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She wasn’t on the bed. As far as he could tell, she wasn’t anywhere. Picking up the tray, he moved into the room and sat it on the desk.
That was when he heard the music, so quiet he’d completely missed it at first, coming from the other room. Curious, he nudged open the door linking the two rooms and poked his head inside.
Sure enough, there she was, seated on the couch with her eyes locked on the large television in front of her. Some animated movie was playing, with a blonde woman in a blue dress singing about letting things go. It felt vaguely familiar, but he’d stopped paying attention to kids’ movies years ago. Once upon a time, he’d known all of them, the classics as well as the new releases, but he’d stopped paying attention after…
Shaking off the memories threatening to crowd in on him, he stepped into the room and watched her. Seated cross-legged on the couch, she was completely absorbed in the movie, so much so he had a feeling she wouldn’t have noticed him even if he had been making plenty of noise. Her lips were moving along with the words though she didn’t actually make a sound.
What struck him the most was the realization that she was smiling. Not the forced, polite smile she’d been giving him all morning, but a genuine look of enjoyment was spread across her face.
As much as he hated to interrupt her and risk killing that happiness, she needed to eat something. Donuts and hot chocolate were a good treat, but they wouldn’t replenish the energy she would have lost after the emotional roller coaster of a morning she’d had.
“MaryAnn.” He spoke her name quietly, just barely making himself heard over the movie.
“Hmm?” she hummed in response, not bothering to take her eyes off the television.
Well, at least he hadn’t startled her. Stepping up to the couch, he leaned down and picked up the remote from beside her and hit pause.
“Hey!” Annoyance rang out in her voice as she reached out a hand to grab the remote. When her hand didn’t connect with the hard plastic, she looked around, letting out a surprised shriek when she turned to find him standing directly behind her.
So much for not startling her.
Keeping his voice soft and soothing, he held out the remote. “Sorry, honey. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s fine. You didn’t,” she assured him as she took the remote from his hand.
“Tsk tsk. What is the number one rule here, MaryAnn?” Although he was partly teasing her, because it wasn’t abiglie by any stretch of the imagination, he still let a hint of sternness infuse his tone. Better to nip those little white lies in the bud before they became larger, much less manageable, whoppers.
Her brows drew together, letting him know she was seriously considering the question. “I-I don’t remember,” she whispered at length, a shimmer of tears coating her eyes.
“Honesty. I’ll always be honest with you, and I expect the same in return. I know it wasn’t a very big fib, but I’d prefer you didn’t even tell itty bitty lies. All right?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Thank you.” There was no point in berating her since she obviously felt bad enough about breaking a rule as it was, so he sent her a reassuring smile. “I brought you some lunch. It’s on a tray, so you can sit and eat while you finish your movie if you’d like.”
“Oh, um. I’m not really hungry.”
“I’d appreciate it if you could take at least a few bites.” It wasn’t his place to force her, but he also wasn’t going to sit back and let someone under his care go hungry. “Your body needs fuel, and as tasty as they were, donuts do not really count.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly, and he swore he could see the wheels turning in her mind. “What if I say no?”
There was more curiosity than anything in her tone, so he indulged her. And, if he was being honest about the whole thing, he was indulging himself as well. Laying down the law, even just a little bit, fed a part of him he’d denied for years. “Then you can come sit in my office while I work instead of watching TV, or other fun things.”
A quiet sigh escaped and her shoulders slumped slightly, sparking his own curiosity. That was the second time this morning she’d asked him about consequences and seemed disappointed by his answers. Was she hoping for something different?
Dismissing it as wishful thinking, he pressed on. “So, what’s it going to be? Lunch while you watch your movie, or spend time with boring old me?”
She giggled, then immediately slapped a hand over her mouth as if surprised the sound had come from her. When he didn’t react, she slowly lowered her hand again. “What’s for lunch?”
“Tomato soup and grilled cheese. Thought you might like some comfort food.”
“Is it? Comfort food, I mean. I’ve never had it.”
How was it that even knowing everything that asshole Nathaniel Cooke had put her through, it was the lack of grilled cheese and tomato soup in her life that truly broke his heart? “Top tier comfort food. I promise.”
There was just a flash of excitement before uncertainty filled her eyes. “And it’s really okay for me to eat in here?”
“What’s the number one rule in my house?”
