AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She leans down to inspect the tomato plant in front of her, and then she calls out over her shoulder. I scowl, wondering who she’s talking to, then Harper’s head pokes out from behind the huge zucchini plants at the end of the flower bed.
I didn’t see her. She must have been leaned down, picking something from the garden.
She comes running toward Chloe, and I watch as Chloe instructs her on which tomatoes she should pluck from the vine. Harper excitedly harvests a few cherry tomatoes and drops them into the basket at Chloe’s feet.
Trying to keep them apart feels futile, but important.
Neither one of them seems to realize this arrangement is a little strange. If Maria were here, the lines in the sand would be more obvious. She would step in and help out when I need it. She’d redirect Harper away from Chloe. But without Maria here, it’s just me trying to convince my daughter to stay away from the woman we’re both desperate to spend time with.
Though I could stand there all day watching them, I make myself get a move on. It’s not exactly normal to be lingering like I am.
Chloe notices me first and gives me a little wave. She made a point to thank me after I FaceTimed with her family for a few minutes the other week. There was no escaping their millions of questions. I sat down in Chloe’s chair and felt like I was facing a team of seasoned reporters.
“What’s your plan now?”
“You can’t just quit baseball for good!”
“I can see you’ve still got it, man!”
Chloe acted like my manager, shooing away their more intrusive questions until she could tell I needed a break.
“I’m sorry, he has to go! No, Luca, no. Stop with the puppy dog eyes, he’s not going to sign anything for you.”
She pressed end on the call while they were all still trying to get my attention. Then she turned to me with an exhausted laugh.
“Sorry. They can be…a lot.”
“Big family, huh?”
“Huge. Annoying. Loud. You want them?”
I smiled. “I know you appreciate having them so close.”
She nodded with a wistful look in her eyes. “Yeah, I actually miss them, which I know is insane since we’re not all that far away, but it’s hard when I’m used to seeing them so much. If you think I’m a good cook, you should eat my Nonna’s food.” She let her eyes roll back as if she were in rapture, and I felt her little groan of delight deep in my stomach. “Anyway, you have no idea what you just started. I’m sure every conversation I have with my uncles and cousins for the next five years will somehow involve you.”
Now, Harper spots me and comes running. She wraps her arms around my middle and squeezes me tight, but it doesn’t last long.
“Ew! You’re smelly!”
“It’s just sweat.”
“Yuuuuck.”
Chloe shoots me a knowing smile over Harper’s head. “Morning. Harper here wanted to help me make a vegetable frittata, so we’re grabbing some things from the garden. Hope that’s okay,” Chloe says. Then she points back toward the house. “I just made a fresh pot of coffee in the kitchen. Bet you need some.”
“Like you wouldn’t believe.”
I wave for her to lead the way, and then Harper falls in step beside her instead of me. My daughter is talking like she’s just found the pleasure of language for the very first time. Chloe doesn’t mind though. She keeps up with her easily enough. Meanwhile, I focus on the ground, wondering why it’s so damn hard to see Chloe in a pair of form-fitting yoga pants. What’s the big deal? I’ve seen her in less and survived. Barely.
At the house, Chloe holds the back door open and waits for me to catch up to them. I lift a taunting brow and take the door from her.
“After you,” I tell her.
“After you,” she teases right back, waving her arm for me to go ahead.
“You won’t win this battle.”
She smiles so damn sweetly I almost forget all rhyme or reason and just lean down and kiss her, there with her chin tilted up toward me and her face cast in warm sunlight.
“No, no, no, I insist.”
Harper’s smiling now, watching our exchange.
“I could force the issue, you know,” I goad.
“Oh really?”
“Oh yeah. I could pluck you up with one hand.”
“DAD.” Harper loses it to a fit of laughter.
Chloe leans in closer to me, dropping her voice. “You know some ladies go gaga for that sort of thing.”
I lean in too. “Are you one of them?”
Then her smile drops as we both realize at the same moment what we’re doing: flirting right in front of Harper. We’ve lost our goddamn minds.
“You win,” Chloe says with a flat tone, walking away from the door and letting me take its full weight. “I’ll get you that coffee.”
