edge was a foot trail that runners and people who wanted to walk their dogs off leash would occasionally slip by. A few houses littered the road farther back into the canyon, but the trees hid them, and there were only two or three. Pineville was only a mile or so to the north, but the house had been built into a curve of the mountain so only one or two properties were visible from “town”.
“Ava's never been very excited about other kids,” I said with a frown, thinking back to the times when Sadie had still been alive and I visited Ava. “Even as a toddler.”
“Was she not around them much?”
“It's hard to say.”
Serafina's brow puckered as she seemed to think that over. “Dagny knows almost everyone here. I wonder if she could introduce me to some of the parents of the other girls. Maybe we can do some play dates or something.”
“That sounds great.”
She made a noise of agreement, but hadn't peeled her eyes away from Ava. Water flashed in the fading sunlight as it sank behind the mountain at our back. Now that I watched Ava, it did seem sad that she was out there by herself. But to reach out to other parents and schedule play dates? Never would have thought of that.
I ran a hand through my hair, shocked yet again by the vastness of this parenting job. No one trained me for this. How the hell was I supposed to know that Ava needed playdates with girls her age? Maybe it was obvious to everyone but me. To me, Ava was shy. Did that need to be fixed?
Serafina distracted me from my mental spiral when she put a hand on my arm. The heat of her fingertips brushed against the hair on my forearm, then was gone, a trail of fire in its wake.
“I'm starving,” she said as she moved toward the pot roast. “Can we eat now?”
“Yes, please.”
Anything to get my mind off you, I mentally pleaded, then whistled for Ava.
One hilarious dinner, two hungry girls, and three helpings of pot roast later, darkness had started to settle on the world outside. Twilight brought the quiet call of nesting birds, the scent of dry sage, and the gentle calm of the mountain air as it wafted inside. With a stomach full of delicious food, the promise of cookie dough later, and Serafina's rich coconut smell in my hair, I wanted to do this evening again.
And again.
And again.
Ava hopped into a quick bath while Serafina and I, without the need to converse, cleaned up dinner.
Now, the princess movie threw light on the dark room as the three of us finally settled on the couch. Serafina sat on the other side, one leg tucked under her the way she always had. Ava plopped herself in between us, a ratty old blanket in her hands. I took the other end of the extremely comfortable couch and tried to pretend I wasn't picturing me in the middle, with one girl snuggled up on either side.
Just before the movie started, Serafina whispered something in Ava's ear. She darted upstairs and returned seconds later with a brush and several hair ties. Without a word, Ava settled on the floor in front of Serafina. The movie started with the quiet purr of a brush through still-wet hair. Relief that I didn't have to be the one focusing on those braids followed a tight knot of affection.
This was so easy for Serafina.
So natural. I'd never seen anything so attractive in my life. I kept my focus on the movie so I didn't send too-hot looks to my daughter's . . . what? Friend? She certainly wasn't here to work tonight, so she wasn't a babysitter or nanny. Hardly an employee. Caretaker? That sounded too . . . old.
What would happen as Sera was seen with Ava? For the most part, the media left Ava alone. They'd come into the MMA Center to deal with me, but rarely was I pursued out of that anymore.
But if I dated someone, would that change?
While the movie played and my thoughts grew in intensity, I found myself caught in a storm of potential web of social media articles and news displays that would plaster Sera's face all over the world. The potential headlines ran through my mind like a ticker-tape.
MMA Star Dates Nanny.
Ben Mercedy Steps Into a New Ring
Classic blunder. Could have seen that one coming miles away. And I already had seen it coming.