Page 15 of The Widower
“Oh, Isabelle…” he sighed. “I’ll be writing a few rules for your daughter for when you have to bring her along.”
“Colin, that’s really not nec—”
“It’s that or you’re out.”He stopped, giving me a second to think. “So, what’s it gonna be?”
I thought about it, though the idea of my daughter having rules didn’t sit right with me. If his so-called “ten commandments” were already harsh on me, imagine what they’d be like for a sweet kid who always tries to see the good in everything?
“Fine.”
“Good.”
Colin disappeared for several minutes. When he finally came back into the room, he pinned a note—apparently meant for Hanna—to another table. Then he stepped closer to me.
“Show it to Hanna before she leaves,” he said, walking away. But his quick, long strides told me everything—he didn’t want to stick around to see my reaction after reading whatever he’d written.
He had to know I’d be upset about it, so of course, he bolted.
I walked over to the table and froze when I saw the paper.
A pink sheet. With a teddy bear on it.Seriously? Am I hallucinating?
Rules for Hanna
1“When you get hungry, just find Helen—she’ll give you whatever you want, whenever you want it.”
2 “There’s a little playground in the backyard, and whenever the day feels dull, you can go out there. My son, Joshua, spends a lot of time there—you two can play together.”
3 “Your mom has a lot of chores around the house, so you probably won’t see her much during the day. If you need anything, just talk to Helen—she’ll call your mom if there’s ever a problem.”
4 “There are a few areas in the house where people aren’t allowed to go, so please stay out of those, okay? I promise you’ll get chocolate every single day!”
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The note had actually turned out kind of sweet—sappy, even, if I’m being honest.Nothing like mine, which had been a complete roast from start to finish.
I’d explained to my daughter what she could and couldn’t do around the house, and then I “introduced” her to the note.She smiled a few seconds later when one particular word caught her attention.
“I get chocolate every day I come here?”
“That’s what you focused on?”I asked, but Hanna didn’t even acknowledge the tone in my voice.
“Uh-huh.”
I shook my head, laughing softly. My daughter only remembers what’s convenient for her—I should’ve seen that coming. I glanced at the clock and realized the afternoon had flown by.
In a few minutes, we’d be heading out, and honestly, I felt relieved that I still had my job.
As we walked down one of the hallways, I spotted Colin moving from one room to another. Of course, I had zero intention of talking to him—but the tiny chatterbox next to me had other plans.
“Bye, Uncle Colin!” she called out, waving.
Once again, Colin froze like he’d been hit with a wave of memories. Even so, he walked toward us, crouched down to her level, and gave her a wide smile. And if that smile was fake, he was doing an impressive job of hiding it.
What universe am I living in?
“Good night, Hanna. Take good care of your mom,” he said, glancing at me from head to toe, clearly irritated.
Of course Colin had to slip in some kind of jab—especially since I’d been messing up left and right lately. Best to keep quiet, improve over time, and not get myself fired in the meantime.
“Okay,” Hanna said.
