When the Wind Chimes - Mary Ting Page 0,68

about half an hour ago, but Bridget wanted to stay in the water longer. When I thought she had enough, I wrapped a towel around her, and we walked back inside.

“Kate, can you stay tonight?” Lee kept his eyes on the computer screen, moving his fingers along the keyboard and continuing without a glance my way. “I have a meeting after dinner and I’m not sure what time I’ll be home.”

“Yes. I can stay.”

Lee closed his laptop and rose. “Great. I ordered pizza from World’s Best Pizza. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Yah. I love their pizza. It’s the world’s best.” Bridget clapped, her pool towel slipping off her shoulders.

I covered her up again. “Before pizza, you need to take a shower.”

“Okay. I’ll meet you in my bathroom,” she said and ran off.

Lee followed her halfway and watched her climb up the stairs. I didn’t know what he was thinking, but I could assume.

“She’s fine, Lee.” I stroked his arm to get his attention. “Kids bounce back faster than adults. You can talk to her about it if you want, but the swimming instructor did a good job helping her feel comfortable swimming again. I bet she’s busy thinking about the pizza and not what had happened at the waterfall.”

Lee pressed his lips together, nodding, his eyes soft and vulnerable. I understood his concern. Being a parent wasn’t easy. Abby had talked to me often about Tyler. She regularly tied herself in knots worrying that she was doing too much or too little of everything.

“Thank you. I needed to hear that,” he said, meeting my gaze.

“Good.” I pointed my finger upward. “I need to go and help her.”

“Of course.”

After Bridget washed up, we gathered at the dining table. While Lee passed out the plates of pizza, I gazed at the lit Christmas tree and the lights dangling around the room. It gave a warm and cozy feel—a reminder Christmas was soon.

Bridget, sitting next to me, held her pizza and picked off the olives. She tossed them in her mouth before she sank her teeth into the dough.

Lee squeezed his eyes shut and stopped chewing, as if remembering something terrible. “I’m sorry, Kate. I forgot to ask you what toppings you wanted.”

I was just about to take a bite, but stopped to answer. “That’s okay. I like everything on it, so you did good.”

Bridget stuffed her mouth, kicking her legs under the table. “I like everything on it too.”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, young lady. It’s bad manners and you might choke.” Lee shook his finger at her from across the table, his voice firm but soft.

“Okay.” Bridget huffed out air. “You told me that like one hundred times.”

“Oh, is that all?” Lee laughed and took another piece from the box. “I’m worried what she’ll say to me when she’s a teenager.”

“You don’t want to know.” I sank my teeth through the warm dough and cheese-drenched toppings.

I moaned into the pizza while Lee and Bridget stared.

“You’re both right. It’s the best pizza in the worrrrrllld,” I announced with exaggerated enthusiasm.

“Yah.” They cheered, giving each other high fives.

Bridget bobbed her head from side to side to the melody of “Feliz Navidad” playing in the background as Lee poured soda in cups and sang along.

I liked this playful and relaxed side of Lee. He seemed to show it more around me lately.

“What do you want for Christmas?” I asked Bridget.

She pushed her pizza crust aside. “I don’t know. I don’t need anything.”

“She has everything.” Lee snorted and passed me a cup.

“That’s not her fault. Someone spoils her.” I gave him a mock scowl and drank.

He smiled sheepishly. “How about you?”

“I don’t need anything. I mean, there’s a lot I wish to have, but ... Oh, I know—chocolate chip cookies.”

I threw in a bit of humor because the things I wished for would never come true. Like wishing Steve and Roselyn had never had cancer.

“Chocolate chip cookies?” Bridget’s giggles filled the room.

I continued eating and said, “Maybe I should ask Santa for pizza?”

Bridget laughed harder.

I wasn’t trying to be funny. I didn’t have anything else to say.

Lee and I flinched and I sucked in air when Bridget dropped her pizza and burst into a fit of coughing, like she was choking. She finally stopped and drank water.

Lee and I exchanged horrified glances and then relaxed with an exhale at the same time. He put a hand to his forehead and shook his head, and I did the same. We rolled our eyes when we