She was the picture of her mother sometimes and Elizabeth had a habit of wrapping her arms around herself like that when she was worried about something.
"You know that Miss Baker is likely really busy."
Okay, he didn't know exactly what she did from day to day, his observational skills stopped just shy of psychic, mind reading powers.
"Yeah, I know." Her gaze dropped down toward the floor and the corners of her mouth turned down as well. "But it's one of our biggest money makers for the dance company and I hate to say it, but among all of us apprentices, none of us have moms who are any good at cooking. Most of the apprentices have cooks and cleaners at their homes, but those ladies all have lives outside of the homes and I'm the only one who doesn't have a mom at home at all, and I don't think you would have the time to organize something like this."
Wow.
Katie had just dumped a whole bunch of words into his lap.
She hadn't paused or floundered when she'd talked about her mom, or rather a lack of one, there was that, but she was also completely right about him not having the time to organize anything other than their already sparse social life outside of the house.
He worked.
Katie did her thing.
They didn't exactly go out and have fun just for fun.
There just wasn't any way that he could add something else to his plate.
"Katie-"
"Look, dad," she bit into her bottom lip, and he made sure to give her his full attention. "I know that she'll probably say no, but I need to at least say that I asked her. I don't have a lot of women in my life." Her expression changed and she looked a little sheepish. "Sorry, dad. I'm not complaining. I love you and Uncle XX and Uncle YY."
Nick bit into the inside of his cheek.
He felt like he was going to fail his daughter at this moment. Something he'd worked so hard not to do.
"You don't even need to ask, dad. I can go over and do it. I just want you to say it's okay to go and ask."
"Sure."
Shit.
The word came out before he even knew that he was going to say something.
There was no warning and that's what shook him the most.
Since he found out that Elizabeth was pregnant, he'd made a decision to be focused. To be 'on' or 'in the moment.' To be deliberate in his actions.
And here he was blurting out an answer that he knew he wasn't prepared for.
"Katie-"
"Thanks, dad!" He was up on his feet, but she was already on her way out the door and headed over to the Baker house.
The heavy wooden door closed with a click, leaving him to look through the glass pane in the door as his daughter walked down the path to the gate that separated the two homes.
Nick's teeth ground together as he drew in a breath.
When they'd bought the house a year after he'd married Elizabeth, she'd thought that the gate was cute and quaint.
That feeling for her was enhanced as they got to know the old married couple that lived in the neighboring home. Timothyand Faith Baxter had lived a long life in that home and they both enjoyed speaking with Elizabeth.
Faith would bake and hand over freshly baked goods as they spoke at the property line. Elizabeth would mend the clothes that the older couple didn’t want to throw out.
Timothy would invite them over for a meal if he was out in the backyard grilling. And Nick would take care of their yard and cut back their hedges and trees when it was needed.
