Page 43 of Falling for Keeps

“Of course.” Before I hand the phone off, though, I hesitate. “For what it’s worth, I’m happy to braid her hair.”

“Didn’t she wake you up?”

“I’m awake now.”

Carson’s low chuckle travels through the phone and slides down my spine. “Alright. Let me talk to her.”

I hand the phone over. Penny takes it, not even looking remotely sheepish. “Hi, Dad.”

There’s a hum of conversation as he talks to her.

“But if I asked, you would have⁠—”

More words I can’t hear that I’m overly curious about. But it’s none of my business. I pour a glass of water from the tap and drink it while I wait.

“Okay, fine. I’m sorry. Yes…uh huh. I promise.” Penny hangs up and hands the phone back. “He says if you really mean it, I can stay, but he’ll be here soon to walk me back.”

“Let’s get to work then.”

Penny lifts her hairbrush and a handful of mini clear elastic hair ties, a wide smile splitting her face.

“You came prepared. Come on, we can sit in here.” I settle on the edge of the sofa, Penny seated on the floor in front of me. I section her hair and stick half of it in a clip to keep it out of the way. “Want to try something a little different today?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like braids that crisscross on the back of your head into pigtails. Or we can do a braid crown that goes all the way around your head.”

“Like a princess?” she asks.

“Sure.”

“I want the crown.”

“Okay.” I change my sections and begin, starting at her ear and braiding across her forehead, around the edge of her hair, pulling even sections as I go. “How’s your new school going?”

She doesn’t say anything for a minute. “My teacher is nice.”

I can sense something under the surface, and I know I need to tread lightly. “And friends?”

“My best friends are Sarah and Kailey. They live in Tennessee.”

“Sometimes it takes a while to make friends in a new place.”

“I have a friend here,” Penny says.

“Oh, yeah? What’s their name?”

She twists her head slightly, her eyes finding me. “It’s you.”

My heart surges at the sweet way she delivered that. I give her little shoulder a squeeze. “I’m honored to be counted as one of your friends, Penny.”

“There’s a girl in my class at school who sat next to me at lunch, but we don’t play together.”

“Why not?”

“She’s always playing with someone else.”

“Sometimes you need to ask to be included. Get out on the playground and say, ‘Can I play with you?’ It’s not easy, but it works a lot of the time.”