“W-well, I kind of have to,” he confessed.
“So then I’d be stuck at home with my anxiety and spiralling thoughts.And that Island Mouth woman on the loose.What if Gabrielle makes her even more mad, and she comes by the house again?”
“Y-you can stay here with me longer if you want to,” Damon said.
She met his eyes and nodded as he stowed his phone in his pocket.Then she turned back to her dad.“I feel safe here.There are more people here to keep that Mouth lady away from me.”
Lennox blinked rapidly a bunch, as if seeing his daughter for the first time.“This is weird coming from someone who doesn’t usually like people.”
Mabel’s smile was small and awkward as she glanced over at me, then Damon.“I like these people.”
I could tell that was the ultimate compliment this child could ever pay a person.Damon knew it too, and his chest puffed up just a little.
“We can go find more birds,” Damon suggested.“I was doing some research the other night, and apparently there is a colony of Rhinoceros Auklets that live below the cliffs over there, and it’s breeding season right now.”
Lennox’s mouth dropped open.So did mine.So did Mabel’s.
Mabel studied her feet for a moment, and her lips twisted in thought.“What are your hobbies?”she asked him, lifting her gaze.
“Mine?”Damon asked, his voice cracking slightly, which only prompted a fresh rush of color to his rosy cheeks.
Her head bobbed.“Maybe we can do something you enjoy, provided I don’t find it dull or annoying.”
“Mabes,” Lennox said in a chastising tone.
My nephew flipped his head to make his hair do that floppy thing before shrugging.“I … I like video games.”
Mabel wrinkled her nose.“Like ones with killing and stuff?Or sports ones?”
“Yeah, both.But … but I have other ones.I’m big intoThe Sorcerer’s Questright now.It’s all about making your way through this middle-earth realm, and in order to advance, you have to solve riddles.”
Mabel’s eyes perked up.“I’m very good at riddles.”
Lennox snorted softly.
Excitement filled Damon’s voice.“We could create you your own avatar, then we could start a new quest together.There are lots of different quests.Solo, partner, group.You can meet up with other people online and join their quest.”
“I could be up for a quest and some riddles,” Mabel said.“You’ll teach me how to play?”
I couldn’t remember the last time I saw my nephew smile this big or be this genuinely excited.“Totally,” he said.“It’s super easy once you figure it out.I’m sure you’ll get it faster than I did.And solve the riddles super fast too.”
“Probably,” Mabel said, keeping the blanket around her shoulders and following Damon out of the patio and back toward the house.“Can we go see the Auklets after?”
“Totally,” Damon said, beaming.
I shook my head as I met Lennox’s eyes.“I’m so sorry.”
“Why?It’s not your fault.”
“I know … I just don’t know what else to say.”
He looped his arms around my waist, and I went to him.“I’m just glad you were all here for her.That’smajorprogress on her part to let someone else apply deep pressure like that.Normally, it’s just me or Dawn.Nobody else.”
“She and Damon are becoming really good friends.I think this new friendship is going to benefit both of them.It brings him out of his shell and the darkness of his bedroom cave, and it’s going to give her someone her own age who she can share things with—like how all of this is making her feel.Because as much as we want our kids to talk to us about their problems, and we try to remember what it was like to be their age and feel things at the magnitude they’re feeling them, it’s just not the same.”
“No,” he sighed, “it’s not.”He pressed a kiss to my forehead.“I was going to see if you wanted to go on another date tonight, but I think I need to spend some time with my kid.”
“I was going to suggest the same thing—that you spend the evening with your kid.”I glanced up at him, loving the way the sun made his brown eyes glow like whiskey in a crystal glass in front of a sunset.The striations of gold were mesmerizing.“I’m going to head to the 8 a.m.yoga flow class at the yurt tomorrow, if you’d like to join me,” I offered.“It’s not as fun as an evening in the back of your truck under the stars, but we can still get into some pretty interesting positions.”
