Page 55 of Accidental Blind Date

Dax- I will have my girls with me. No need to worry.

I want to just leave it at that. To tell Tess’s older, overbearing sister that they are my kids and I am capable of taking care of them. Even if it didn’t always seem that way. When Tess first died, Jenna helped out…a lot. And I was grateful for that. But since then, she’s made a point of micromanaging our life, slyly slipping parenting advice I don’t need into everyday conversations. Reminding me how often the girls are with her and her husband Brandon when I work late nights. Making me feel like I’m not good enough as a parent.

But I know Jenna. And she’s not going to drop it.

Jenna- I’ll always worry, Daxton. You work late. A lot. I never know if they’ll be staying for dinner, staying the night, or staying the week.

Dax- We are spending time together right now. And I’ll let you know when I need your help.

After the last text, I am done. I shove my phone back in my pocket and turn my attention back to story time. To Libby reading and my girls laughing and everything in the present.

“And that,” she says as she brings the story to a close, “Was another great adventure for Milo the Puppy.”

Everyone claps, me included, and the kids all start moving around, playing with the puppets and the chalk wall, and running back to the kids’ book section to pick out books. Libby is still talking to Poppy and Delilah as I approach.

“This is for you,” she says, handing them the signed Milo book.

“I get to keep it?” Poppy exclaims.

“We have to pay for it,” I say. Delilah reaches up to take my hand, and I squeeze it.

“Don’t worry about it,” Libby waves it off. “It’s a gift. On the house from Way With Words to you.”

“Hooray! Daddy did you see?” Poppy asks, jumping up and down and tugging on my shirt.

“That’s really cool,” Delilah says. “It has her signature and everything. Mommy would have loved it.”

I feel the wind knock from my lungs and Libby just smiles warmly.

“What do you girls say?” I ask.

“Thank you, Miss Libby!” They both chime in unison. Libby laughs and hugs them both.

“We will have to do something nice for Miss Libby sometime in return,” I say.

“She should come over for dinner!” Poppy says.

“Oh, you should,” Delilah adds. “We are having daddy’s famous mac and cheese tonight and it’s THE BEST.”

“Famous, huh?” Libby looks up at me with a small smile. It’s not a coy one. It’s not guarded or laced with a snarky remark. It’s just…a smile. “That’s very nice of you but–”

“You should come,” Delilah says.

“Please come,” Poppy begs.

“Daddy, can she?” Delilah asks.

Both girls are looking up at me. Libby is looking up at me. And I surprise myself.

“You are more than welcome to join us for dinner, Miss Libby.”

Chapter 18

Libby

This can’t be the right house.

As I stare up through the windshield of my Miata that may or may not have a growing crack in it that I’ve back-burnered for months, I take in the three-story house–sorry, make thatmansion– and blink a few times just to make sure this isn’t one of those Zillow Gone Wild sort of things.