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“Hi, Daddy.” The cutest little girl I’d ever seen chimed as she gazed at her dad as if he hung the moon. Dressed in ruby red-colored pajamas, Amie was even more adorable than I’d imagined. Any regrets I had about coming over were gone in an instant.
“Hi Pumpkin.” Travis kissed her cheek. “I want you to meet someone.” He pointed to where I stood. Amie’s eyes flicked over to me curiously.
“Who’s dat, Daddy?” She was fearless as she pointed at me and began to take me in.
“It’s who’sthat,” he chuckled before giving her another cheek kiss. “This is Dee,” he explained. “She’s really nice and she works with Daddy. She’s going to stay with you while I go run an errand.”
“I want to go on an err-rund!” She batted her angelic brown eyes rimmed with the longest lashes up at Travis. I’d barely met her and already I would find it damn near impossible to deny her anything.
“I wish you could, but you’ve already had your bath and you’ve got your jammies on. The ones that look like Dorothy’s shoes, remember? Besides, who is going to stay here and keep Dee company? And who’s going to watch Buttons?” He tickled her tummy, causing her to break out into a fit of giggles. Meanwhile, my non-existent ovaries on the verge of exploding.
“Yeah, I don’t wanna get dress-ed again,” she grumbled. “I wanna stay in my Oz jammies. They’re so soft. They feel like Buttons’ fur.”
“That they do, Pumpkin.” Travis relaxed visibly as he dotted his daughter’s face with more kisses. It was easy to see that he was struggling to remain calm and keep a smile on his face. That he didn’t want his baby girl to pick up on how he was truly feeling. I sensed that he must have one heck of a fight on his hands, but fortunately for him, his little sweet pea was none the wiser.
“Can we have pomp-corn?” She looked at me and I immediately nodded.
“Absolutely, we can have popcorn!” I all but shouted. I shouldn’t be this excited, but going over a half year without the boys left me wanting to smother this little girl with attention and affection. Travis laughed and explained that they kept the popcorn in the pantry. The pantry, he clarified, was the big set of doors next to the refrigerator.
“Uh, all I see is cabinets.” I looked to where he pointed, but nothing screamed ‘pantry’.
“I can show you!” Amie cheered excitedly as she ordered her daddy to put her down and immediately ran over and took my hand. She led me to what I’d assumed were standard kitchen cupboards, but no. Amy pushed a button and almost instantly, the would-be cabinetry folded back, revealing a well-stocked array of foodstuffs.
“I’ve never seen her take to someone like this before. Normally it takes a while for her to warm up to people,” Travis said as Amie ordered me to lift her up so she could get the popcorn.
“Kids like me,” I explained. And I loved them, but I wasn’t about to go there with him. Doing so would be allowing him to get closer and the last thing I needed was for us to get closer. Not if I wanted us to remain on strictly friendly terms.
“I can do the mike-ro-rave!” Amie shouted again, but Travis was quick to kill that idea.
“Amie Marie, what did I tell you about using the microwave by yourself?” I looked down at the chocolate-curl framed scowl she wore. Amie apparently wasn't a fan of the rules her father laid out. “You know you’re not allowed to use it alone until you are seven.”
“But I’m almost five! That’s not far away!” She pouted, visibly annoyed that her father wasn’t letting her show off her mad microwaving skills for me.
“That’s right, but you agreed when we made the rules.”
“Yeah, I did,” she said begrudgingly and pushed out a frustrated breath before her eyes lit up with an idea. “Can I help Dee push the buttons? I wouldn’t really be doing it. It would just be helping.” I was amazed at how smart and clever this little sassy mama was. I was impressed at how well-adjusted and brilliant Amie was too. And I had to give all the credit to the man standing across from us. He’d done a wonderful job with her. I couldn’t help but tell him that.
“You’re doing such a great job with her,” I said, handing him the compliment with ease. “She’s so well-adjusted. Not to mention she’s a great little negotiator. I think you’ve got a future lawyer on your hands.”
Travis’s cheeks blushed as his hand went to the back of his neck. “Thanks, Dee. That means a lot.” Travis was about to say something more but was interrupted when his phone chirped. He pulled his device from his pocket and scowled at the screen. “That’s— I should probably get going. The sooner I leave, the sooner I can get back to my Pumpkin.” He came towards us and dropped down to kiss the top of Amie’s head.
“And Dee. Ooh, and Buttons!” Amie squealed. “Don’t forget Buttons!”
“Dog?” I inquired, assuming Buttons was an animal.
“Cat. Tuxedo. Full of attitude except for when it comes to Amie. He loves her. Me, not so much. And don’t let him into my home office. He likes to take a dump on my desk for some reason.” I couldn’t help but laugh while Travis frowned.
“Buttons is my baby kitty. He’s black and white and has a fat tummy,” Amie explained proudly. She continued to tell me all about her rescue cat as I helped her unwrap the cellophane from the popcorn packet. Her father, meanwhile, ran around like the proverbial headless chicken before returning to the kitchen. Travis thanked me again and gave Amie another kiss before he left..
“I had a kitty once too. His name was Oskar,” I offered as Amie opened the microwave door and insisted on laying the bag flat and that we double check that the right side was facing up. Once the bag was set to her specifications, we pressed the buttons together and waited for our snack to be ready. Amie then showed me where the bowls were and after the popcorn was done, I opened the bag carefully avoiding the wave of steam and poured us each a bowlful. Amie announced that her daddy didn’t let her eat in her room so we sat at the huge dining room table, eating the crunchy kernels while she told me all about how much she hated her old school and how much she loved her new school.
Once we were full, we put the leftover popcorn in a bag and put all the bowls into the dishwasher. Seeing that it was full of dirty dishes, I decided to be nice and ran it for Travis so he wouldn’t have to. My finger had just lifted off the button when Amie squealed and grabbed my hand. She eagerly led me up to her room where a series of Barbie dolls in various stages of dress were scattered on the floor. They instantly sent me back to a time when Runa and I would sit on our bedroom floor, brushing our dolls hair and chatting about our dreams and what we hoped our futures would be. They were innocent times when the world was still a wondrous place and life was an adventure. I saw that same glint in Amie’s light brown eyes. Sending up a silent wish that she’d never have it taken away from her, I happily sat down on the floor and played Barbies for the first time in over twenty years.
eleven
Travis
TheplaceTamihadasked me to meet her was, well, it wasdefinitelynot what I’d expected. In her text, she’d said we were meeting at a restaurant. This place was anything but. It was a sports-themed nightclub where the booze flowed, copious drugs went up noses, and anybody who was anybody came to be seen. A celebrity hotspot that I wanted no part of.
