Page 30 of Holding Ground

Oh. My shoulders sink. It’s all clear now.

“And you weren’t invited?”

Baylor nods, and a tear slips down her cheek.

“I’m sorry.”

“Do you think they don’t like me?”

On instinct, I tuck a piece of her hair behind her ear. “I don’t know you very well yet, Baylor, but from what I can tell, there’s nothing they wouldn’t like. You’re nice and funny, and I bet you’re a good friend to them, right?”

She nods emphatically.

“Maybe it was a misunderstanding. You could ask them when you see them at school tomorrow.”

She twists her lips. “Maybe.”

“Or you could invite them to go to the park. Then they’d see how much fun they’re missing not having you there.”

She nods, but I see she’s too lost in the moment to think about future playdates. “I guess I could do that…”

All I want to do is cheer her up. When I was her age, my mom used to paint my nails all the time, and I loved it. Elliott might hate it, but if it will cheer this little girl up, I don’t care what he thinks.

“Baylor, have you ever painted your nails before?”

A little sparkle returns to her eyes. “No.”

“I brought some nail polish with me. Do you think your dad might let me paint your nails?” I look over her shoulder and see Elliott is making his way across the yard toward us.

Her big blue eyes widen. “Really? What colors do you have?” She bounces on her toes, her tears drying up.

“I have a pink, a maroon, and a really pretty fuchsia.”

“Pink is my favorite color!” She spins around as if she knew her dad would be there. “Daddy, can Emelia paint my nails?”

Elliott gives me a chin nod as his way of saying hello, so I do one right back. “I’m sure Emelia has things to do, kiddo.” He rests his big hand on her shoulder.

I straighten up. “Not really. I was just going to go for a walk because I was bored.” Not entirely true, but it’s not as if I’m going to tell him the real reason I want to get out of my head.

He looks between Baylor and me and has to notice her mood is shifting, and if I can paint her nails, she might forget about the exclusion altogether. “Well, if you don’t mind?”

“Not at all. We’ll have a girls’ afternoon. It’ll be fun.”

Baylor claps her hands and jumps in place. “Can you do my hair again too?”

I chuckle. “Sure thing.”

“I’m gonna go get my hairbrush!” She rushes toward the house.

Elliott watches her for a beat before his attention returns to me. “I appreciate this. Nothing I said in the car seemed to help make her feel better. I’m assuming she filled you in?” He stuffs his hands into his pockets.

I nod. “Yeah. Little girls can be vipers sometimes. I remember it well.”

He pushes a hand through his hair, and his face strains with a look of uncertainty. I feel for him. It’s hard to see someone you love hurt. “I didn’t realize kindergarten was going to be so stressful.”

“I’m not sure who’s more stressed, you or her.”

He lets out a small laugh. Oh, the man does have another emotion. “Maybe I just got used to how things were. They were easier to navigate when it was just the two of us.”