“You know, many athletes perform good deeds and make a big thing about it for attention or publicity, but not you, Spencer Crews.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Romy wanted me to thank you for the extra cash for supplies,” I mention.
“Hmm. She must be confused.” He avoids my penetrating gaze.
Admittedly, his lack of wanting praise is a surprise. This is the guy who loves to hear that he has a winning arm, but when it comes to a noble act he plays mute.
And that makes me add another point to the scoreboard when it comes to Spencer.
The waitress disrupts us when she brings us a giant kitchen sink of ice cream covered in whip cream, sprinkles, and a few cherries. Hadley is not far behind.
“This is dinner?” Spencer pretends to be unamused.
“No. This is what Hadley and I are eating for dinner. You were Mr. I Don’t Eat Ice Cream So I Will Have a Water.” I grab a spoon and scoot over so Hadley can sit next to me. “Don’t forget our deal.” I hand Hadley a spoon.
“I know. I have to eat some of the banana from the ice cream.” She frowns.
“Banana splits are not banana splits unless you have a banana,” I inform her again.
We both assess where to dig in first.
“Are you sure we can’t convince you to have a bite? If you ask nicely, I’m sure we will share. Oh look, peanut butter, that’s protein.” I point out the section of the sink bowl with peanut butter and chocolate.
“Daddy doesn’t eat many sweets. He's boring like that.” Hadley speaks with a full mouth.
Spencer immediately looks taken aback. “Boring?”
“I’m sure he will prove us wrong.” I hand him a spoon.
“He never eats ice cream,” Hadley reminds me.
Spencer holds up his spoon for show before taking a spoonful of whipped cream and ice cream.
Hadley and I look on with interest and watch him eat his first bite. We both gasp at his move.
“I’m completely cool.” He now speaks with his mouth full.
Hadley giggles before she takes another bite.
“See? I bet you want another bite too.” I’m confident with my appraisal.
He tips his head in doubt, catching my eyes for a brief second, before ceremoniously dipping into the pile of ice cream again.
Hadley giggles, and this time a big smile erupts on Spencer’s mouth. And the next twenty minutes is an abundance of ice cream tasting, smiles, and listening to Hadley talk ballet. I sense that it’s their way of bonding, and I feel special that I get to witness it.
By the time we make it home, Hadley is out like a light, and Spencer carries her up the stairs. I follow because I just want to change into my pajamas, as the ice cream was heavy.
“April,” Spencer loudly whispers.
“Yeah?” I yawn as we reach the top of the stairs.
Spencer turns to me, and it’s quite a sight to see him holding a child this way. Another drop of my melting heart hits the ground.
“Want to sneak into my room in like an hour?” His voice does sound tempting.
“Hmm, maybe,” I coyly reply and never confirm.
