlie begged, clasping her hands in front of her. “It’s gotta be you. I don’t trust anyone else to teach me.”
She crouched in front of my daughter, taking Charlie’s hands in her own. “Riding a horse is a lot of work. It’s not like riding a bike, so you’d have to practice regularly to make sure you don’t lose the skill.”
Charlie giggled. “Yeah, Daddy said he could teach me, but Momma and I just laughed at him. She said she’d never seen him on the back of a horse before.”
I smiled down at Charlie. “Yeah, apparently the thought of me on a horse was hilarious,” I said, glancing toward Cleo. When I did, I noticed the way her demeanor changed. How every muscle in her body seemed rigid with tension.
“Well, I’ve seen your dad on a horse, and he used to ride very well, but your mom’s right. He probably shouldn’t be teaching anyone if he hasn’t ridden in a while.” Cleo stood up. Her fingers danced against her thighs in anxious contemplation. “Alright, Charlie. I have a few weeks before classes start in the fall. I’ll do it.”
“You will?” Charlie and I asked at the same time.
Cleo nodded and plastered on the fake smile she seemed to have mastered. “Of course. We’ll make a horse girl out of you yet.”
“Did you hear that, Daddy?” Charlie turned toward me with a grin. “Miss Cleo said I’ll be a horse girl!”
“I did, baby girl.”
“I can’t wait to tell Momma. Can we call her tonight after dinner?”
“Of course. She’ll want to hear all about your day.” A muscle in Cleo’s jaw ticked as I spoke, and I hated it.
“Oh, Miss Cleo! Will you come to dinner tonight? Daddy said you probably had plans, but I told him I was gonna ask anyway.”
“Your dad was right. I have plans tonight.”
Charlie pouted. “You can’t change them to hang out with us?”
“It’s a Friday night tradition,” Cleo said gently.
“What about tomorrow?” I asked, stepping in. There was so much I wanted to say, that Ineededto say. My best bet was going to be getting her somewhat alone to do it. And I didn’t want her to put space between us because of what happened last night, or what she thought she knew about Liv and I’s marriage.
I could only imagine what she was thinking, the way she was likely beating herself up for flirting with who she thought was a happily married man. I wanted to set her straight once and for all, but there was a time and a place for that, and this wasn’t it.
“I couldn’t possibly—” she began when her youngest sister, Lennox, stepped up beside her.
“Hey, Charlie, girl!” she said, holding her hand out for a high-five. My daughter gave her one, beaming under all the attention. “What’s up?”
“Miss Cleo said she’s going to give me riding lessons! And we asked her to come to dinner tonight, but she said no.”
Lennox slid her gaze to her sister, whose cheeks were flushed entirely. “She did, huh? Why’d she say that?”
“Because we have plans, Lennox,” Cleo hissed. “Just like every other Friday night.”
