Stephen, typically kind but stern about rules—he’d been a no-pets parent for years—shocked her. “Tell her Frank can come too. I was going to get a kitten. Maybe we can see if Frank gets along with cats.”
“A kitten?”
Emily’s eyes grew wide. “A kitten!”
Stephen swore. “Damn it. That was supposed to be a surprise.”
“You should have led with that.”
“Oh well.”
“A kitten?” That didn’t make much sense for her world-traveling ex. “How are you going to make that work?”
“I have some things in the pipeline. Don’t worry about it.”
Well, okay then, Mr. Tone.“I’m not. Just making conversation.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I just got in, actually, and I’m feeling frazzled. Denmark was terrific. It’s leading to some opportunities for a lot less travel.” Stephen sighed. “I’m tired, Maggie.”
“I’ll bet.” He spent three quarters of the year jet-setting to firms, consulting.
“It’ll be nice when I can relax and start doing more remote work. It’s been a long time coming, but I’m finally situated where this can be a possibility.”
“I know Emily will be happy to hear that.”
“Don’t say anything until I’m sure.”
He’d broken enough promises. She understood far too well. “No worries, Stephen. That kind of news isn’t my business. It’s yours. But about Emily, are you sure you want her to visit tomorrow?”
“Yes, I do, if that’s okay. I’ll spend today cleaning up and settling back in. And really, the house is spotless. I’ll just be dusting and doing laundry.”
“Tomorrow’s fine. Would noon be okay?”
“Great. And if you can, maybe stick around for lunch? I haven’t seen you in a while. We should talk.”
Talk? What did that mean? “Sounds good. We’ll be there.”
“Bye.”
“See you then.” It had taken Maggie a while to be able to handle having a friendly relationship with Stephen. But fortunately, they did get along. And with her marauding tiny terror, that could only be a good thing.
“I’m going to Daddy’s.” Emily’s grin stretched from ear to ear. “Mommy, I’m going to pack.” Emily tore down the hallway, and Frank followed.
Maggie stood there, staring down at her phone. She felt a little unnerved that Stephen wanted to talk. But she didn’t worry. They had agreed to joint custody, with Maggie as the primary caregiver, three years ago, and she’d never kept him from seeing his daughter whenever he wanted. At the time, he’d been so into his job, he hadn’t protested. But what if he did now?
What if he did? The fear that threatened to rise didn’t. She might not love Stephen the way she once had, but she trusted him. And he was a good father in that he wanted the best for Emily. Maggie could and did provide a stable home, whereas he couldn’t, never home long enough to provide constancy.
Unless that pipeline he was talking about proved to be a job here in Seattle, where he could see Emily all the time. And really, would that be so bad?
She needed to think on that. But in the meantime…
She dialed Reggie’s number.
He answered in two rings. “Hello there. Just the person I was thinking about.”
She grew giddy. “Hi, handsome.” She glanced down the hallway, hoping she hadn’t been too loud. Then she heard pop music from her daughter’s room. Perfect.
“How are you this morning?”
