“Sorry,” Christian began to apologize.
“Nope,” Mallory interrupted. “Don’t worry about it. She just opened her eyes, I get it.”
Christian uncrossed his ankles and repositioned his stance against the counter so he was facing Mallory. “Alright then. How did last night go?”
“It was fun,” Lily mumbled with her mouth full of cereal, catching Mallory by surprise.
She chuckled to herself before agreeing. “We did have a good time. We watched the Golden Girls, ate ice cream, and did our nails.”
As if they planned it, they flashed their nails. Lily showed off a midnight blue polish, while Mallory had gone for a cheerful pink. She really had enjoyed her time with Lily. Instead of things feeling awkward, they had gotten along as if they spent evenings together all the time, laughing and talking with no guards up.
“Did you have a bad night?” Mallory asked, noticing his quiet demeaner and recalling their moment in the bedroom.
“Yeah, it wasn’t great,” he admitted.
“You should take a nap here. We’ll find something to do and stay out of your hair. That way you don’t have to worry about coming back or feel like she’s fending for herself while you sleep.”
After putting his coffee cup in the sink, he scrubbed his hands over his face and stepped away from the counter. “That sounds amazing, but I’m sure you have things to do. Not to mention she’ll be here tonight, too. We’ll get out of your way.”
“Christian,” she said, cutting him off. “I wouldn’t offer if it was a problem. The only plans I have for today are to get caught up on laundry and to go have brunch at Dan’s, which he already invited Lily to last night.”
Sensing his hesitation, she reminded him that Dan is a child life specialist and was therefore more than qualified to spend time around his daughter. Not to mention he was probably the perfect person for her to be around. His inviting demeaner could make anyone feel comfortable, and feeling comfortable was key to opening up and beginning to heal. Mallory knew that firsthand.
“Go into my room and close the door. Take a shower then get some rest. We both know Lily will have much more fun hanging with us than she would sitting in your apartment while you sleep.”
She watched in silence as he fought and lost an internal battle. He sighed deeply as his eyes softened in resignation. “Okay.”
“Great!” She clapped her hands in triumph. “You don’t mind if I take her for a girls’ day, do you?”
“No,” he breathed with a confused smile. “I don’t mind.”
She felt as confused as he looked. She knew she wouldn’t have a problem keeping an eye on Lily while he worked, but she actuallywantedto spend time with her. The idea to swoop Lily off while Christian napped excited her more than she expected it to.
“This was supposed to be a girls’ day,” Mallory teased Dan as they made their way from the bookstore to the coffee shop.
“You think I was going to let you two have all that fun without me?” Dan asked with one eyebrow raised. “Today, I’m one of the girls.”
Lily giggled beside her. Laughing more than Mallory had seen her laugh since meeting her, she seemed to have been enjoying herself the entire morning and didn’t appear to have the weight of the world on her shoulders. It was a nice change. Hopefully it wasn’t a temporary one.
“I’ll grab us a table since it looks busy in there,” Dan offered. “Order me a small caramel macchiato.”
Mallory hadn’t been to the coffee shop in at least a year. Not much had changed. It still had a warm welcoming environment. The far wall was lined with alternative seating. There were couches, beanbag chairs and even large pillows to sit on. The counter was in the middle of the room with multiple people working. Even though the line was long, it went pretty quick.
“You seem to like Dan,” Mallory pointed out, leaning to the side to give her a friendly nudge.
“He’s pretty great. I see why you’re friends with him.”
“That he is,” she agreed. “He pretty much saved me when I was going through a rough time. He insisted on coffee every morning so I would have to get myself dressed and so he knew I was okay.He’s easy to talk to. Even though I no longer need him to check up on me, we still have coffee every morning.”
Mallory hadn’t realized how fast the line had moved until she looked up in time to see the person in front of them step to the side, revealing an expectant barista looking at them with a cheerful smile. Mallory placed their order then moved over to wait.
“Have you met his boyfriend?” Lily asked, peeking up at Mallory through dark lashes.
It wasn’t a question she’d been expecting. “Yeah. He seems pretty amazing, too. You’d probably like him.”
Lily shifted on her feet as she chewed on her bottom lip. Mallory didn’t know her well yet, but she could tell she was holding something back, her internal battle nearly loud enough for her to hear.
“It doesn’t bother you?”
