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Samantha smiles. “Bye, Mommy!”
Sophie turns to Emily. “Thank you so much for watching her.”
“Of course. It’s not a problem.” Emily pulls Samantha into her lap and tickles her sides, making her giggle.
Penny looks between Sophie and I with a look of confusion in her big brown eyes. “Daddy, where are you and Miss Sophie going?”
“I’m taking her to dinner. She’s done such a great job babysitting. I thought she deserved a treat.” I shoot Sophie a quick wink. Apparently winking is our thing now.
Penny looks satisfied with that answer. “Good idea! Have fun.”
“Goodnight, ladies.” I put my hand on the small of Sophie’s back and direct her toward the garage door.
After driving across town, we pull up into a large parking lot surrounded by evergreen trees. Sophie looks bemused as I get out of the Bronco and walk around to open her door for her. Now that we’re out of the vehicle, we can hear music and laughter nearby.
I smirk at her and take her hand in mine. “Don’t worry, there’s something fun just on the other side of those trees.” I point to the row of evergreen trees a few yards from us.
As I lead her through the small path between the trees I hear her breath catch when she sees the carnival on the other side of the trees. She looks up at me with a breathtaking grin.
The area is lit up with lanterns and decorated in a country theme. Hay bales line a wooden dance floor, and plaid fabric covers the tables at the various booths. They have half a dozen small carnival rides in one area, and there are booths that have different carnival games set up on the opposite side. There are food vendors scattered throughout, some making funnel cakes and cotton candy, others offering nachos, corn dogs, pretty much every kind of carnival food you can imagine.
Her jaw drops as she takes it all in and I chuckle. “I wish you could see your face right now.”
“This is possibly the best first date I’ve ever been on,” she says as she loops her arm through mine.
I glanced down at her, my expression serious. “Me too.”
We walk arm in arm into the carnival, which is a fundraiser for a highschool in town. I randomly saw a flier for it a few days ago and it screamed Sophie.
“I knew they’d have plenty of junk food here for you.” I tease.
We head to get some cotton candy and corn dogs before walking around to play all the games. My stomach will not be happy with me in the morning. But it’s worth it to see Sophie so excited.
As we walk around the carnival, we take turns asking each other questions, some silly, some serious.
“Okay, my turn,” I tell her. “If you were stranded on a desert island. What three items would you want with you?”
Sophie releases one of her larger than life laughs, a laugh that all the Windells seem to share. I chuckle as I watch her. She laughs with her entire body.
“Hmmm.” She taps her index finger on her chin while she thinks. “A French press, coffee grounds, and a big bag of sugar.”
I shake my head in dismay but smile at her so she knows I'm being sarcastic. “You’re out of control with the sugar.”
She smacks my arm playfully with her free hand. “Okay, my turn to ask a question. This one is more serious.”
“Shoot.”
“I’ve never heard any talk about Penny’s mother. Does she have any contact with Penny? Or … with you?”
My skin prickles, a cold sweat breaking out along my back. I was hoping she’d heard the one-night-stand tale from her father and I wouldn’t have to say much else.
“Oh, well. Did Ted, I mean, your father, mention anything about it?”
She twirls a strand of her hair. “He said you had a one-night stand and got a woman pregnant. But I’d like to hear about it from you.”
“Right. Um, the woman became pregnant rather—unexpectedly—obviously. She didn’t want the baby, and signed full custody over to me.”
“And she hasn’t been in contact since?” Sophie asks incredulously.
I swallow the lump in my throat. I hate lying to her. “No, she hasn’t.”
“Wow,” Sophie responds, seeming surprised. “I can’t imagine not wanting contact with my child. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. It’s for the best.” I clear my throat. “So, my turn to ask a question?”
