“So,” he whispered against Shea’s mouth. “Tomorrow? Is it a go?”
Shea murmured, “If you’re sure.”
“Oh, yeah.” Jake nudged him with his nose. “I’m sure.”
* * *
The following morning, just before noon, Jake took Stacey and Kiss for a walk and let her hold the leash along with him. He couldn’t be sure, but she seemed to be walking with more confidence, more interested in her surroundings, instead of crowding next to him and not leaving his side.
He’d received her end-of-year report from her teachers and had read it at least five times.
Stacey continues to show remarkable reading skills and a grasp of language beyond her age. Her math abilities are also higher than grade level, and she has no problem following along with the homework and reading comprehension, including the extra projects she’s given to make up for her lack of class participation. Her art is expressive and dramatic, and she shows promise and talent. We’re hoping to see her become more involved in group activities and keep making strides.
So Jake was feeling pretty good when they returned home. He made them turkey sandwiches with potato chips on the side for lunch, and of course ended up sneaking bits of turkey to Kiss. As they finished up, he sat across from Stacey.
“Daddy has a friend visiting the city from Texas, where I stayed a few weeks ago, remember?”
She chewed her sandwich.
“Well, he’s working now, even though it’s Saturday, but I thought it might be nice for you to meet him. Maybe go for ice cream? What do you think?”
Stacey’s green eyes grew wide, and she reached for Kiss. Incredibly attuned to her moods, the dog whined and rested her muzzle on Stacey’s lap.
“We can bring Kiss too.”
A minute passed, and when she nodded, Jake felt as though he’d run a marathon and won.
“That’s great, honey. I’ll go ahead and tell him. He’s a real cowboy, and he took the pictures of Daddy on the horse.”
Kiss’s tail thumped, and Stacey stroked her head and silky ears.
“We can sit outside, and you can order whatever you want. Remember that place where you had that yummy frozen s’mores? We can go there.”
He received a nod.
“I’m going to text him now.”
It was only one o’clock, but even if Shea was working, Jake figured he would get a break sometime to see the message. He sent it, and almost immediately, saw the little bouncing bubbles indicating Shea was answering.
Sounds good. Wrapping up here soon. Can meet you there around 3. Does that work?
A ridiculous happiness settled in Jake’s chest.
Perfect.
He patted his leg, and Kiss scrambled to his side. “Here you go, girl.” Jake held out three pieces of turkey breast, which she scarfed down, licking her chops and gazing at him with soulful eyes, but when he shook his head, she returned to Stacey’s side.
He chuckled. “Finish up, and then we’ll take a bath and you can pick out what you want to wear.”
She stuffed the end of the sandwich into her mouth and took her paper plate to the garbage. With Kiss at her heels, she walked away. Amused, Jake followed her to her bedroom and watched from the doorway as she picked out a pair of purple shorts and a rainbow T-shirt. With a catch in his throat, he realized it was the first time in almost two years that she’d shown interest in her clothing.
He went to the bathroom and ran the water, wondering if that trip he was thinking of planning to the ranch might be coming at the best possible time.
At precisely three o’clock, the car service dropped them off in front of the Dominique Ansel Bakery. Jake opened the door and got out, holding Kiss’s leash in one hand. Stacey grabbed his other, and he leaned inside.
“Sergie, thank you again. I’ll call you when we’re ready to go back.” He’d been using the same driver everywhere he went, thinking it gave Stacey more security to see a familiar face.
“Whenever you want, Jake. I’ll be there for you.” The older man slid his sunglasses down on his nose and waved before putting the car in gear and driving off.
When Jake had collected himself, he saw Shea waiting for them a few yards away. A big smile broke out over Shea’s face, and Jake couldn’t help responding in kind.
“There he is, honey.” He squeezed Stacey’s hand. “That’s Daddy’s friend, Shea, and see? He’s got a cowboy hat on.”
Jake drank in the sight of Shea as his long strides brought him