Page 7 of The Challenge

“He told me about that. He said when my grandma got sick, he went to live with her best friend’s family.”

“That’s right. My mother was your grandmother Carmen’s best friend.”

“That’s so cool.” She smiled, but then it quickly faded. “Was your mom sad when my grandma died?”

“She was very sad. They were best friends from childhood, so much so that she trusted my mother to look after your dad, even if he was almost old enough to take care of himself when she died.”

“How old was Daddy when he went to live with you?”

“He was about seventeen when he first moved in. He was still in high school. Your grandma had to sell the house to pay for her treatments, so he moved in with us when she was in the hospital.”

“How old were you?” she asked.

“Your dad is five years older than me. I was twelve.”

“Four years older than I am now. I’m eight,” she offered.

I smiled. “What time do you have to get up for school tomorrow?”

“Seven.”

“You should probably go to bed before your dad catches you in here, then. Is he asleep?”

“I don’t think so. I heard him talking to his girlfriend on the phone.”

Girlfriend. My heart sank. Why did that bother me? I guess old habits die hard.

“She calls him late so they can talk while I’m sleeping,” Effie added.

“How do you know that if you’re sleeping?” I winked.

Effie shrugged. “I stay up sometimes. He tells her he doesn’t have time to talk when she calls him during the day or when we’re having dinner.”

It impressed me that Evan set such boundaries for his daughter. “What’s her name?” I asked, even though I had no right to that info.

“Naomi.” She scrunched her nose. “I don’t like her.”

“Why not?”

“She laughs funny and puts weird food in the fridge when she comes over. She never stays overnight, though. I think she’s away right now. She lives here, but she travels for her job.”

“I see.” An unsettled feeling developed in my stomach.

“She tried to sneak spinach into my smoothie once,” Effie added.

“Yuck.” I laughed.

“I know. I hate spinach.” She paused. “But you know what I like?”

“What?”

She grinned impishly. “Sour peach rings.”

Just as I considered opening one of the bags of candy for her, I heard footsteps. Feeling like a kid myself, one who was about to get caught for doing something bad, I gave Effie a look that said, Oh crap.

Evan rapped gently on the door before he peeked his head in. “Hey…” he scolded her in a tone that sent a jolt through me. “You’re not supposed to be in here.”

“It’s okay.” I straightened against the headboard. “We were just talking.”