I hugged her. "Did you eat yet?"
She shook her head.
Gus stood a few feet away from us, his hands tucked in his coat. "I didn't feel like cooking. Figured you could feed her."
I sighed, not wanting to get into a fight. He always assumed I'd take care of whatever needed to be done. "You have your stuff?"
Ayla nodded against my chest.
Gus handed me her overnight bag. "I have to get going."
"Right."
Then he looked at Ayla. "See you Wednesday."
Wednesday nights were easier for him because it was just dinner. He didn't mind taking her out to eat and giving her money for a few arcade games. That was easy. Nothing was expected of him, and Ayla didn't have enough time to ask him the hard questions. I was afraid that eventually she'd learn not to expect much from him too.
I looked down at her. "You want to eat at the diner?"
"Yes!" Ayla cheered, always loving the low-key diner with its festive red-and-green vinyl booths.
We walked across the street, and the hostess led us to a booth. We ordered our usual burgers and fries with shakes.
"Why is the store empty?" Ayla asked, a wrinkle appearing on her forehead.
"A pipe burst. There was some flooding, and it needs to air out. I packed everything up, and it's sitting in our living room."
Ayla frowned. "Daddy said we can't stay there."
"The water's off while they do the repairs. I rented a house just outside of town. I think you're going to like it. It even has a porch swing."
"Do you have pictures?"
I'd snapped a few on the way out of the house, expecting her questions. I showed her my screen.
Her eyes wide, she asked, "Can we stay there forever?"
My shoulders lowered. This is the house I'd always wanted to give her; it just wasn't in the cards yet. "It's a short-term rental. As soon as the pipes are fixed, we'll move into our apartment."
Her face fell. "But it doesn't have a porch or a yard, and I want to get a dog."
It was what I could afford. I wanted to save for a house, but it was hard to save when you just opened a new business. "We'll have to see how things go in the New Year." I'd heard that owning a business could be tough in the first few years, but when it succeeded, we'd have more than enough money for everything she wanted. I had to believe that, because the alternative was unthinkable.
I didn't want to move to Arizona to live with my parents. I wanted to make this business a success. I needed to prove to everyone that I was capable.
"Okay," Ayla said, her small shoulders lowering.
"I was thinking of creating the online store. What do you think about that?"
She nodded. "That would be cool. Then everyone could buy your stuff."
"I'm a little nervous about how to handle shipping." I needed to do some research and figure that part out. It was a big piece anytime you were thinking of selling online. Would I be ableto handle it myself? Would I need to hire someone to help me package orders? It was a scary prospect. But I'd been thinking about it for a while, and the forced downtime was the perfect opportunity to explore the option.
"I think you should do it. And I can help you pack boxes."
"That's sweet of you." Anytime things got tough, I tried to remember that I was showing my daughter a good example of a woman who works hard and doesn't give up. I couldn't forget that she was always watching and learning from me.
"Can I see the burst pipe?" Ayla asked after our food came.
