“When you said you would send back the cats if the girls don’t care for them properly.”
“That wasn’t a threat, Simon,” she said coolly.“I told Riley she has to take responsibility and that if she doesn’t, there will be consequences.The cat would need to be given a better home.”
“Before you say something like that again, I’d appreciate it if we could discuss it first.Sally loves that kitten, and I don’t want her heart to be broken because Riley made a mistake.”
“Riley made a promise,” Sarah said evenly.“We agreed to terms before we brought Dash home.If she breaches our agreement, there are consequences.That’s not a threat.That’s accountability.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes, then Sarah stood and picked up the plates from the table, taking them to the dishwasher.“We should be going.I’ve got a lot of work to do tonight.”
He watched her scrape off her plate into the organic bin under the counter and nodded.“Of course.Leave those.I’ll get them.”
She placed the two plates into the dishwasher, along with cutlery and glasses, then rinsed off her hands and dried them on a nearby towel before turning toward him.“I’m sorry if you think I’m a monster,” she said.“But if I don’t hold Riley accountable, she runs wild.You should see her when she comes back from her father’s place.There aren’t many rules there, or at least not ones that stick.It takes me days to get her back to a routine, even when Mom’s home.”
He listened calmly and considered what she was saying.He had noticed how Riley needed to be reined in.But she was a good kid, and she was helping Sally come out of her shell.At the mention of Sarah’s ex, he wondered what it must be like to co-parent.For all her faults, at least his ex-wife wasn’t around to interfere with his raising of their daughter.He was a true single parent, whereas Sarah was a co-parent.He would have to remember that.
And he would have to remember what that dynamic might be adding to Riley’s life.
“I don’t think you’re a monster,” he said, realizing she was still waiting for him to say something.“But I do think we need to decide these things together,” he added.He stayed where he was, glued to the chair, and watched the emotions on her face.Regret, understanding, relief.He wanted to walk over to her right now, hold that face full between his hands and kiss her, pull her into his embrace, hold her… Before his imagination could travel further down the road, he broke their shared gaze and reached for a napkin to wipe his hands.
“Yes, I agree.We’ll make these decisions together.”She was now standing close to him.Too close for comfort.“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Not trusting himself to look at her again, he merely nodded, holding himself still, forcing his hands to stay where they were, until she finally walked past him to call Riley.
As she and Riley put on their shoes and gathered the kitten, he stood well away from the door.He had to get this attraction under control.She had just reminded him how complicated her life was, and he now understood how easily she could shut people out.
But as he closed the door behind them, he felt a loss, not just of the scent of lavender soap he now associated with her, but of her presence.There was something about Sarah.
“Daddy, do you think she’ll let Riley keep Dash?”
He turned toward Sally, who was holding Dot close to her.
“I can’t answer that,” he said honestly.“But if she doesn’t, we will come up with another solution, okay?”
“Okay,” she said.“Riley is so sorry.”
“I know.And I’m sure she will remember to put Dash first from now on and think of the consequences.”
“I’ll remind her,” said Sally.
“And so will I,” said Simon.
“I like Sarah, but what she said today was scary,” said Sally.
“I think she was scared for Dash,” said Simon.“Little animals are delicate.”
“I was scared too,” confided Sally.“I didn’t know where he went.”
“Well, I think we all learned something today, so in the future, we’ll all be more careful.Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Now, I’m going to clean up the kitchen.What would you like to do this evening?”
“I’m going to read my book,” said Sally.
“Sounds good.”He watched her wander back to the living room and smiled.His introverted kid was all done with people for the day, which meant he would have some time to review his lesson plan for the following day and chill in front of the television.He picked up the food from their shared meal and paused at the chair where Sarah had sat only a few minutes earlier.The faint scent of lavender met his nostrils, and he breathed it in deeply before shaking his head and quickly finishing his chore.
He had to stop thinking about her.But twenty minutes later, when he was done cleaning, he again looked at the empty seat.
