“Uncle Jack said you and Mr.Paul had a sleepover.”
She glanced at Jackson, who shrugged and ate an entire slice of bacon in one bite.
“We went out to dinner first,” she said, as if that mattered.She hadn’t planned an excuse for staying out all night, and she decided not to make up a story for Emily.She’d rather be honest about dating and relationships, and let the chips fall where they may.
“Have a seat,” her father said.“There’s plenty.”
Vanessa took a seat next to Emily, who chattered about the exciting evening she’d had.“We watched a scary movie, and told ghost stories.Then Penelope saw a ghost in the dollhouse!”
“Did Penelope have nightmares?”Vanessa asked, arching a brow at Jackson, who shoveled eggs into his mouth.
“No,” Emily said.
Her father brought a stack of blueberry pancakes to the center of the table.Jackson tried to grab them before Vanessa could get any.
“Hey,” she said, picking up a fork to battle it out.She managed to spear two, and they laughed like they were kids again.
This was the kind of morning she’d imagined when she’d booked the summer rental.She’d wanted to sit down for a big breakfast, and joke around with her brother, and reminisce about old times.It was ironic, she supposed, to get what she wanted here, after she’d avoided her father’s house like the plague for more than a decade.
She wondered what he thought about her spending the night with a man she’d met a week ago.It would be incredibly hypocritical for him to comment on her life choices, but that had never stopped him.
“What are you up to today?”she asked him.
His face registered surprise.“Nothing much.”
“I thought I’d take Emily to the park.”
“There’s one down the street.”
“I know.”
“I’ll walk with you,” he offered.
She agreed with a careless wave, as if it was no big deal for them to hang out together.Emily made a happy sound and took another bite of pancake.Jackson regarded Vanessa with raised brows.
“You’re in a good mood,” Jackson said.
She shrugged, sipping orange juice.
“You should have sleepovers more often.”
Vanessa kicked him under the table and smiled at Emily.“Maybe I will.”
After breakfast, they got ready for the park.Jackson had made plans to go biking with a friend, so it was just the three of them.They strolled down the tree-lined sidewalk until they reached the park.It was a pretty, green space built around San Felipe Springs.There were several footbridges that crossed over the bubbling brook.Families with small children were wading into the water to cool off.
“I want to swim,” Emily said.
“Let’s go to the playground first,” Vanessa said.“You can get wet and muddy before we leave.”
She raced toward the swings.“Push me!”
Vanessa let her father do the honors, and he sent her flying, chuckling at Emily’s insistence to go higher.
“You used to do the same thing,” he said.
“Did I?”
Emily tired of the swings and ambled off to play in a section of the park that looked like a page fromAlice in Wonderland.There were giant mushrooms, whimsical structures and swirling shapes.Vanessa kept an eye on her from a park bench.Her father settled in next to her.They talked about her mother, who was busy with church business, as usual.Then the conversation turned to Vanessa and Paul.
