Page 10 of Reluctantly Yours

He rolled his eyes, and I already knew the answer before I asked the question, but I wanted him to see how pointless that would be.“That almost defeats the purpose of having a nanny, doesn’t it?”he asked.

“I see what you mean.”I slid a pair of baking sheets into a cabinet and gently closed the door.“But there must be something I can do to make you more comfortable.”

“What was with the baking sheets, anyway?”he asked.

“Oh, we baked cookies earlier.”I gestured toward a jar on the counter and lifted the lid to reveal the chocolate chip goodness inside.“There was an arts and crafts fair in the park, and I fell in love with it.So did Sofia.She begged me to buy it.It wasn’t that much, so I figured it couldn’t hurt anything.”

He tipped his head to the side, studying the brightly painted jar with its snowflakes and smiling snowmen.“It’s June, and you bought a Christmas cookie jar?It looks ridiculous with everything else.”

Ridiculous was taking it a little too far, but again, I absorbed his negativity with a smile.“It made Sofia happy, and it’s cute.It’s not a Christmas jar, either,” I pointed out.“There’s no Santa Claus on it.”

“Jesus Christ,” he muttered.“Can you please clear with me before you make interior decorating decisions?”

The last time I checked, it was just a cookie jar.I hardly thought it qualified as an interior decorating decision.“Of course.I’ll clear that with you from now on too.”

“Dammit!That’s not… just don’t buy anything at all.All right?She sees something she likes?Guess what?She’ll see something else she likes five minutes later.And as for playing baker in my kitchen,” he continued.“She gets enough sugar as it is.”

“I understand the finer points of childhood nutrition,” I murmured.“And if it makes you feel any better, I used bananas in the cookies to cut back on the sugar.There’s hardly any in it at all.You should try one,” I offered, pulling a cookie from the top of the pile and holding it out.

He looked at it like it was poison.“You’re not getting the point.”

I understood the point clearly.That was what he didn’t understand.Taking a bite of the cookie, I chewed slowly while he watched.“I don’t think this is getting us anywhere,” I mused.“It might be better if we take a break, then come back when you have a better idea of what it is you need from me.I’m only here to do my best for Sofia.I’m sure you know what that is, being her father.”

He waved his hands, scoffing.“Fine.I wanna grab a quick shower before dinner, anyway.I’ll order the pizza.Go see what’s taking Sofia so long.”

I held my tongue rather than reminding him I could’ve been doing that if it hadn’t been for him throwing a tantrum over lunchtime tacos and cookie jars.After his childish performance, hanging out with a four-year-old would be a refreshing change.Some people were determined to be negative no matter how many blessings their lives were full of.

“Sofia, sweetie?”I called out on my way down the upstairs hall.“You ready for dinner?”

I caught her kneeling in front of the play castle that took up one corner of her spacious bedroom.Her dolls were lined up against the front wall, waiting for their hair to be brushed while she attacked the frizzy curls of the doll in her lap.“Hey, there.How come you’re not washed up?”I asked.

“I got busy.I don’t need to wash.I already did when we got home,” she reminded me.

“Your dad wants you to, and I think it would be a good idea.”

“I.Don’t.Need.To.”She was at a simmer and ready to boil.It had been a long, busy day, and she was feeling cranky, much like her father.

“What can I do to convince you to do this?”I asked, approaching slowly.

“Nothing.Dolly’s hair… I have to do Dolly’s hair.”She wasn’t interested in listening, that much was clear.Lifting her head, she added, “You can’t make me.”

“Where is this coming from?”I asked.

Lifting a shoulder, she went back to her work.“I’m busy.”

Was she playing grown-ups now?Was that the game?Acting like her very busy father?Or was she simply worn out and overstimulated?I got the feeling it was the latter, especially considering the way her voice quivered a little.

“Why don’t we do this?”Sinking to my knees, I gently removed the doll from her hands and put it aside.I then took her hands and waited for her to meet my gaze.“Why don’t you take a little time, think about it, and then let me know what it is you need from me.It can be hard coming up with a way to say what we’re feeling inside.Right?”

“Yeah.”She sniffled.

“I’m here to listen whenever you feel comfortable talking, but I can only listen if you use your big-girl words.”I tucked a curl behind her ear, patting her cheek.“You’ve had a pretty busy day.You’ll probably feel better once we have dinner.Maybe we’ll watch a movie before bedtime tonight.One of the ones Mr.Lex brought over?”

Her eyes lit up, and she nodded.“Yeah!Can we watch it in my room?”

“Sure.”Because something told me Travis might not be the type who wanted to cuddle together while watching a movie.It didn’t seem like his thing.Otherwise, I might’ve suggested he join us.Sofia would’ve loved it, though, and it would’ve been nice to see him take the stick out of his tight butt and loosen up a little.

His idea of loosening up was probably ordering pizza.Sure, it made her happy, but it was only a pat on the head.Or, like a Band-Aid, it wouldn’t really solve anything.

---