Page 26 of Wood Riddance
“Cool. My dad always makes me watch tall-girl sports. Like basketball and volleyball. I think he wants me to feel good about being the tallest kid in my class, but I really don’t mind.”
“Good,” Adele said firmly, offering her fist for Merry to bump. “Being tall is awesome.”
The smile that spread over Merry’s face made my stomach clench. She was positively vibrating with excitement. “Do you like donuts?” she asked. “We brought donuts. I want to make sure my dad makes lots of friends at his new job.”
“That’s so sweet of you,” she replied. “And smart. Your dad isn’t great at making new friends, is he?”
“Hey.” Despite my protestation, Merry and Adele laughed, not even bothering to turn my way. And I liked it. Maybe a bit too much. The tall, gorgeous, badass woman conspiring with my daughter against me. What should be terrifying was actually pretty adorable. Shit. My crush was not going to get any easier after this.
Adele spun, ready to head to her office from the looks of it, but she stopped and peered at Merry over her shoulder. “There’s someone else you should meet.” She let out a whistle.
That damn dog came running in response. “This is He-Man.”
The tiny demon dog trotted over and stopped a few feet away. He looked up at me and let out a small growl, his teeth peeking out from between his gums.
I could barely hear the sound, though, because Merry let out an ear-piercing scream. “Ooh. Oh my God, I love him. He’ssocute. Can I pet him?”
She was on the floor before I could warn her that Cujo had fangs. But to my relief, his response to her affection was to lick her face rather than attack like he had when I’d met him.
“Ilovehim.”
“Good,” Adele said. “You can keep him company for me. I have a lot of work to do, and he gets angry when I don’t play with him.”
I caught her eye, surprised she’d finally allowed herself to look my way, and gave her a head nod, grateful for her kindness to my daughter and her willingness to understand my predicament.
“Can I give him some of my donut? This one has bacon on it.”
Adele dipped her chin. “Sure, but only a small piece.”
Merry ran happily toward the donuts with He-Man yapping at her heels.
“I’m really sorry,” I said, raking a hand through my hair. “She didn’t want to go to camp this morning, and I wasn’t sure whether this would be okay with you.”
She regarded me for a moment, almost as if she’d forgotten I was still here. “It’s fine. She’s way less annoying than you are.”
And then she turned and walked away without another word.
And I couldn’t tear my eyes off her.
* * *
After a quick meeting with Henri and his forestry consultant, I headed back to the shop. Merry had been given strict instructions to stay inside my closet-sized office. We’d brought along a book, her iPad, and an arsenal of snacks, so I figured she’d be entertained for the thirty minutes I was gone.
Though when I stepped into the tiny space, she was nowhere to be seen.
I did a lap, looking for her behind large equipment. Eventually, I worked up the nerve to check Adele’s office, and that’s where I found her, curled up on the love seat, asleep. He-Man was in her lap, his head nestled in the crook of her arm.
Adele was sitting at her desk, her hair in a knot on top of her head, typing furiously on her laptop.
My stomach dropped. “I’m sorry,” I said, striding toward Merry. “I hope she didn’t bother you too much.”
Adele shook her head and turned her gaze on me for an instant before going right back to the screen in front of her. “No bother at all. She’s cool. Must get it from Alicia.”
Dropping into the chair on the other side of her desk, I watched her work. Tiny wisps of blond hair curled at the nape of her graceful neck. She wore a gold pendant that looked like two intertwined gears.
“Done staring?” she asked, directing her attention to me again.
I coughed. “Yeah. Thanks for this.” I held out a hand, indicating my sleeping daughter.
