Page 14 of Size Game

“Yeah! Yeah! Come have dinner, Claire!” Sadie exclaims with her newfound energy.

“I guess that’s a yes.”

Alex smiles at me. “Do you need a ride?”

“Yes,” I smile with a subtle smirk that makes him blush a little.

We get into his car, and his driver takes us right to his home. It’s a lovely ride around the city. The houses start getting more and more extravagant until the car finally stops in front of a lovely three-story brownstone.

I look at him in disbelief. He just shrugs and gets out of the car with Sadie in tow. I follow him up the steps into the house. There is an immediate smell of a home-cooked meal, and I get a sick feeling in my stomach. Maybe he found someone else.

Sadie runs right in, and we dawdle after her. I feel immediately better after we round the corner and see an older Hispanic woman in the kitchen.

“Nanny Melda!” Sadie exclaims, giving the woman a big hug.

“Reinita!” She exclaims back, scooping up the young girl and kissing her cheek. Then she looks up at us. “Ay, señor, you didn’t tell me you were bringing home apareja.”

“Imelda,” Alex says in a clearly embarrassed tone. He goes to her and gives her the kind of hug you would give your mother. Then he tells her something that I can’t hear.

I look around his home. Although extravagant, it’s surprisingly simple. It’s clear he cares for his nanny and his daughter. He has a few photos of the three of them out and about in the city. There are a few pictures of just Imelda’s family hanging on his walls.

Without thinking I wander into his living room off the kitchen and look around at the décor and pictures. There is a lovely-looking fireplace with a bunch of pictures, knick-knacks, and an urn on the mantle. I admire the photo of his late wife sitting next to the urn. He really did love her.

Imelda sets the table and serves food for everyone, then hugs Alex and Sadie. She smiles at me and gives me a smaller hug. Then she grabs her purse and happily leaves. