“What’s up, honey?”
“Mommy, are you mad because I invited Reggie to dinner?”
“No. But we did talk about you asking me before you invite anyone over, remember?”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I know you like Reggie.”
Emily stared at her, intent. “Doyoulike Reggie?”
“I do. He’s a very nice man.”
“Is he your new friend?”
“You know, I think he is.”What a lovely thought. I’ve made a new friend.
“Good.” Emily looked relieved. “Mommy, when can Frank come live with us?”
Maggie had been anticipating the question. “Well, Reggie and I have been talking about how best to take care of Frank. Right now, because it’s summer and you and I are both home, it’s easy to take care of him. But when we go back to school, Frank will be sad all by himself if he’s here alone. So we need to find a way to make sure he’s not lonely when we’re gone.”
“He could come to school with me.”
“I wish he could. But animals don’t come to school unless they’re service animals.” She and Emily had discussed a service dog at school before. “Frank will be a fun family dog, not a service dog.”
“Could he be a teacher dog and go to school with you?”
That was a clever thought. “I don’t think so.” But it wouldn’t hurt to ask. She’d send her principal a note, though thoughts about allergies and school liability made her think not.
“Can Frank go to dog school?”
“I don’t know. Reggie is helping me look into that. He knows a lot about animals because he helps them get adopted sometimes.”
“I like Reggie a lot.”
“I know.” She smiled at her daughter, who had a heart that never stopped giving.
“And I really liked his sisters and daddy. They were so nice. Mommy, Nadia lifts weights too. She had big arms. Not as big as Reggie, but they were big. She was funny. And I liked her braids. Can I have braids like that?”
“How about we put your hair in a French braid tomorrow?” She paused, pleased her daughter had enjoyed herself with Reggie and his family. “Nadia and Lisa are smart and pretty, aren’t they?” Beautiful women who looked like a feminized version of Reggie. And she considered him beautiful. She wondered what he’d think if she told him that, then knew she couldn’t, because he’d realize how much she’d grown to like him and runfaraway.
“They are.” Emily nodded. “Good night, Mommy.”
“No more Mag-Mom, hmm?”
“No. I’m done with that now.”
Maggie had no idea how her daughter’s brain worked. “Funny kid. I love you. Good night.” She kissed Emily’s forehead, making a memory of her daughter’s strawberry-scented shampoo, her bubblegum-flavored toothpaste, and soft, rosy cheeks.My beautiful baby girl.
She left a night-light on and the door cracked and went down the hall. Grabbing a book she’d been reading, she settled in for a relaxing night. But try as she might, she couldn’t get Reggie out of her thoughts, and she daydreamed about what their next date might be like.
Then had to take a cold shower before she went to bed.
Chapter Twelve
Reggie spent Tuesday afternoon guarding his every word. The guys were on his ass about blowing them off so much, wanting to know exactly what he’d been doing while off duty.
What a crock. He’d spent his Sunday afternoon brooding at home, worrying about how attached he was growing to Maggie and Emily, so he’d missed playing softball with the rest of C shift and the knuckleheads on A shift. Apparently, they’d lost against the county behavioral health team, which happened to have a few ringers who’d played college ball.
