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“Hi,” she said. “How are you doing?”
He blinked. Obviously, he wasn’t all there.
“Hey, umm, yeah...” He shrugged and shoved his hands in his back pockets. “As good as can be expected? Where is Chloe?”
“She’s out on the patio playing My Little Pony with Gigi.”
The corners of his lips tugged upward.
“I’m impressed. Is Gigi sharing her own personal game?”
Elle laughed. At least he still had a sense of humor. Funny how people used to call him glib, when really humor was a life skill that carried people through hard times like he was facing now.
“You might say that. When Gigi learned it was Chloe’s favorite game, they went to Target and bought it. They’ve been playing it all afternoon—dozens of times. I think it might be Gigi’s new favorite hobby.”
She motioned for him to follow her to one of the large picture windows where they had a good view of the game in progress on the back terrace.
“See what I mean? They’re new BFFs.”
Elle and Daniel stood next to each other, the quiet enveloping them. The only sound was the gentle ticktock of the grandfather clock that was standing soldier straight on the adjacent wall. Elle stole a glance at him. The look in his eyes was heartbreaking. It took every ounce of restraint not to reach out and hug him. Because this big guy who was usually so cocky and sure of himself looked broken.
She crossed her arms to keep herself from doing something stupid, like invading his personal space. Something that could be misconstrued for something other than how she meant it.
“Chloe can stay here tonight if it would help you,” she offered. “That way you can go back to the hospital tonight.”
He did a double take. Squinted at her as if processing the offer and still coming up empty-handed on what to say.
“That’s such a nice offer. Thank you. But I’ve already imposed on you enough. I’ll take her home with me. First, we need to go by Aidan’s house so I can pick up some things for her.” He shrugged. “Maybe we’ll stay there so she can go to sleep in her own bed. Do you think that would be better for her?”
“Maybe it would,” Elle said. “Less change that way.”
“I don’t know what to tell her about her dad,” he confessed. “What do I say? I mean, you’re a teacher. I thought you might have some suggestions on what to say.”
She nodded. “I do. But first, I need to let you know we already talked about it a little bit. I’m a stranger and when I showed up to pick her up rather than her dad, she wanted to know why. I told her that her father had to see the doctor. I didn’t elaborate, but I answered her questions. She was mainly concerned about whether her dad would have to get a shot.”
“Yeah?”
“That’s a big deal to a five-year-old.”
He nodded. “She’s going to have more questions when Aidan doesn’t come home tonight.”
“She probably will,” Elle said. “Answer her honestly and matter-of-factly, but don’t get into complicated details.”
When he didn’t answer, she continued, “The most important thing is that she feels loved and safe. She needs to know that she will be taken care of while her father is away.”
He nodded and raked a hand through his hair. “When I tell her about Aidan tonight, I’ll make sure I lead with that. I want her to know everything will be okay.
“Aidan was planning on taking some time off while she was out of school on holiday break. I guess I will now. It will mean pushing out the inn’s completion date. I hope your mom and Wiladean realize I have to do what’s best for Chloe right now.”
Daniel ran a hand over his eyes and back through his hair. It was clear that he was trying to figure it out as he went along. She could feel the angst rolling off him in palpable waves.
“Let me watch her, Daniel.”
“Elle—”
“I know you need to take care of things tonight in your own way, but know that the offer stands. I teach kids not too much older than Chloe. If I look after her, it would free you up to go to the hospital. If you feel like working, you could bring her with you to the inn and work on the remodel. But only if you feel like it.” Maybe she was imagining it, but it seemed like his mood shifted. He looked almost relieved.
