“Thanks.”
Katie stands up on her chair and puts her arms around my neck. I hug her back tightly. “Uncle Lukas, do you want to come home with us tonight?”
Kissing her forehead, I gently place her back down on the chair. “Not tonight, baby. But when Daddy needs me to babysit, you can come to my place.”
“Yay!” she yells.
“Tonight, we’re watching cartoons, Katie-bug,” Vandal says, and then glances to me. “Lukas, you can come hang out if you want.”
“Thanks, but I’ve got some stuff to do.” I grab another cookie and give Gram a hug as she hands me a big Tupperware container filled with cookies and brownies.
“Take these, honey.”
Well, damn. I’m going to be on a sugar high for the rest of the weekend.
IVY
I STOP AT MACY’S BEDROOM DOOR and peek inside to see what she’s doing. She’s laying on her bed, reading with her ear buds in. Her room is actually clean for once, which is a huge difference from a few months ago when she had so many clothes thrown around that I couldn’t see the floor. I hope this is going to be a new habit.
She suddenly looks up and pulls the ear buds off. “Hey, Mom. What’s up?”
“I’m heading out, but I won’t be home late. What time is Shelly coming over?”
“She’s on her way here now. Did you talk to that cute guy? Maybe kinda hint around that I like him?”
I get an instant stress headache and a strange feeling in my stomach. “No, sweetie, I really don’t talk to him. He’s just my tattoo artist. He only stopped by to fix the shed.”
“Well, maybe at your next appointment you could sorta say something?” she asks hopefully.
“Macy, I’m not sure I feel comfortable with that. I’m your mother, and that would be kinda inappropriate. Just behave yourselves while I’m gone, please. There’s food in the fridge.”
“Whatever. Have fun.” She puts her ear buds back in and goes back to her book, dismissing me for now.
Fun. I have no faith that tonight will be fun at all, and I wish I could just stay home. Waiting in the living room, I watch the street from the window until I see Tim’s car pull into my driveway. With a heavy sigh, I put my coat on and head outside into the frigid night air, not even giving him the chance to come to my front door. Do men even do that anymore for a date? Not that this is a date, but I’m curious.
“I would have come to your door,” is the first thing he says when I get in the passenger seat of his SUV, so I guess some men still do show up at the door