Diagnosis: Daddy

by Gina Wilkins

  “Very good,” she said approvingly. “Yes, that’s Pete.”

  “What’s this thing beside him? A brussels sprout?”

  “A tree. He’s going to climb the branches and then have to be rescued by the fire department.”

  “Oh.” Lifting an eyebrow, he murmured, “That should be interesting because the cat’s twice the size of the tree.”

  “Maybe it’s a perspective thing. Maybe the tree’s really far in the distance.”

  “Yeah, that could explain it,” he replied drily.

  “I thought I’d get some more magnets in case she wants to display more of her artwork. You don’t mind, do you?”

  He shrugged. “Why should I?”

  Because the question seemed to be rhetorical, she didn’t bother responding.

  He opened the fridge again. “You want a glass of tea?”

  “Yes, thanks. I’ll drink it while you eat. Keep you company.”

  Nodding, he poured two glasses of tea and carried them to the table.

  While he ate, Mia kept up an easy monologue by chatting about things that had happened at school, catching him up on news about mutual acquaintances, sharing with him some of the things Alexis had told her about her day. He didn’t say a lot in response, but he seemed to relax while she talked. By the time he’d finished the meal and the apple crumble she’d prepared for dessert, the frown he’d worn home had mostly disappeared.

  They moved into the living room afterward to watch the evening news. Mia sank onto the couch, shifting over when Connor dropped down beside her rather than taking one of the chairs.

  “I heard there’s a good chance of rain tomorrow,” she said, reaching for the remote. “I wonder if that’s still in the forecast.”

  “You can stop now, you know.”

  “Stop what?” she asked, tuning to a local nine o’clock newscast, keeping the sound turned low.

  “Stop chatting to try to cheer me up. I feel better.”

  She smiled at him. “I’m glad.”

  “I still feel like an idiot for screwing up the test, of course,” he added, glum again for a moment.

  “Everyone messes up sometimes. I’m sure it isn’t the first time you’ve frozen on an exam and I doubt that it will be the last. All you can do is your best.”

  His smile tilted a bit crookedly. “Now you sound like my mom. Don’t worry, Mia, I’m not going to throw myself out my bedroom window.”

  She laughed lightly. “Wouldn’t hurt you that much if you did. It’s a one-story house, remember?”

  He chuckled. “It was just a figure of speech.”

  At least he’d almost laughed. She smiled at him, then glanced at the television screen. The weathercast hadn’t started yet. A woman anchor with teased hair and a bit too much eye makeup was talking about a scandal involving a prominent local politician.

  “This is Friday, isn’t it?” he murmured, as if it had just occurred to him.

  She nodded. “Yes, it is.”

  “No school tomorrow.”

  “No.”

  “Do you have any plans?”

  “I told Alexis I would take her to the zoo if it isn’t raining tomorrow afternoon. She said she loves zoos.”

  “That’s the way you want to spend your day off? Walking around the zoo with a six-year-old?”

  “I told you I would take care of her weekends,” she reminded him. “There will be times when I’ll need to leave her with you when I have other plans, but I’m free this weekend.”

  “I, uh—”

  “Actually, I’ll need you to watch her this coming Thursday evening. I’ve got a committee meeting at school. I’ll be able to pick her up from school and feed her dinner, but I need to leave by six-thirty. You can make sure she’s in bed by eight.”

  “Yeah, sure.” He swallowed visibly.

  She couldn’t help but laugh at his expression. “You can handle it, Connor. It’s not that difficult. Alexis is no trouble at all. She entertains herself well, but you’ll need to remind her when it’s time to get ready for bed.”

  “I’m sure I can handle that. I certainly don’t expect you to be here every evening. In fact, if you want to take off tomorrow night and go out with your friends, I can…Oh, wait. I told the study group I’d meet with them tomorrow evening. But I can cancel—”

  “You will not. I have no plans for tomorrow evening. I’ll let you know when I need a night off.”

  “Yeah. Okay.” He reached up to rub the back of his neck.

  “Does your neck hurt?”

