Surprisingly, Aya remains quiet for most of the car ride to the new house and seems excited when we arrive. I have a much better feeling this time since I picked it out. It’s a little more than I wanted to spend, but with the income from Man Buns, I decided to splurge for an ocean view.
“Kai is going to love this,” Aya says as she unclips her seatbelt.
I haven’t given Aya many details about my “friendship” with Kai in fear of her knowing too much too soon, which means I haven’t told Aya that I’ve fallen for Kai in the past week. She doesn’t know that we went on one date and have had alternating work scheduling conflicts over the past few days, preventing us from spending time together. Aya and I talk about most things together, so I’ve felt a bit guilty keeping this from her, but she’s a child, and it’s not appropriate to get her feelings wrapped up with Kai until I’m sure things will work out. I don’t want to get her hopes up. The truth is, I’m not even positive Kai wants to spend time with me. When she’s guarding the pool, she’s all work and little play. I get her smiles and passing comments, but I need to spend more time with her. Iwantto spend more time with her. I’ve been thinking about her way more than I probably should be, yet I don’t even have her phone number because I’m a jackass and can’t remember to ask her for it when I’m around her. There’s even a chance she thinks I don’t want it. I can never tell with women. They all pretend like they want one thing when they’re just playing with your mind. I’d like to think Kai is different, but I really don’t know.
I unlock the front door and wave Aya into the beaming sunlight shining in from the wall-to-wall windows on the opposite side of the house. I like the large space and openness. It’s comforting, so this felt like home from the second I spotted it.
“What do you think?” I ask Aya.
“It’s so pretty and white!”
“That it is.”
“Can I have your phone for a minute?”
I figure she wants to snap pictures since that’s the only reason she typically asks for my phone, but I’m a bit surprised when I see her pull a piece of paper out of her pocket and dial a number. “What are you doing?”
She places her finger up to her lips. “Shh, I’m on the phone.”
“Aya!”
“Dad, please.”
“Aya this isn’t funny. Who are you calling?”
“Hi, Kai,” she says. Oh my God.
“You’re not funny,” I tell her.
“Are we still on for tonight?” Aya looks at me and winks. “Oh sure, hold on. Dad, what’s the address?”
My head falls to the side, playing into her little game. “Six Hai Street.”
“Six Hai Street,” Aya repeats. “Oh, yay! I can’t wait to see you. Five, right?” Aya is smiling like a cheeseball at me. “Okay, see you then.”
“Very funny,” I tell her.
“Here, she wants to talk to you,” Aya says, handing me the phone.
“Hi, pretend Kai,” I say in a goofy voice.
“Hey.” Shit. She’s seriously on the phone.
“Uh,” I clear my throat from the goofy impression. “Sorry. I didn’t realize Aya was seriously calling you, or that she even had your phone number.” Aya looks so damn proud of herself right this minute. I’d like to tell her to go to her room, but she doesn’t know which one is hers yet.
“She asked me for my number this morning while you were at the pool and asked me to write it down. She also asked me if I could come over tonight. I know you have to work, but—”
“I am so sorry about that,” I tell her.
“But,” she continues. “I have nothing to do tonight, and Aya may have mentioned that Mrs. Hale is boring, so I have no problem hanging out with her tonight until you get home from work.”
Of course, my mind spins in happy little circles with the idea of coming home to Kai later tonight, but then a different wave of emotion pours over me when I realize she’s happy to come over and spend time with my daughter when I’m not even here. That’s like ... unreal. That doesn’t happen with beautiful women. I turn around so Aya can’t see me. “That’s very sweet of you to offer,” I whisper into the phone. “I’m sure Aya batted her pretty little eyes at you. You don’t have to do that, though.”
The phone is silent for a short minute. “Denver, I’d love nothing more than to hang out with your little ray of sunshine tonight. Honestly.”
“I’m kind of jealous of her. Is that weird?” I ask.
“No, that kind of makes me smile,” she says quietly.
