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“I’m Carol’s daughter, Heather,” she continued easily. “Do you know why my mom can’t be here anymore?”
“She’s sick,” Collins said faintly. An email pinged on my screen, and I silenced my laptop so I could hear better.
“That’s right,” Heather said. “And do you know why she’s sick?” There was a pause I couldn’t see, and I made the decision to install cameras in that room as soon as Heather left. “That’s okay. It’s because of her heart. Right here. Do you know where your heart is?”
I pushed myself away from the desk and strode into the play area. I thought about having some excuse, but my daughter was far too important for that.
“Enough,” I told Heather, then smiled at Collins, whose brows were knitted together in concentration. “Would you like a snack?”
“Snack time isn’t until later,” Heather said mildly. “We just had breakfast. Right, Collins?”
“Daddy,” Collins complained, with an exaggerated roll of her eyes. “You interrupted us.”
I blinked. “I interrupted you?”
“Do you know where your heart is?” Collins asked, placing her tiny hand over her chest. “It’s right here, Daddy. And Carol’s heart is sick.”
“You know what will make it better, though?” Heather continued seamlessly, patting her own chest and smiling. I’d have missed that from just listening. Heather was always smiling at my daughter, and she probably looked just as angelic throughout this entire exchange. That settled it. Cameras were going up in this room immediately so I could see more.
“What?” Collins asked, mimicking Heather’s hand movements by patting her chest beneath her pink shirt.
“Sleep,” Heather said, miming by closing her eyes. “And rest. Do you know what my mom likes to do when she’s resting?” Collins shook her head, rapt with Heather. I couldn’t have gotten my daughter to pay that kind of attention to me even if I bought a troupe of acrobats to help me. Heather was good. “My mom likes to play games. And read. And watch her favorite TV shows. And bake.”
“Those are resting?” Collins asked. “I thought resting meant nap time.”
“For Carol, they are,” Heather said. “For some people, maybe not. It’s different for everyone. Do you know what I like to do to rest?”
“What?”
I didn’t know I was the one who’d spoken until I realized Heather and Collins were staring at me.
“Don’t you have work to do?” Heather asked, smiling at me. No. She was smirking at me.Smirking.
“Daddy, you’re bothering us,” Collins informed me. “Bye-bye.”
Heather laughed. “Collins, you need to wait until someone is leaving for you to tell them goodbye. You can’t just dismiss someone like that.”
“I’m leaving,” I grumbled. “Bye, baby.”
Collins didn’t as much as even wave at me as I exited the room. Neither, for that matter, did Heather.
It was impossible to focus here because instead of doing my work, I just continued eavesdropping on Heather and Collins. I was going to have to force myself back to the office tomorrow. Just like the plan had been when I realized I needed help with Collins. So why did I feel so uncertain about everything?
“I rest with movies I like and by petting my dog. I left him in New York. His name is Hank.”
“I want a dog,” Collins gushed. “I would rest with him all the time.”
“Are you sure you wouldn’t just be playing with him all the time?” Heather countered, laughing. “Because that doesn’t count as resting. What do you do to rest?”
“Sleep?”
“Good, but what else? Think of what you do to feel relaxed. Do you know what being relaxed is? It’s when you feel calm, happy, and good. What do you do to help you feel like that?”
“Read,” Collins said a little more confidently. “Play with my toys.”
“Sure, if you’re sitting and hanging out—not running around,” Heather said. “What about drawing? Coloring? Creating?”
“Creating what?”
