“Did you burn the eggs, Dad?” Scarlett asked from the door, dramatically sniffing the air like a detective on the trail of a culinary crime.
I turned from the blackened skillet, feigning shock. “Burned? No, these are just… well, extra crispy. A new recipe I’m trying out,” I said with a grin, hoping she’d buy into my playful excuse and give me one of her smiles, the same as Daisy had.
She eyed me, then smirked. “Extra crispy, huh? Is that what we’re calling it now?”
Oh, the sass was strong in this one, and I loved it.
“Yeah, it’s a delicacy in some places, you know? I’m just bringing you the finest dining experience. Only the best for my girls.” I opened the window to let out some of the smoke, and Scarlett laughed, her earlier pretend investigation dissolving into giggles.
“Next time, can we try the not burned experience?” Scarlett asked.
I nodded in mock solemnity. “Absolutely, chef’s promise. Now, how about some expertly poured cereal instead?”
She nodded, still chuckling. “I think that’s a safer bet, Dad.”
As I watched her take her seat at the table, the burnt breakfast incident already turning into a shared joke, I leaned against the counter with my coffee, grateful for this moment of normalcy, for Daisy’s forgiveness over something as simple as breakfast.
All too soon, it was time to go to the airport to pick up Jamie. The girls were hyper, so excited to see Uncle Jamie, and their enthusiasm was infectious. I leaned against the barrier at Arrivals, Daisy and Scarlett bouncing on the balls of their feet beside me, their excitement practically electric in the air. Their eyes were wide, scanning the sliding doors every time they parted.
“There he is!” Scarlett squealed, her voice rising over the hum of the crowded airport as Jamie finally emerged. His dark hair was a little longer than the last photo he’d sent us, and he was wearing his ‘I’m English Where’s The Tea’T-shirt. He was also apologizing—a lot, even by his British standards—as he attempted to guide a cart with at least six precariously balanced suitcases and to not kill any of his fellow passengers.
The girls ran toward him before I could say a word, wrapping Jamie in an embrace that nearly bowled him over. His laugh, warm and loud, filled the surrounding space, and I couldn’t help but smile.
“Uncle Jamie, did you bring us anything?” Daisy’s voice was muffled against Jamie’s chest, as she refused to let go.
“Did you see any kangaroos?” Scarlett’s question followed immediately.
Jamie set his bags down and knelt to their level, opening his arms to enclose both girls in a giant hug. “I might have a thing or two in my suitcases.” He winked at Daisy, then turned to Scarlett. “And yes, loads of kangaroos.” His clipped British vowels were music to my ears. God, I’d missed him.
The girls erupted into giggles, peppering him with more questions, their words tumbling over one another in their haste to be heard.
I watched, my heart full, as Jamie answered each question with the patience and enthusiasm that made him such a beloved figure in their lives. He might have started as their nanny, but he was the fun uncle now. When it was my turn to get close, I hugged him so hard it was a wonder I didn’t break him. I was taller, and where I was all hard and angled, he was softer, slimmer, quieter, with bright-as-a-button blue eyes and the widest smile. I think I lifted him off his feet.
He wriggled. “Bloody hell, you giant,” he muttered in my ear. “Get off me!” I let him down, and he thumped my arm. “Guess you all missed me, then?”
I took the cart, and moving it out of the way, used every single one of my muscles. What was in these cases? Bricks?
Back at the car, with the girls in their seats, I opened the trunk and stared at the space and then at the cases. “You’re only staying a week, you know,” I teased. Jamie was never one to travel light, but six cases, and heavy ones at that?
“Actually, there’s a thing,” he began, then faltered.
“What is it?” I asked, while struggling to fit the third case into a space it wasn’t designed for.
“Your place has a spare room, right?”
I huffed with exertion. “Of course, you don’t think I’d make you sleep on the floor!”
“I don’t mean that, Oli.” He sounded so serious.
For the first time, I properly looked at him, at his nervous expression. “What’s wrong?” All kinds of horrific things came to mind—he was ill, he was dying, he was?—
“I was hoping it would be okay to stay longer than a week.”
I placed a hand on his shoulder. “Of course. You said maybe two weeks, and that’s cool with me. The girls will love having you.”
He glanced at the last cases on the cart. “How about longer than that? Like, what if I’d finally broken up with Sean-the-asshole because he was cheating on me, and worse, he stole some of my research? And what if, maybe, I was moving to LA for a research project, and I see you and the girls all the time? Get my own place, of course, after a while, but for now?—”
I cut him off with another hug. I didn’t have any words, just held him close. I couldn’t say I was sorry about Sean—Jamie and I may well have kissed once and then fallen about laughing that we were best off staying friends, but that didn’t mean I liked whom he’d been dating for the past year. Sean had been a complete waste of space and treated Jamie like shit, so yeah, I was glad he was out of the picture.
