Page 9 of 27 Kisses

What if I lose him like I lost Emily?

“Apple pie?”

I jump at Lanie’s voice. When I turn around, she’s watching me. It’s hard to believe she’s already sixteen. She has red hair and green eyes like me, but her smile reminds me of her mother. Not that I’ve seen it lately. “You like apple pie.”

She makes a sound of disapproval that only a teenager can perfect. “Why is Uncle Garrett always here?—”

“He’s not always here, Lanie. In fact, the last time?—”

“No, Da,” she says, rolling her eyes. I’m so ready for this stage to be over. “Why does he always come here? We could go to his house.”

Now it makes sense. “This is about Maple.”

“It’s been forever since I’ve seen him.”

“Uncle Garrett?” I ask just to see her head spin. And it almost does.

“My horse. You never listen to me,” she says in a huff as she stomps away.

“Lanie?”

“What?” she asks in a sharp tone. I raise a brow. She dials back the attitude a bit. “What?”

“How did you know Uncle Garrett was coming over?”

“You’re making manicotti and apple pie. Those are his favorites.”

Maybe my daughter isn’t as self-absorbed as I thought.

Our dining room is small, especially compared to the space in the diner downstairs. Lanie sets the table without prodding and I’m immediately suspicious. Is she planning on ambushing Garrett and demanding he take her to see her horse?

Dinner is ready by the time Garrett arrives. He’s changed out of his work clothes. His gray sweater goes perfectly with his dark eyes. Garrett is handsome. Rugged. Which doesn’t make much sense. He’s barely outside. Ruthless?

Strong.

I glance away before Lanie can see me ogling her uncle.

He gives Lanie a hug. Something she wouldn’t let me get away with. It’s apparently not cool to hug your da.

The dinner starts out awkwardly for some godforsaken reason. Garrett and I exchange looks as Lanie picks at her food. Normally, she’d be on her phone. But she’s sitting at the table with us, and that feels like a win to me.

“How’s Maple?”

“He’s good.” His wide smile reaches his eyes. “Daisy is keeping him company, but he misses you.”

Her quick smile drops, and she stares at me. “See? This is why I need to learn to drive. And my own car.”

I sigh, but before I can say anything that will probably end in a fight, Garrett asks about school.

“It’s fine. The only class I like is math.”

He nods. I wait for him to take his life in his hands and ask about the boyfriend, but he doesn’t.

We talk about the diner. And Garrett’s work. It’s stilted as if we haven’t seen each other for months instead of weeks.

“The manicotti is delicious, Aidyn.” His eyes sparkle, and I could get lost in that look if I tried. I grunt a response, not trusting my words. His smile widens.

“Da? I was thinking about staying at Zoey’s.”