  His hand fell. “Guess I tightened up during the exam. I’ve been tense ever since.”

  “Would you like me to massage it for you?”

  His long hesitation surprised her a bit. She’d given him neck rubs before after long study sessions. He’d never seemed to give it a second thought, other than to thank her for the assistance.

  He hadn’t been acting quite like himself ever since she’d moved in. She sincerely hoped they would get back on their old, comfortable footing soon.

  “Turn around,” she ordered, spinning a finger to demonstrate. One of them had to get past this awkwardness and she figured she might as well be the one.

  He shifted on the couch to present his back to her. Kicking off her shoes, she tucked her socked feet beneath her and sat on her knees to give her access to his neck.

  “Wow. You are tense,” she commented, feeling the knots in the muscles beneath her fingers. “Try to relax.”

  “Easier said than done,” he muttered.

  She shook her head and attacked the knots with a fervor that made him groan a little. “You’re going to have to put this test behind you. So you didn’t do as well as you would have liked. You shouldn’t let it bother you this badly. Everyone has good days and bad days. Next time, you’ll have a good day.”

  She thought he was beginning to feel a little less tense. “I know,” he agreed. “I’m just mad at myself.”

  “I’m sure I’d be the same way.” She tugged at his collar. “Unbutton your shirt so I can get to the knots at the base of your neck.”

  He obeyed without a noticeable pause this time. She pushed her fingers into his warm, taut skin. “Does that hurt?”

  “Yeah,” he grunted. “But don’t stop.”

  She smiled and squeezed again, drawing another low moan from him.

  His hair was getting a bit long, she noted, feeling it brush against her fingers. He had nice hair. Very thick and soft, the color of dark sand. Not blond, exactly, but not a true brown like her own either. She had wondered on occasion what it would feel like to bury her hands in that soft pelt. She found her imaginings drifting in that direction again now, as she pressed against the tendons in the side of his neck.

  Deciding she’d better move away from the temptation of his hair, she worked on his left shoulder. He had great shoulders. Broad and strong, smooth and tanned. She knew he didn’t wear a shirt when he mowed his small lawn; she had seen him perform that chore on occasion. A vivid memory popped into her mind of Connor, shirtless and just a little sweaty behind the push lawn mower, a pair of shorts riding low on his lean hips, his warm-sand hair gleaming in the light of a hot summer sun.

  “Ouch.” He flinched. “You’re squeezing a little too tight on that knot.”

  “Oh. Sorry.” She forced her fingers to relax, rubbing at the knot without digging into it as she had been.

  What was with her tonight, anyway?

  Shifting again on the cushions, he turned abruptly. “That’s enough. It feels a lot better. Thanks.”

  She was still on her knees, and his movement had brought them even closer together. She was suddenly, intensely aware of the way his shirt hung open, revealing an intriguing slice of tanned chest and flat stomach. So near she could almost feel the warmth of his skin. So close that it would take only the slightest tip forward to have her pressed against him.

  She leaned quickly backward, almost overbalancing and falling flat on her back. She might have do
ne so had Connor not reached out to steady her. He was grinning when he grabbed her, but his smile faded as their eyes met. He didn’t immediately move his hands away from her forearms.

  “Um, thanks,” she said, her voice sounding a bit strained to her own ears. “It would have been embarrassing if I’d fallen off the couch.”

  “You could have whacked your head on the coffee table.”

  “So I guess you saved my life. My hero.” She was trying to tease, the way they always cut up with each other, but for some reason the jest fell a bit flat.

  His eyes went dark. “I’m nobody’s hero, Mia.”

  “It was just a joke.”

  “Yeah. Funny.”

  But he wasn’t smiling. She knew that because his mouth was only inches from her own. She could feel his warm breath against her cheeks, and heat built inside her in response. “Connor—”

  Did he lean a little closer? Was there suddenly something different about the way he looked at her?

  “Mia,” he muttered. “I—”

  “Mia!”

  The child’s cry had them tumbling apart, both of them scrambling to remain upright as they put distance between them—almost as if they’d been on the verge of doing something wrong, she thought in bewilderment.

