Page 82 of Teach Me Your Ways

“Surprise!” she announced. Sophie practically launched herself across the room.

“Is that the Princess Castle Deluxe?” Sophie shrieked, her voice hitting octaves that probably bothered dogs in neighboring counties. “The one with the dragon and the tower and the spinning dance floor?”

“The very one,” Mom said, looking pleased with herself.

Sophie tore into the box with the enthusiasm of a treasure hunter, tiny Lego pieces cascading across the coffee table in a pink and purple avalanche. The instruction manual was roughly the size of a phone book, and I felt my soul leave my body just looking at it.

“This is going to take forever,” I muttered.

“I can help,” Grady offered, settling onto the floor next to Sophie. “I’m pretty good with complicated builds.”

“Really?” Sophie beamed at him. “Do you know about princesses?”

“I know about castles,” he said diplomatically. “The structural engineering is basically the same whether it’s for a princess or a knight.”

I sank onto the couch, watching. Grady spread out the instruction manual and began sorting the bags of what appeared to be a million pieces into neat piles after checking the numbers on the bags. His movements were methodical and I imagined it was probably the same way he approached an archeological dig. Sophie mimicked his technique, her little hands carefully separating the tiny pieces by color and size according to the manual.

“Look, we have to build the foundation first,” Grady explained, pointing to the diagram. “Just like real castles. You need a strong base or everything falls down.”

Sophie nodded solemnly, as if he’d just shared the secrets of the universe. “Like when I tried to build the tower first and it crashed?”

“Exactly like that.” He handed her a flat pink base piece. “You want to start?”

Mom settled into her recliner with a cup of coffee, watching the scene unfold with obvious delight. She was already planning wedding colors in her head. I shot her a warning glance, but she just smiled innocently and sipped her coffee.

The next hour passed in surprising harmony. Sophie chattered constantly, asking Grady about everything from why certain pieces fit together to whether real princesses actually lived in castles. He answered every question with the same patience he’d shown at dinner, never talking down to her or brushing off her curiosity.

“Mommy, look!” Sophie held up a partially constructed tower. “Grady showed me how to make the windows line up perfectly!”

“That’s beautiful, baby.” I meant it. The precision of their work was impressive, each piece fitted exactly where it belonged. Usually, I gave up after an hour. I was certain Lego was Latin for torture.

It was two hours later when I finally had to call it. “It’s time for bed, Sophie. We’ll have to finish another time.”

I expected the usual argument but she just shrugged and accepted her fate.

“Mr. Stone, can you read my story?”

He looked at me. I nodded, giving him the approval he asked for.

She handed him the same book she always picked about the stegosaurus pilot. Grady delivered the story with the performance of a skilled actor. Sophie giggled so hard she had tears in her eyes.

“I’m not sure that’s historically accurate,” Grady said, frowning at one point. “A stegosaurus wouldn’t have had the brain capacity for complex flight maneuvers. Or fingers. Or a plane.”

Sophie dissolved into another fit of giggles. “It’s pretend, silly!”

“Oh, right. Pretend.” Grady’s eyes crinkled with amusement. “In that case, this stegosaurus is an excellent pilot.”

After I tucked Sophie into bed and kissed her goodnight, I found Grady and Mom tidying up the loose Lego pieces in companionable silence. The sight of him carefully sorting tiny pink bricks into bags made something warm and dangerous unfurl in my chest.

“I should probably head out,” he said when he saw me. “Let you all get some rest.”

Mom didn’t miss the chance to interfere. “Cece will walk you out. I’ll finish up here.”

I wanted to strangle her with her own subtlety, but I followed Grady to the front door anyway. The night air was warm and humid, typical for coastal South Carolina. The sound of crickets filled the comfortable silence between us.

“Thank you,” I said finally. “For today. For dinner. For being so good with Sophie.”

“She’s a great kid, Cece. You’re doing an amazing job with her.”