Page 49 of The Manny

“Why can’t I come with you?” Mia asked, her bottom lip quivering.

Guilt washed through me at her confused expression. “Because this is a grown-up thing. Percy won’t be there. He’s with his mother today.”

“Oh.” She frowned and glanced at Jack who hovered uneasily nearby. “I’m gonna be alone with Uncle Jack?”

“Sorry.” Jack grimaced. “I know I’m not fun like Thomas.”

“Pfft, you’re perfectly… fun.” I laughed awkwardly. “You two will have a great day together.”

They both stared at me, looking unconvinced.

“It’s just a movie and dinner. I’ll be back before you know it. I don’t want a late night or anything.”

Jack cleared his throat. “Thomas gave me a list of all the things you like to do, Mia. You can look at it and pick what we do first.”

“Really?” She perked up.

“Sure.”

I nodded approvingly. “See, Uncle Jack has this covered.”

“Absolutely.” He smiled weakly.

I bent down and gave a disgruntled-looking Mia a hug. “I’ll see you in a bit. Have a good attitude for your uncle.”

“Okay,” she said quietly.

I straightened and met Jack’s gaze. “You have my cell number if you need anything. Don’t worry about bothering me. It’s no problem.”

“Yeah,” Jack muttered. “I’m sure Aiden would love getting panicked texts from your employer during the movie.”

“You guys come first.”

He looked surprised at my declaration. “Huh.” He headed into the kitchen. “I’ll let you two say a private goodbye.”

Once he was gone, Mia hugged my leg. “I’ll miss you.”

My heart tugged as I patted her little blonde head. “I’ll miss you too. But I want you to try very hard to have fun.”

She bit her bottom lip. “I’ll try.”

I knelt down and met her sad gaze. “Listen, Mia, Uncle Jack is super nervous about today.”

“He is?”

I nodded. “He’s afraid you won’t like him.”

“Really?” She wrinkled her brow.

I tucked a tendril of her hair behind her ear. “Can you do me a favor?”

“Maybe.”

“Give him a chance. Expect the best from him. He’s not used to being around kids, and he’s trying really hard.”

She played with the buttons on my shirt, keeping her gaze down. “He scares me.”

“But why?”

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