“Hey. You look… nice,” I gave her a lukewarm compliment, wary of saying the wrong thing.
Her gaze dropped to the flowers. “Look at you. You brought props,” she observed dryly.
“For you,” I said, crossing the room and holding out the more understated bouquet. Max growled at me. I ignored it. “And for her.”
I handed the bright bouquet to Aziza. She hugged it to her chest like it was a trophy.
“Oh,” Kyleigh said, taking hers. Her fingers brushed mine for half a second, and the contact tingled. She felt it, too, her eyes shooting to mine before she cleared her throat. “Thank you. They’re beautiful.”
“You’re welcome.” Crouching, I held out a hand to Max. He eyeballed me before hesitantly sniffing, then licking it. His tail gave one reluctant wag. If only all the residents of Grindley Manor would give in this easily.
“Mr. Benton! We need vases!” Aziza yelled.
“Already on it, young miss,” he called from the hallway.
I sat in the armchair angled toward the sofa while Aziza plopped down next to her mother, still clutching her flowers. Max surprised me by following me, earning him a muttered, “Traitor,” from his owner. I bit back a grin. Kyleigh looked ready to freeze me out, so I figured it was best to keep my focus on my daughter.
“So, you the one running things up here on the hill, huh?” I started.
“Yes,” she said without hesitation. “I live here. Mama pretend to be in charge, but really it’s me.”
I laughed, loving how much she looked like her mama but talked like me. “I see that. I heard you went to see some lights the other night,”
Her whole face brightened. “Yes! At the show in Ruston. It was so pretty. They had music and fake snow and a train. I waved at all the people. We brought Mama a snow globe.”
“I saw it,” I said. “You like stuff like that? Christmas lights and all?”
She nodded hard. “I love it. We don’t do a lot of stuff, though. Mama says we celebrate in our hearts.”
Her voice dipped. Beside her, Kyleigh’s jaw tightened.
I kept my voice easy. “You got your own tree though, right?” I asked. “Your mama told me you and Ms. Serena put one together in your room.”
“Yes,” she said, perking up again. “It’s pink and white and it got a star on the top that light up. But we don’t have a big tree down here. I asked.”
She glanced at Kyleigh as she said it. I knew kids well enough to know that Kyleigh was being thrown under the bus, but both seemed legit hurt. The look they exchanged almost killed me. Which was why I stepped out on a limb next. Way out.
“You ever been Christmas tree shopping? Like at a lot. Picked one out yourself?”
Aziza shook her head. “No. We just have the box. I want to see a whole bunch of trees and smell them and pick one for real.”
“Ay, umm… I know a place. I haven’t been in a long time, but they used to have lights, music, hot chocolate. Nice people. I was thinking…”
I let it hang, looked at Kyleigh. She was already frowning.
“Here we go,” she muttered.
I pressed on. “If your mama says it’s okay, we could go. All three of us. Tonight,” I told Aziza.
She gasped, brown eyes growing big as saucers. “For real We can go pick one?” It was a breathless query.
“Ifyour mama says yes,” I repeated.
I wasn’t letting Kyleigh take the easy way out and blame me for “forcing” her into this. She had choices. I just hoped she made smart ones. She stilled as two sets of brown eyes turned on her. She rubbed her temple like she was getting a migraine. “You really came back to stress me out,” she said, half under her breath.
“I really came to make her smile. And you, too, if you’d let yourself,” I countered.
“My smiles are none of your concern,” she announced frostily.
