Human senses were amazing. One minute I was so sound asleep I found no dreams, the next I was so acutely aware of the little person beside me, I knew she was wide awake before I opened my eyes.
Ivy’s face was inches from mine, her bright eyes curious. Her tiny body vibrating with so much excitement it was a wonder she didn’t explode.
Decoy was still asleep and daylight hadn’t changed how painfully gorgeous he was. Or how peaceful he seemed right now.
Dragging my gaze back to Ivy, I pressed my finger to my lips again. Then mouthed, “Breakfast?”
She nodded and held out her hands. In the night, she’d rolled away from her dad. I lifted her from the bed without disturbing him and we went downstairs.
In the kitchen, I left the door ajar so he’d hear us when he woke up and deposited Ivy on the counter.
“Folksie,” she singsonged. “You’re here.”
“I am. What do you want for breakfast?”
“Ice cream.”
“Nice try.” I ruffled her Rapunzel hair. “What do you usually have?”
“Toast.”
“Just toast?”
“And butter.”
“Hmm.” I opened the fridge and peered inside. True to her dad’s word, the shelves were laden with fruit. I pulled out blueberries and bananas. “What about these?”
Ivy scrunched her face. “No.”
“You don’t eat them?”
“No.”
I nodded like it made sense and grabbed the milk too. “Do you have a blender?”
“What for?”
“To make mermaid juice.” I shut the fridge. Opened a couple of cabinets and found what I was looking for. “Purple’s your favourite colour, right?”
“Lilac.”
“Even better.” I handed her the blueberry punnet. “Pick out twenty of those.”
“Twenty?”
“Yup. Only the magic ones, though.”
“Which ones are magic?”
“You choose, bug. Mermaids make their own.”
Picking over the fruit kept Ivy busy while I peeled bananas and found some ice. Then we blended it with milk to make a lilac smoothie that fascinated her enough to drink it with her toast.
“What does your dad eat for breakfast?”
“Daddy. He has tea with no sugar, but he doesn’t make his breakfast because Mummy shouts at him on the phone.”
Nice. I cleaned up while Ivy finished her breakfast and brought me her empty glass for more mermaid juice. I poured her a little more and directed her back to the table as the impact of feet hitting the floor sounded above us.
