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“This isn’t work for me. It was fun.” Before I could respond, Alice said to Maggie, “Thank you for inviting me.”
“We should go again,” Maggie said, bouncing on her knees.
Standing, I said, “That’s the only way you get better at something. Keep practicing.”
“Yeah, don’t let fifteen years pass before you pick it up again,” Alice said as she moved from behind the booth.
I gestured for her to walk in front of me. “You lived in California. I doubt there were many outdoor skate rinks.”
She smiled over her shoulder at me. “You’re right. There weren’t any.”
“It’s warm there all the time?” Maggie asked, with wide eyes.
“Mostly. I lived by the beach.” There was a faraway look in her eyes.
“You liked it,” I observed, propping the door open for them.
Alice brushed past me as she walked out. “Loved it. I’d walk it most days to get away from everything.”
Alice didn’t say, and I didn’t prod, but I assumed she was talking about the situation with her parents, the show, or life in general. It was another glimpse into who she was. She might have felt pressured to do what her sister did, but her soul craved something else—solitude and peace.
Had she found it here? Or was her past still chasing her?
I grabbed the carryout box and waited for the girls to walk ahead of me. Outside on the sidewalk, Alice whispered something in Maggie’s ear, and she nodded.
I wanted to ask what it was about, but I didn’t want to intrude. They were developing their own relationship, and it was nice to see. The other nannies saw it as more of a job, one that started and ended at a set time. With a live-in nanny, Maggie could get closer to Alice.
I told myself it was the live-in aspect, not Alice herself, that made things feel different.
“I can show you my shells when we get back,” Alice said to Maggie.
“You kept seashells?” Maggie asked her as we walked toward the SUV.
“It’s funny because I left most of my other things, like clothes and furniture, but I brought my memories of the beach.”
I tucked that kernel of information away to think about later. “That makes sense when you move to Colorado. Who knows when you’ll see the ocean again.”
She grinned. “True.”
I liked that she could talk about her past and feel light about it. Not every memory was a bad one. Maybe Maggie and I could make her see the good in her life. I had a feeling Alice was hard on herself, punishing herself for something that had happened.
Getting into my vehicle, I knew I needed to create some distance between me and Alice. She was starting to occupy my every thought.
At home, Maggie led Alice upstairs.
When they didn’t return after a few minutes, I went up to make sure Maggie wasn’t taking up too much of Alice’s time.
I found them in Alice’s bedroom, arranging seashells on the floor.
Maggie looked up at me when I entered. “Look, Daddy. She even has a jar of sand.”
“Have you ever been to the beach?” Alice asked Maggie.
“Nope.”
“It’s tough, living here, but maybe we should take a trip.” It was something I wanted to show Maggie.
“Can we, Daddy?”
