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Nineteen
Phillip
I’d relegated this weekend’s soar and crash to the back of my mind, and used it as a reminder that I was distancing myself from the people I worked with.
Which was why it was probably a bad idea to agree to meet at Dustin’s house tonight. The answer slipped out, though, and it felt rude to take it back.
I arrived at his place the same time as Adrienne, and we knocked together. Usually I’d expect a shout from somewhere in the house of door’s open, come on in, but Dustin had different rules when his nieces were staying with him, so today he answered the door.
The instant we walked inside, Harmony attached herself to my legs in a tight hug. “Hi Phillip.” She stepped back and eyed Adrienne. “Who are you?”
“This is my new co-worker, Addie,” Dustin said.
She crouched to eye-level. “I’m Adrienne. Nice to meet you.”
“I’m Harmony.” The girl shook her hand enthusiastically. “Do you want to color with me?”
And that meant Adrienne had been accepted by both girls. Why did that hit me hard with ambivalence? This wasn’t my family.
“Give us a few minutes.” Dustin’s voice was kind.
Adrienne looked Harmony in the eye. “I’ll come find you soon, and then we’ll color. I promise.”
“Okay. Bye.” Harmony headed to the living room.
I’d met both girls several times. When Dustin and I were at Rinslet, he’d bring them to family days, which he planned to include things like face painting, bouncy houses, and other activities his nieces enjoyed.
Aces didn’t have family events, but Dustin watched the girls on a regular basis so I’d seen them grow up. He adored them and treated them like I assume he would his own kids. The way I would my daughter if she were still here. Would she be friends with Alana?
The memory and question hit me hard and I shook both aside.
“Harmony is enthusiastic and friendly. I should’ve warned you.” Dustin didn’t sound at all apologetic.
Adrienne shook her head with a smile. “So she takes after you? I don’t mind.”
Though I stood right next to them, I felt like I was watching this entire thing from the outside. Like a glass wall divided me from the rest of the room. Was it because this could be the last time I did this?
“Hi, Phillip.” Alana’s soft, shy greeting jarred me from the odd thought. I’d seen the behavior in the office too. “Do you want to help me make salad for dinner?”
I was keeping my distance from the crush. Awkward. Wrong. Unappealing. No matter how good a kid she was. “I’m going to help Dustin with the grill. Make sure he doesn’t screw anything up.”
“I need that kind of supervision,” Dustin said with a grin.
Adrienne gestured toward the living room. “You can help Harmony and me color.”
Alana rolled her eyes.
“If you promise to do it when no one’s looking, you can raid my purse for emergency chocolate,” Adrienne said.
Alana huffed, but eyed Adrienne’s purse. “Chocolate will make me fat.”
Adrienne shouldered her purse.
Alana reached for the bag. “But I’m young and can do extra laps to burn it off. I should help you with that.”
“Come color with us.” Adrienne led Alana in the same direction Harmony had gone.
Dustin was chuckling while he tugged me outside.
