I pour her half a mug and slide it across to her with some creamer. "Our secret."
She grins, dumping in enough creamer to make my teeth hurt. "What are you making?"
"Thought I'd do a breakfast spread. Eggs, bacon, and pancakes." I say.
"Can I help?" She's already getting up, mug cradled in her hands.
"Sure. Want to mix up the pancake batter?"
She nods, suddenly more awake, and I hand her the box. We work in companionable silence for a few minutes, just the sound of eggs whisking and bacon sizzling between us.
"So," she says eventually, glancing up at me. "Charlie seems cool."
I try not to smile too wide. "She is."
"You like her a lot." It's not a question.
"Yeah, I do."
"Good." She's focused on measuring out the milk now. "She's not like those other girls you used to date."
I nearly choke on air. "Addie—"
"What?" She looks up, completely unrepentant. "Remember that one time you and mom were on the phone and the girl you were with thought Alaska was an island? Or the one who kept calling Mom 'Stephanie' even after Mom corrected her like three times?"
Christ. This kid doesn't miss a thing. "Charlie's different," I say, and I mean it more than she could possibly understand.
"I know." She stirs the batter with surprising intensity. "That's why I like her."
Before I can respond, Sarah appears in the space hair damp from a shower, smiling at the sight of us cooking together.
"Well, isn't this domestic," she says, helping herself to coffee. "What'd I miss?"
"Uncle Bash is in love," Addie announces.
My spatula clatters against the pan. "I never said—"
"You didn't have to." Addie shrugs. "It's obvious." She puts her Airpods in and blasts music.
Sarah laughs, taking a seat at the island. "Out of the mouths of babes." She studies me over the rim of her mug. "She's not wrong, though. I haven't seen you like this in... well, ever."
I turn back to the stove, flipping bacon with more focus than strictly necessary. "It's been a good trip."
"Mhmm." Sarah's quiet for a moment, letting that slide. "Are you happy, Bash?"
The question catches me off guard. I look over my shoulder at her, at the genuine concern in her eyes. "Yeah," I say, and I'm surprised by how true it is. "I am."
She nods, thoughtful. "Good. It's just... this isn't exactly your M.O., you know? Meeting the parents, playing house. I didn't think we'd ever see you bring a girl home, let alone tag along to her on a family vacation."
I sigh, lowering my voice even though Addie's absorbed in her pancake batter. "It's... complicated—."
"—You said that on the phone. Wanna explain?"
I check to make sure Addie's still occupied before continuing. "We work together, but before I started my job we had this one night—"
"Spare me the details," she interrupts, but she's smiling.
"I ghosted her."
