“Nice to meet you,” I managed, shaking her hand. Cindy’s thin lips stretched into a big smile.
“Sawyer’s mentioned more than a few times that you moved closer. I think Cheryl said you were from Ottawa?”
“Yeah, Ottawa,” I answered stiffly, uncomfortable with this complete stranger knowing facts about me.
“How are you liking Northumberland County?” Cindy inquired.
“It’s nice,” I said, hoping she’d pick up on my two-worded replies and drop the interrogation. But she didn’t get the hint, and for the next hour, Gabriella’s mom talked at me. Not really to me, but at me, telling me about her daughter Gabby’s progress with dance and any other thought that fluttered through her head.
Aside from the occasional nod of agreement or hum, Cindy didn’t require me to add much more to the conversation. Which was fine by me.
Eyeing the clock, I let out a sigh of relief and stood when the hour was up, and the doors to the dance room opened.
Miss Claire stood in the doorway, watching while the students filtered out. I made a move to walk away, but Cindy’s fingers gripped my bicep lightly. Pausing, I turned to look at her, trying to conceal my irritation.
“We should get the girls together for a playdate some time,” she suggested hopefully, her fingers loosening and her hand dropping to toy with her hair.
I let out a tempered sigh, trying to figure out the best way to shut Cindy’s hope down without coming across as a dick. “Cheryl’s in charge of playdates. Unfortunately, I only get Sawyer every other weekend, so our time is…”
“Short,” Cindy finished, smiling with understanding. “I totally get it. I’m a single parent, too. We could always get together during your kid-free time,” she added.
“I don’t think my girlfriend would like that,” I said, lying through my teeth. I didn’t have a girlfriend, but I had zero interest in Cindy, and I wanted to stop that thought in its tracks before she got the wrong idea.
“Oh, I hadn’t realized you were seeing anybody,” she said, her eyes widening with surprise. “Cheryl never mentioned…well, nevermind.” Cindy’s cheeks flushed, and she dipped out pretty quick after that.
* * *
Opening the front door,Sawyer bolted in, going straight for Tig, who was standing in the hallway, his tail wagging like a propeller as she flew at him and buried her face into his furry side.
“Hi, Tig!” Sawyer said, nuzzling into him.
“Go get changed, and we’ll head out for that walk,” I told her, smiling with warmth at the sight.
“Okay!” she practically shouted, taking off down the hall and up the stairs. She’d always been a pretty self-sufficient kid and had learned at a young age how to get dressed on her own.
Ten minutes later, I heard her running for the stairs. “Take it easy. Use the railing!” I called up, waiting for her in the mudroom.
I helped her into her pink spring jacket, and we walked out onto the back deck, Sawyer and Tig racing ahead of me. “Daddy, can we make a garden?” Sawyer asked, looking over her shoulder when she’d reached the overgrown garden beds.
“We could give it a try.” I shrugged, smiling a little.
“Now?” she asked, her eyes sparkling.
“We don’t have any plants or gardening supplies, so we’ll have to get some.” I chuckled. “But we could make it our next weekend project.”
“Okay,” Sawyer sighed, longingly looking at the garden beds before we continued walking through the grassy fields behind the house.
Tig kept pace with Sawyer, never letting her venture too far from his sight. We stayed out there, exploring the woods for a good two hours before we headed inside for lunch.
* * *
“Hi,Mommy! Guess what? Daddy got a dog!” Sawyer said, her words coming out in an excited rush as she raced up the sidewalk and threw her arms around her mother’s legs. Cheryl’s chin lifted, her brow furrowing as she looked at me.
“You got a dog?” she asked, her tone annoyed. “Without talking to me first?”
“I don’t see why I have to ask your permission to get a dog,” I retorted, on the defence. I could have pointed out all of the times she hadn’t bothered to give me a heads up before making a life-altering change, like leaving me and then moving in with her boyfriend, but I didn’t. I choked those thoughts back, trying to release the frustration I felt.
Sawyer didn’t need to witness it.
