Page 22 of Hearts on the Mend

She bounces up from her seat, all too glad to help. “Mom doesn’t let me eat sugar.”

Cassie mumbles, hovering in the doorway.

“Do you need to…” Can’t get myself to finish that sentence, even as she clings to her towel. I nod for her to go, and she blinks, as if rebooting, before she dashes down the hallway and runs upstairs.

“Hmm, Shredded Wheat or Cheerios?” I ask.

Ruby wiggles up to her knees, her stuffed otter still clutched in one arm. “Captain Crunch.”

“Solid choice, but not here. I’m feeling Cheerios this morning.”

“They’re so boring.”

“Hmm.” I fill up a bowl, then peek into the fridge, relieved to find fruit. “But have you ever tried confetti Cheerios?”

She slaps the table, tossing her head back to laugh. “You’re so funny.”

“I’m so serious, Ruby. It’s a secret recipe. One of the best.”

Her small mouth sets into a straight line, her brows creasing. “No such thing.”

I shrug, rummaging through drawers until I find the silverware, pluck out a knife, and slice up strawberries on the table. When I turn, I pretend I don’t see her steal a piece. Once my bowl is full, I add milk and cereal, then sit down, digging in.

“What about me?”

“Ohh, you want some?”

Ruby nods, setting her stuffie on the table. Just me, my one-night stand’s kid, and a stuffed otter all before seven in the morning.

“What’s this?” Cassie asks, barging into the kitchen a few minutes later. “What are you… like a kid magician?”

Ruby finds this hilarious. I only grunt around a spoonful of food. My stomach is gurgling.

“Didn’t know I hired a manny.”

“Manny?” Ruby slides from her seat, the bowl wobbling in her hands. “Don’t be silly, Mo—” She rounds the table, only to stop in front of me and sneeze in my face, spraying my bowl of food before hers goes toppling to the floor and shattering into a heap of razor-sharp ceramic pieces.

“Don’t move.” Cassie jumps to put herself between Ruby and the bowl, sidestepping the river of milk seeping into the old floorboards. “It’s fine, honey. I’m not mad. Just don’t want you to cut yourself.”

I lean back and reach for the towel hanging from the dishwasher and toss it to the ground, then drop to the floor to collect the broken pieces before anyone impales themselves. “I’ve got it. Head out.”

Ruby is crying near the doorway.

“Hey,” I say, peeking up. “Thanks for having confetti Cheerios with me.”

She clutches the stuffie closer, wiping the back of her arm across her face. “Okay.”

“Backpack, Ruby.” Cassie tosses me paper towels. “Sorry. I should have⁠—”

“Not the end of the world. I’ll get it.”

She glances up at me, her dark hair somehow drawing my notice more than her lips in her blue sweatshirt. “I didn’t hire you to do any of this.”

“I’ll do it for free.”

The corner of that gorgeous mouth of hers kicks up. Just slightly. Just enough that I know she hasn’t forgotten, even though she doesn’t want to talk about that night. “That’s not allowed.” She points at me before grabbing her purse off the counter and a banana.

“Cassie?”