As I got out of bed, my gaze was drawn toward the spot where Lumen had fallen asleep. In one way, I was annoyed that she hadn’t said goodbye, but in another, I was relieved that we wouldn’t have to have an awkward ‘morning after’ discussion. The fact that she’d crept out without waking me suggested she understood that our previous conversation about just having fun still applied.
That was a good thing. The last thing I needed right now was more drama.
I turned on the shower, letting it heat up while I brushed my teeth, then let the hot water work some of the tightness from my shoulders. I needed to come up with a new exercise routine soon, if for no other reason than the fact that sex would be scarce until things with Evanne stabilized.
Not for the first time, I mentally cursed Keli, while at the same time wondering if I could’ve done something differently. If she’d wanted a different custody agreement, she could have talked to me instead of dropping Evanne off without any warning. I’d always thought we’d gotten along well, especially when it came to parenting.
I pushed aside those thoughts and finished rinsing off. As much as I might have liked to linger here, I knew I had an eight-year-old who’d be waking up soon.
Sure enough, the moment I opened my bedroom door, Evanne sprinted into the room, then did a Tom Cruise worthy slide in her socks across the floorboards.
“Wake up sleepy head!” she shouted. So much for sleeping in on a Sunday.
I winked at her. “I already beat you to it.”
“I’m hungry.”
“Me too. What are you cooking?”
She planted her fists on her hips. “Daddy…”
I gave her my most serious face. “I think you need to start pulling your weight. Waffles, some freshly-ground coffee for me, and orange juice for both of us. Hurry on now.”
Evanne didn’t look impressed. “Daddy…”
“Or you could brush your teeth and get dressed, and I’ll do the hard work,” I offered.
She grinned and zoomed away. Similar banter had been a part of our weekend routine since she was old enough to join in. I didn’t see that changing just because she was here more than those couple weekends a month.
Before heading out into the kitchen, however, I stripped the bed to do laundry later. When I got to the kitchen, I saw the pots and pans I’d left soaking in the sink and groaned. I’d thrown all the utensils and plates and glasses in the dishwasher, but not the big stuff. At least I’d be doing the sort of work today that Evanne could join in with. I’d found she preferred helping me with chores to doing her own thing while I was on my laptop.
Following the recipe I found online and using the ingredients Tuesday had picked up for us at the beginning of last week, I made blueberry waffles and hoped they’d turn out okay.
Once her teeth were brushed, Evanne did laps around the house while I finished up in the kitchen. I had no idea how she could find so much energy this early in the morning. Neither her mother nor I were morning people. Once I made my coffee and downed a cup, though, I was in better shape to keep up with her.
“What do you want to do after we’re done with dishes?” I asked as I set a plate of waffles in front of her.
“I want to ride on a fire truck,” she said, spooning whipped cream on her waffles. After every spoonful, she’d look at me, waiting for me to nod. When I shook my head, she set the spoon down and attacked the food as if she hadn’t eaten in days.
“A fire truck? A wee bit young to start your firefighter career, aren’t you? Besides, I thought you wanted to be a marathon sprinter.”
“I can do both,” she said matter-of-factly. “Ms. Browne said so. There are synergies there.”
Synergies? I laughed. She must have been listening to my business calls lately. “Aye. Sprinting helps you to run into a burning building without getting winded and breathing in smoke. Being a firefighter teaches you how to run really fast to getoutof a burning building. Synergies.”
“It was so much fun having Ms. Browne here yesterday,” she announced when she’d finished swallowing her bite. She’d apparently taken my instructions about speaking with her mouth full to heart. “She’s my favorite, even if she doesn’t let me run when I want.”
As she chomped into another forkful of waffle, I thought about how much funI’dhad last night too, even before we’d headed to my bedroom. Lumen was a delight to talk to and laugh with, and something about the way she interacted with Evanne made me warm in a different way than lust did.
“Aye, she’s a special one, all right,” I agreed.
Evanne beamed at me. “You really think so?”
I took a bite of waffle and ate it as I tried to decide if this was a conversation I actually wanted to have. “Do I lie to you?”
“Only when you’re trying to be funny. And that’s not really a lie, is it?”
She had me there. “Does it ever work?”
