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I finally locate the bowls. I pull two of them out and set them on the counter.
I see the look of adults don’t eat that kind of stuff on her face and I cut it off.
“Lucky Charms are not just for kids,” I shake the box at her. “This is my favorite snack. Fight me.”
She screws up her face, and I hope she’s deciding to like me. She seems to consider it, and then reaches out a palm.
“I think Ted’s . . . fine, I guess,” she says, as I drop a handful of dry cereal into her hand. “But he’s not like my dad.”
I grab the milk from the fridge. “And you want your mom and dad to be together.”
“Oh my gosh, no!” She laughs. “They’re only friends.” She pauses. “But . . .”
I push the bowl of cereal toward her and get two spoons out of the drawer. “But what?”
“Now my mom’s getting married,” she says. “And Ted wants to take her to some island somewhere.” She sticks the spoon in the cereal. “Without me.”
“Oh.” I take a bite, not knowing exactly what to say.
“She doesn’t know I know,” Scarlett says. “But I heard them talking. It was Ted’s idea to bring me here, and Mom’s trying to make it sound like Dad wanted me to come because he misses me, but he didn’t even know about it.”
Scarlett’s mom has no idea how smart her kid is.
“Well, I do think your dad misses you,” I say.
“Did he tell you that?” she asks, slurping a bite of cereal.
I shake my head. “I’m his assistant. He doesn’t really talk to me about stuff like that.” Or anything. “But I know he misses Philadelphia, and I’m positive you’re the reason why.”
I originally thought it was just the team that he missed. But the trade took him away from her, too.
She seems to accept this and quietly goes on eating.
“Ted talks to me like I’m a baby,” she says, rolling her eyes. “My dad never does that. Plus, Dad is way more fun.”
“Fun?” I choke the question through a mouthful of cereal before I can stop it.
“Yeah,” she says. “At his old place, I had a room and he let me paint it myself.”
“What color did you pick?”
“Purple,” she says.
“Solid choice.”
“It used to be my favorite. Dad says I’ll have a room in this apartment too, but I think I want it to be turquoise. Or green.” She looks at me. “Do you like green?”
“Green is great,” I say, after swallowing a bite. “But hmm . . . I might go turquoise.”
She nods, shovels a heaping spoonful into her mouth, chews it up and swallows. “Do you think he’ll let me stay?”
I smile at her. Despite what I told my sisters, I do like Gray. But I think I already love Scarlett.
“Gosh, I hope so,” I say. “I have so much to show you.”
“Like what?”
I pull out my phone and do a quick search. “Did you know that in March, they dye the entire river green for St. Patrick’s Day?”
