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“Not a chance. After all the work Maria and I have put into my appearance, you cannot touch my hair.”
“I’ll be waiting up for you, to hear all about your date,” Maria said.
The traffic on the parkway was light and Grace got to the house earlier than she expected. She thought about slipping in the back door, but decided to come to the front instead. Like a real date. A scream of delight greeted Grace as Lisa answered the door. Emma peeked out around Lisa’s leg, her thumb slipping into her mouth, a smile of welcome on her tiny, upturned face. Unable to resist the little girl with the mischievous grin, Grace knelt down. “Hello there, Emma. What’s up?”
Emma pulled her thumb out of her mouth. “I’m playing with my Barbie doll. Do you want to play with me?” she asked, stretching out her hand toward Grace.
“I would like that very much.”
“Aidan’s been on the phone for the past hour,” Lisa said. “He just now headed upstairs to get dressed.”
Emma tugged at Grace’s hand. “Come on. I’ve got lots of dolls,” she said. The soft touch of the little girl’s skin filled Grace with happiness. As they entered the kitchen, she stopped. Everywhere she looked, there were toys. The TV was turned to a Thomas the Tank Engine program. The late-afternoon sun streamed over the counter where a little pink sweater dangled from the corner.
This was exactly how she’d imagined her kitchen would look when she and Aidan had a child of their own. She’d imagined making breakfast while her toddler played, Aidan coming downstairs, scooping up their child and squeezing in between her and the island to kiss the nape of her neck. She’d imagined so many wonderful moments. Moments that had never come true. Struggling to maintain her composure, she swallowed over the lump in her throat.
“I didn’t realize that four-year-olds played with Barbie dolls,” Grace said.
“Her mother bought a lot of toys, from dump trucks to Barbie dolls, and let Emma make the choice of which to play with.”
“Wanna see my dump trucks?” Emma asked still holding Grace’s hand. “Or we can sit at my table and have tea.” Emma pulled Grace to the child-size wooden table and chairs near the window. “Please, Lisa, can we have tea? Just the three of us. And Daddy, too.” She popped her thumb back into her mouth as her gaze moved to the door leading to the hall. Emma had clearly begun to feel at ease around him. The idea warmed Grace.
She was suddenly overwhelmed with caring and concern for this little girl who had been through so much and still faced the loss of her nanny when Lisa went back to Spartanburg. How would Emma cope with her dad at work and Lisa gone? Grace couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be so young and face so many changes in her life.
“I would love tea,” Grace said, kneeling next to Emma’s table, patting her narrow shoulders as Emma moved the dishes around in a businesslike fashion.
“We have to get tea for Sam and Pedro, Barbie, Ken and Tammy,” Emma said, going to the dolls propped up on miniature furniture by the fridge.
“Is everyone having tea?” Grace asked, loving this moment of make-believe with Emma.
“Oh,” Emma said, her lips rounded and her eyes bright with anticipation. “Do you want to make a peanut butter sandwich? Like we did the last time? All my dolls like peanut butter.”
“That sounds like fun.” The way Emma’s eyes widened when she was excited about something was cute.
Lisa wiped her hands on a towel, folding it neatly. “Emma, honey, you’ve already had your dinner. We need to get you ready for bed. Besides, Grace is here to pick up your daddy.”
Emma’s lower lip trembled. “Are you taking my daddy away?”
