I laughed, piling her hair higher on her head. “Well,” I explained, “right after college, I moved from Michigan to California. I thought being a surfer sounded really cool. I even grew my hair out long so I would look the part.”
“What happened?” she asked.
My mind drifted briefly to the wild, reckless time when I was an aimless kid simply looking for acceptance and purpose in my life.
“Scrunchie,” I called, and Winnie lifted her wrist so I could pluck the elastic band and begin twisting it in her hair. “Turns out it’s a lot harder for a guy who grew up in the Midwest to learnhow to surf.” I tightened her ponytail and accepted the large red ribbon she held out, looping it into an exaggerated bow. “I was aterriblesurfer,” I continued. “But I learned how to tie a pretty good ponytail.” I patted her shoulder. “What do you think?”
Winnie moved to the mirror in the hallway to examine my work. She turned her head left, then right. She tilted her head and raised her eyebrows. “It’s pretty good.”
Who knew a simple compliment from a precocious five-year-old could hit you right in the damn chest?
“Thanks,” I said with a proud smirk, just as Selene came down the stairs.
“Austin did my hair, Mama,” Winnie announced. “We’re ready to go, and you’re making us late.”
Selene stopped before she hit the last step and blinked in my direction. “Oh. Thanks.”
“Piece of cake ... and you’re not making anyone late.” My eyes flicked down her outfit. She had chosen a pair of denim cutoffs and a black-and-white-striped T-shirt. Over the top she wore an unbuttoned denim shirt.
“You look beautiful,” I said.
Her eyes widened. “You can’t say stuff like that.”
My eyebrows pinched down. “Another rule?”
“Yes.” She breezed past me with a huff, and her shoulders sagged as she looked out the front window. “Shoot. It’s raining, so the walk will be pretty miserable.”
Selene glanced at the small slim gold watch on her wrist. “I can probably drive her and be back in time for my meeting.”
“I can drive Winnie to school, that’s no problem. That’s what I’m here for.” I eased back on my heels.
“She’s not riding on a motorcycle.” Selene’s eyes narrowed at me. “Is the truck safe?”
When we had met, I was riding an old motorcycle. After my father died, the motorcycle was the only thing I had from mydad. Brody had given it to me, more than likely because he felt guilty that our father left nothing that even acknowledged my existence. Now the bike was sitting unused, and Selene had seen the piece-of-shit pickup I’d moved in with.
Once I’d really considered the idea of helping Selene with her kid, I figured a better car would be necessary. I hadn’t specifically bought that vehicle for Winnie or Selene, but there was something I liked about being the kind of guy who’d think to buy it for someone like them.
“That SUV in the drive is mine.” I smiled, hoping she’d just give in already. “It’s new. Safest one they had.”
“I’m not sure ...” Selene chewed on her bottom lip as she considered my offer.
“Selene, it’s literally what I’m here to do—help you in the mornings with Winnie so you can get to work on time and not be so stressed in the process. Come check out the booster seat I have for her and make sure it will work for her size. I had some help at the store, but I sort of had to guess at her height and weight.”
For a second Selene just stared at me. “You got a booster seat for her?”
I shrugged. “I figured Star Harbor is pretty walkable, but there might be times we have bad weather or we don’t feel like it, so at least we have the option to drive.”
Her pert mouth popped open like a fish, but she quickly snapped it shut at my simple logic. Leading the way, I walked outside toward my brand-new crossover SUV.
Looking down her nose, Selene examined the car seat and how it was attached to the anchoring system.
She tugged on the seat and straps once for good measure before lifting her eyes to mine. “It’s perfect.”
Her approval was like a shot of adrenaline, and my face lit up. “Yeah? I did good?”
Selene rolled her eyes and chuckled. “It’s even nicer than the one I have.” She shook her head. “It’s more than okay. Thank you.”
“All right.” I grinned at her. Over her shoulder I called Winnie down from the porch. “Well, kid, let’s do this. Load up.”
