Page 28 of Make Your Shot
I screw my lips to the side, absentmindedly chewing on the inside of my cheek as I shake my head once. “It’s the least I can do.”
A soft smile lifts the corners of her lips. “Well thank you. I really do appreciate it.”
“Do you have an allergy?”
“I have celiac disease,” she explains, pursing her lips. “Gluten basically destroys my body. It damagesmy intestines and makes me feel like crap for at least a week.” She pauses, giving me a shrug. “I won’t bore you with all the symptoms, but I have to avoid it completely, along with any possibilities of cross-contamination.”
“How can cross-contamination happen?”
“I have to have my food cooked separately from anything that could contain gluten. No shared fryers and essentially no touching of gluten products. Like if someone makes a sandwich with a knife and then uses the same knife on a gluten free meal, that’s cross-contaminating.”
Damn. I did a little bit of research, but I didn’t know she had celiac disease at the time, so I didn’t read all of that. I store the information in my brain, knowing I need to do some more research to make sure she’s as safe as she can be while in my home.
“I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with that,” I tell her, my voice low as I frown. “That sounds like it could be quite challenging to live with and to comfortably eat in public spaces.”
She lets out a soft laugh, shrugging her shoulders. “Yeah, it is what it is. I’m used to it now and I feel so much better not eating it.” She lets out a sigh. “It creates a lot of trust issues with eating at restaurants. I’ve been accidentally glutened before and it’s horrible.”
“Well, if I can prevent that from happening at my house, I will.”
She gives me a tender smile. “Thank you, Caleb. I appreciate that kindness more than you’ll ever understand. A lot of people don’t understand the actualdamage it does inside your intestines and sometimes think I’m just dramatic by being so particular about food.”
“Absolutely not,” I say, a sharpness in my tone as irritation pricks my nerves. “You have to take care of yourself and advocate for yourself too.”
“You’re so right,” she says, her chin dipping as her eyes meet mine. “No one else is going to look out for me, except for me.”
Something about that statement jabs at my chest. Mia is an adult and can take care of herself. She seems to have a good relationship with her father, so it’s not like she doesn’t have anyone. I just can’t help but wonder where that comment comes from.
Who or what makes her feel like she has no one but herself?
My throat constricts as I let my mind wander further. Mia comes from a single parent household, with a father who has a demanding job and has since she was a child. Even though they’re close, is there some wedge between them? Does she feel like he’s unavailable to her, even though he’s in her life?
Will Tella feel the same way when she gets older?
“I think I’m going to try and get some sleep,” Mia says, breaking through my spiraling thoughts. “I plan on staying up later tomorrow night so I can catch your game.”
“I’ll call tomorrow before dinner.”
“Okay,” she says softly, her eyes searching mine through the screen as the kitchen light flickers off. Herdelicate features glow with the illumination from her phone. “Goodnight, Caleb.”
“Goodnight, Mia.”
Her gaze lingers a second longer before she ends the call. I don’t move for a few moments as I stare at my phone screen, now void of her beautiful face. Mia is nothing more than my nanny, but I feel a weird need to protect her, to make sure she’s safe. I’m sure it just has to do with her being like an extension of Tella.
If she’s safe, so is my daughter.
Surely, there’s nothing more behind it than that...
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
MIA
Tella runs around the perimeter of the pool, holding a big beach ball above her head. She lets out a giggle when her foot slips as she leans around the corner. She catches herself, then her little legs continue to move as her feet keep shuffling.
“Be careful, T!” I yell at her from where I’m wading in the shallow end, pushing a raft in front of me. Caleb’s pool is heated and since it’s a warm afternoon for the fall, Tella insisted we get in because her dad will be closing it soon.
She wasn’t sure what that meant or when it would be, but she knew that Caleb tends to do it before Halloween.
Tella slows down to a walk, although her strides are elongated and there’s a small bounce to her step, as if it’s taking everything she has to not break out into a jog again. She makes her way back to the shallow end and tosses the ball to me. I let go of my raft, catching the ball as she jumps directly into the shallow end.
