Page 13

“I will,” Liv promised, and then the line went silent.
The back door to the practice opened, and Brenda called, “There’s a kid here with a broken arm, Fletch. It looks bad.”
My heart quickened, and I got the focus I always needed in an emergency. Time to get to work.
* * *
Around five o’clock,Liv and Maya came into the office, and since my last appointment didn’t show up, I brought them to the picnic table in the backyard and we sat around the table with our milkshakes and fries.
Maya was in a different outfit than I left her in this morning, and there was a streak of mud at her hairline, but other than that, she was all in one piece, and so was Liv.
I had never felt so relieved.
“Maya,” I said, “can you go find some flowers to set out on the table at home? I think I saw some marigolds in the far corner over there.”
Maya got up from the table and ran to the corner of the lot, giving me some space to talk to Liv. “How was she today?”
“This morning was rough,” Liv said. “She dumped her breakfast on the floor and trashed her room, so she needs to clean those up when we get back, but she did good today. She was shyer around Tyler and Henrietta, but then she warmed up and we had some fun.”
My lips spread into a smile. “You’re a miracle worker, Liv.”
She shook her head, worry in her eyes. “There was one other thing.”
My chest constricted. “What do you mean?”
Liv bit her lip, glancing to Maya, who was coming our way with a handful of yellow flowers. I took them from her saying, “Those look great, Maya.”
She smiled proudly.
“Do you think we should get some white ones to go with it?” Liv asked.
Maya nodded and went back in search of more flowers.
It had only been one day, and Liv was already getting on with Maya better than my last six nannies. But the way Liv looked, I could tell something was wrong.
“What is it?” I asked.
“I gave Maya fifteen dollars for working so hard today, and she said something that worried me.”
“What was it?”
Liv bit her lip, looking over at my little girl and then back to me with wide blue eyes. “She said maybe if she made enough money, her mom would come back.”
It was like a punch to the gut. Even a year after her mom left, Maya was still holding out hope. Even with the lack of calls and visits. I felt like the shittiest dad in the world because I had chosen Maya’s mom, even worse knowing she left because of me.
“Thanks for letting me know,” I finally said.
Liv nodded. “I’m sorry for giving her money. I didn’t know that’s why she’d want it.”
I shook my head. “How could you have known?” I looked up at our new nanny, a woman who’d only been here for a day but had already seen so much. “I’m failing her, Liv.”
Liv reached across the table, putting her hand on my arm. The warmth of it almost brought tears to my eyes, and I looked down, blinking quickly, before pulling my arm away. “Come on, Maya,” I called. “Let’s head home.”
Liv looked confused. “Do you want me to meet you at the house?”
I shook my head. “You have the evenings to do as you please.”
Her nod was jerky. “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”