She grabbed a plate from the counter, hopped off the step stool, and raced toward me. She held the plate up proudly, absolutely beaming.
Instead of a plain, round pancake, a blue octopus stared back at me. It had chocolate chips for eyes and everything.
“Isn’t it sooo cute?” Hailey crooned, peering down at it. “All we had to do was put the pancake batter in a bottle with food coloring. Palmer knows how to make all kinds of cool things!”
I glanced up at the woman frozen in front of the stove. I might’ve imagined it, but I was pretty sure her face had gotten even redder. She stared pointedly at the floor.
“Is that so?” I said, patting Hailey on the head. “That’s nice.”
Hailey spun around and hurried back to Palmer. “She’s really good at it! I’ve made pancakes with Grandma before, but they were never this fun!”
I took a few steps into the kitchen. Palmer tensed.
I stopped short, frowning. “Is something wrong?”
She pressed her lips together so tightly they nearly disappeared. She still wouldn’t look at me.
“Palmer?”
When I said her name, she jolted. Her entire face was beet red, almost blending in with her freckles.
What the hell was wrong with this woman?
“Huh?” she said, seeming disoriented.
“What’s wrong?”
She shook her head so hard, blonde tendrils of her hair whipped her in the face. “N-nothing is wrong.”
“The pancake is burning!” Hailey yelled, gaining both of our attention.
Palmer gasped and spun back toward the stove. “Oh crap!”
She flipped the pancake over, revealing something blue—and probably black, judging by the smell drifting toward me.
“Aw.” Hailey pouted. “Poor little whale.”
“I’m so sorry,” Palmer said, cringing at the griddle.
“It’s okay,” Hailey said with a dramatic sigh. Her green eyes slid toward me. “It’s probably Daddy’s fault anyway. Not yours.”
I frowned, planting my hands on my hips. “How is it my fault?” I groused.
Hailey wagged a finger at me. “You distracted her.”
I shot her a doubtful look. Palmer shrank where she stood.
“I’m not that distracting,” I muttered.
Hailey raised her brows. “Why aren’t you wearing a shirt?”
I froze.
Slowly, I glanced down at myself. Shit. In my panic to find Hailey after waking up, I’d completely forgotten to grab a shirt.
Without looking at the woman making my daughter artful pancakes, I turned abruptly and headed back toward the stairs.
“Excuse me,” I mumbled stiffly. “I’ll be right back.”