  “Mia,” Alexis called out again. “Where are you? I had a bad dream.”

  “I’ll go to her.” On her feet now, she turned toward the doorway. “Good night, Connor. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Yeah. Good night, Mia.”

  She thought she heard him mutter a curse as she hurried out of the room.

  Because of the rainy weather, the zoo trip had to be cancelled Saturday afternoon. Hating to see the disappointment in Alexis’s eyes, Mia suggested they bake cookies instead. She’d always enjoyed baking with her grandmother when she was a little girl.

  Alexis’s eyes lit up. “Okay. That sounds like fun. Can we make chocolate chip?”

  Glad she’d thought to buy cookie supplies, Mia smiled and nodded. “We certainly can.”

  She opened the pantry and began to take out supplies. Even though she was dressed in a casual knit top and jeans, Alexis wanted to wear an apron, so Mia wrapped her in one of her own, then set her at the counter, promising she could stir in the chocolate chips when they got to that point.

  They chatted easily while they baked. Alexis talked about school, about the friends she had made there, about the differences from this school compared to the one back in Springfield. She seemed perfectly happy. Mia didn’t want to do anything to ruin that good mood, so she didn’t try to ask again about the bad dream Alexis had had last night.

  Alexis had been tearful and trembling when Mia hurried to her bedside. She had burrowed into Mia’s arms, but she hadn’t wanted to talk about the dream. She’d slipped back into sleep while Mia held her and hadn’t roused again during the night, waking in her usual cheerful mood that morning.

  Mia, on the other hand, hadn’t slept well at all.

  She’d tried to tell herself that her uncharacteristic tossing and turning was a result of worrying about Alexis, but she was well aware that she had other things on her mind. Specifically, that way-too-intimate moment of awareness with Connor.

  She had finally dropped off to sleep and had slept a bit later than she usually did on weekends. She’d found a note from Connor in the kitchen, propped against the carafe of still-hot coffee. He’d explained that he was going to the library to study, then planned to spend several hours in the anatomy lab, followed by studying with his group. He would see her later that evening, he’d added, scrawling a hasty postscript asking her to tell Alexis good morning for him.

  It almost made her wonder who he was trying hardest to avoid—her or his daughter. But then she reminded herself that he’d been this busy and harried even before she and Alexis had moved in, so they probably shouldn’t take it personally.

  They had just taken the last batch of cookies out of the oven and set them on a rack to cool when the doorbell rang.

  Mia wiped her hands on a kitchen towel. “I’ll go see who that is, and then we’ll have some cookies and watch a Disney movie, okay?”

  Alexis had already approved that schedule for the next couple of hours, so she nodded and headed for the doorway. “I’ll go get Pete. I always watch movies with Pete.”

  Wondering who could be calling on a rainy Saturday afternoon, Mia brushed a smudge of flour off her long-sleeve red T-shirt as she moved through the living room. She looked out the small security window in the door, but she didn’t recognize the sixtyish man on the doorstep. Curious but cautious, she opened the door without unlocking the glass storm door between them. “May I help you?”

  The broad smile and faintly dimpled chin gave her a clue to his identity just before he introduced himself. “Hello. I’m Duncan Hayes. Connor’s dad. You must be Mia.”

  Quickly, she unlocked the storm door. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Hayes. Yes, I’m Mia Doyle. Please, come in.”

  Leaving his dripping umbrella on the porch, he entered, running a hand through his damp, thinning gray hair in a gesture that reminded her of Connor. He held a large box wrapped in sparkly pink paper under his other arm. The paper was spotted with raindrops. “Call me Duncan. I’ve never been one to stand on formality.”

  She wondered how much Connor had told his father about their arrangement. “I’m afraid Connor isn’t home. He’s studying today. I don’t expect him until much later this evening.”

  Duncan shook his head in disapproval. “That’s all the boy does anymore. Study. I thought he might make a little extra time to spend with his daughter, but I guess he’s leaving that to you. He told me what a special thing you did for him—moving in to help him take care of the little girl. That’s above and beyond the call of friendship, if you ask me.”

  “There are advantages for me as well,” she assured him.

  “Anyway, I thought I’d come by and meet my granddaughter. And you, of course,” he added with a charming smile. He sniffed the air. “Smells like you’ve been baking.”

  She already liked him. “Alexis and I made cookies. We just finished the last batch. I could put on a pot of coffee to go with them, if you’d like some.”

  “You won’t have to twist my arm. It’s been a coon’s age since I’ve had homemade cookies.” He looked around the empty living room. “Where’s the girl? Alexis?”

  “She’s—oh, here she is.” Mia motioned toward the doorway that led to the back of the house. “Come in, Alexis. This is your grandfather. Your daddy’s father.”

  Her eyes big, Alexis gazed up at him, shyness warring with curiosity as she clutched Pete to her chest. “I never had a grandfather before.”

  “I never had a granddaughter before either, but I’m happy to have one now.” He knelt down on one knee to study her. “You’re as pretty as a picture. You look just like your grandmother, Connor’s mother. Her name was Paulette. She would have loved meeting you.”

  “Did she die?”

  Duncan nodded somberly. “Yes, she did.”

  “My other grandmother died, too.”

  “Yes, I heard. I’m sorry. How do you like living here with your dad and Mia?”

  Alexis reached out to take Mia’s hand. “I like it. We made cookies. We were going to go to the zoo, but it rained.”

  “There will be other pretty days for the zoo. In the meantime, I think we should all sample some of those cookies, don’t you?”

  She nodded eagerly. “I put the chocolate chips and pecans in all by myself.”

  “Can’t wait to taste them.” He held out the wrapped box. “I brought you a welcome-to-the-family present.”

  Mia reached down to take Pete, freeing both of Alexis’s hands.

  Alexis studied the shiny paper of the box she gripped in both hands. “It’s heavy.”

  “Just set it on the floor there and open it,” her grandfather suggested.

  She sat cross-legged on the carpet, ripping paper with a child’s e
nthusiasm. Revealing the box beneath, she looked up with her mouth formed into an O of surprise. “It’s a video game?”

  He gave a rather smug nod. “I knew your daddy doesn’t have a game console. Every kid these days has one. This package came with two controllers and a couple of games. A nice kid at the electronics store helped me pick them out for you.”

  Mia was as surprised as Alexis by the extravagant gift. She’d rather expected the box would hold a doll or some other toy. She remembered now that Connor had once said his father was given to extravagant gestures rather than practicalities.

  She wasn’t sure how Connor would feel about this gift. She intended to place limits on how long Alexis could spend in front of the television screen.

  “It’s one of those systems that requires the kid to do active things to play the games,” Duncan added for Mia’s benefit. “Keeps them physically fit.”

  So did real exercise. And fresh air. But Mia kept those thoughts to herself, figuring he’d meant well. She had nothing against the game itself, as long as it wasn’t overused. “What do you say, Alexis?”

  Looking up from the graphics on the box, Alexis said, “Thank you for the video game.”

  “I’ve been thinking about what you can call me,” Duncan said. “I don’t really feel like a grandpa or a gramps. How about Pop?”

  “Pop?” She giggled a little. “That’s a funny name.”

  He grinned. “Yeah. I’m kind of a funny guy.”

  She giggled again.

  Alexis was being won over quickly. Mia hoped that had as much to do with his charming personality as with the generous gift.

  Duncan kept up a lively conversation as they sat around the kitchen table eating cookies. The adults drank coffee while Mia sipped a glass of milk. Duncan kept them laughing with his nonstop nonsense and it wasn’t long before Alexis was holding her own against his teasing. Although she participated enough to be polite, Mia remained somewhat in the background, letting grandfather and granddaughter get to know one another.

  She wished Connor was there. This was a special moment in Alexis’s life, and Connor should be there to be a part of it. It seemed as though he could have taken off a few hours to spend with his daughter on her first weekend in his home. But maybe he was still too upset about his less-than-perfect performance on the test yesterday, she decided, feeling a little guilty for the critical thought.