Page 16 of The Maine Event

Chloe, however, doesn’t care about my reservations. She steps forward, arms crossed like she’s already decided for me. “You should come,” she insists. “Dad’s really good at it.”

Dan smirks at her confidence in his storytelling abilities. “She’s not wrong,” he says, tilting his head toward me. “I do voices and everything. If you’re lucky, I might even let you read a character or two.”

I let out a small laugh, shaking my head. “I don’t know… I don’t want to interrupt?—”

Chloe groans dramatically. “Youwouldn’tbe interrupting.” She turns to her dad. “Tell her she wouldn’t be interrupting.”

Dan chuckles, setting his glass down. “You wouldn’t be interrupting.”

I sigh, defeated by their combined insistence. “Fine,” I say, standing. “But if this turns into some impromptu theater production, I’m not responsible for any secondhand embarrassment.”

Dan grins. “Oh, trust me, you won’t be the one embarrassed.”

Chloe groans again, already making her way up the stairs. “Dad,pleasejust read normally tonight.”

We follow her up, and I feel a little out of place as I step into Chloe’s room. It’s full of personality—books stacked on anightstand, fairy lights draped around the bed frame, a few well-loved stuffed animals pushed to the side. The walls have posters of singers and anime characters I don’t recognize, wedged in between photos of what looks like school trips and summer adventures.

Chloe climbs into bed, pulling the blankets up to her chin as Dan grabs a book from the shelf. He flips it open and clears his throat dramatically.

I take a seat on the floor by the doorway, trying to stay as inconspicuous as possible, but the second Dan starts reading, I realizethatis not going to happen.

Because he doesn’tjustread.

Heperforms.

Complete with character voices, exaggerated expressions, and over-the-top dramatics, he brings the story to life like a seasoned stage actor. Even though Chloe is clearly growing out of these bedtime stories, she still adores them.

She rolls her eyes, groaning at some of his sillier antics, but her giggles betray her. “Dad, come on,” she mutters when he makes one of the characters sound like they’ve inhaled helium.

“What?” Dan says, feigning innocence. “This ishowthe royal wizard speaks. It says so right here in the subtext.”

Chloe sighs dramatically, but she’s smiling. I find myself biting my lip to stop myself from laughing as he goes on, somehow managing to make a generic adventure story sound like an award-worthy performance.

By the time he gets to the final page, Chloe is clearly fighting sleep, her eyes fluttering slightly even as she tries to keep up the pretense of being unimpressed.

Dan softens his voice for the last few lines, closing the book with a quietthud.

I watch as he reaches out, brushing a few strands of hair from Chloe’s face, tucking them gently behind her ear.

It’s such a small gesture. Simple. Unremarkable.

But something about it makes my chest tighten.

“Goodnight, kiddo,” he says.

Chloe hums sleepily in response, already halfway to dreams.

Dan stands, quietly setting the book aside before glancing over at me, a knowing smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“Well?” he whispers as we step out of the room. “Told you I was good.”

I shake my head, still smiling, as we make our way back downstairs.

“You’re ridiculous,” I say.

Dan and I find ourselves on the back porch, nursing mugs of steaming coffee wrapped in a couple of Dan’s heavy winter coats and an unbelievably soft blanket he appropriated from the living room sofa.

“She’s a remarkable little girl,” I say softly, breaking the stillness. “You’ve done an incredible job raising her.”

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