Page 23 of Single Dad's Christmas Cookie

The kitchen was full of silence.

“So, that’s your mother?” Nova said. “I understand quite a bit now.”

“Pardon me?”

“Your mother and Amelia.” Nova nodded in the direction of the door they had left through. “I can see why Amelia craves your attention.”

My mother had been in the kitchen for less than five minutes…

Nova raised her eyebrows at me. “It’s not my place to say, Bryan.”

“But you’re going to tell me anyway.”

She smiled and looked up to the side with a little shrug. “I guess I am. Is she always like that? Because telling a six-year-old that someone who is paid to work for them isn’t their friend isn’t exactly a nice thing to do. Amelia told me her after school nanny is the cook’s daughter.”

I nodded. “Yes, she’s the cook’s daughter. She’s in high school.”

“Well, Amelia says that she’s her friend. And if Amelia thinks somebody is her friend, that person is her friend. It’s not your mother’s place to say because somebody’s being paid doesn’t mean they’re not friends. Does Amelia have friends?”

“You mean, like at school?”

“Yes, at school, after school, on weekends? Does she get to play with kids her own age?”

I thought about it and I couldn’t remember a time recently when Amelia had played with someone her age. “Well, she goes to parties for her classmates.”

“The entire classes are invited to that, right?” Nova asked.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Your daughter needs friends and she needs to know that people who are paid to care for her can still be her friends. I would like to be her friend. You’re not paying me for my affection. You’re paying me to be responsible. The affection just happens.”

“Oh, the affection just happens?” I asked.

The pink tinge of a blush colored her cheeks.

“You know what I mean.” But she couldn’t meet my gaze.

“Do I, now?” I couldn’t resist teasing her. I liked that she was being protective of my daughter.

“We’ll need you to serve dinner in the formal dining room this evening.”

“I suspected, as much,” Nova said.

“There aren’t any of these Christmas decorations in there?” I asked, gesturing at the popcorn and cut up paper mess on the other side of the kitchen.

Nova shook her head.

“Have you decorated any other parts of the house?”

“No, just the kitchen. Amelia would like some decorations up in her bedroom, and I was wondering, would it be okay if we put some garlands around the stair railings? It would really make the house more festive.”

“I think that would be a nice idea,” I said.

The smile she gave me went straight to my balls. Yeah, I was going to be a sucker for this woman while she was in my house. “We could use a little holiday cheer around here, but um, definitely, please do not put any in the dining room before dinner tonight.”

“I don’t have time to decorate your dining room. I’m still making dinner, and now I have to make sure all the eggs get properly put away since my counter has left.”

“What were you doing?” I asked.

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