Page 71 of Roommate's Guide to Love

“That’s true. But sometimes the danger is inside the house, and a fence doesn’t help with that.”

Yup. It’s confirmed.

She’s a witch.

Though I think by living with Porter, I’m the one about to get burned.

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porter

When I was askedwhat I wanted to be when I grew up, my answers would vary. Football player. Fireman. Garbage man. I think I even went through an astronaut phase.

But no matter what I said at any given age, there was one thing they all had in common—none of them required wearing a suit to work.

And after spending all day in the only suit and tie I own at a family law office, I now know that seven-year-old me was right.

Suits are the worst.

“Hello? Where’s everyone at?” I walk through my front door, immediately loosening the tie and kicking off the most uncomfortable shoes known to man. Quinn doesn’t answer me, but I do hear noises coming from the kitchen.

As I make my way there, tossing my jacket over the couch so I can roll up my sleeves, I let the information that I got today run back through my mind.

I knew, even with Missy’s letter, that it wasn’t going to be easy gaining custody, though it did help. What I didn’t realize is how long it’s going to take, or the hoops I’m going to have to jump through to make sure that Grace is taken care of. But I’ll jump through a hoop of fire into a pit of snakes if it means that little girl stays with me. She might only have been here for a few weeks, but she already has me wrapped around her little finger.

I never wanted a family, which stemmed from not wanting to get married. Being a child of divorce, and having a mother who had no problem leaving you, does that to a guy.

But over the past week, I’ve been reminded how much family doesn’t have to be blood. And the best ones rarely are. It can be extended family that helps out in a pinch. It can be the found family at the bar you own who has taken it upon themselves to decorate and fence off a corner of the bar for your niece to have as her play area.

And it can be the woman who stepped up when she didn’t need to, helping you in ways you never thought imaginable.

The woman who’s currently having a little dance party in your kitchen, trying to entertain your niece before dinner.

“All right Gracie, here’s what we got tonight.” I lean against the doorframe of the kitchen as I watch Quinn bargain with a ten-month-old. “We’re doing peas. Now I know you’re probably going to hate them. Let’s face it, they’re gross. But! If you eat the peas, I’ll buy you your first car. Deal?”

Grace’s confused face is loud and proud as Quinn scoops a little bit of peas onto a spoon. My smile is big as I watch her lean down, doing her best to coax her mouth open. Grace opens, and I see the moment Quinn thinks she’s won.

But after two swirls around her mouth, I watch it play out in real time.

“Shit!” Quinn yells and I start chuckling as Grace furiously swats the spoon out of Quinn’s hand, making the peas go flying. If she was playing basketball, it would be an impressive block.

Note to self: Get her a mini basketball hoop.

“Don’t you laugh, mister,” Quinn says as she does her best to wipe the pureed peas off of her face. “We tried prunes today. And you’re going to be on diaper duty tonight to make up for the fact that I did every meal today.”

“Fair enough,” I say as my laughter dies down. “I take it we can put peas on the no-fly list.”

“It’s currently her most hated food. Though that can be said about most green veggies.”

I grab the dry erase marker to add peas to our list that we’ve been keeping of foods that Grace has vehemently rejected, which right now include mashed potatoes, eggs, green beans, and now peas.

“We’ll find something,” I say as I look over the six-foot-white board that I mounted on an empty kitchen wall. “At least she likes some vegetables. That has to be a win, right?”

“We’ll take what we can get. Oh! And add squash to the yes column. That was a hit during lunch.”

I do as Quinn says, while internally patting myself on the back for this idea. The last week has been a whirlwind in so many ways. One of the biggest ones that neither of us realized was that we knew nothing about Grace, in terms of her likes or dislikes. We didn’t have ten months to get to know her, or even know what she’s tried. So we’re starting from scratch.

Which is why I came up with the board. That way even if one of us isn’t here, it’s an easy way to let the other know what the goods and bads are. What a new habit is. Little notes for when we play tag to and from the bar. With as much information as we’re both dealing with right now, anything I can use a cheat sheet for, I’m going to do it.

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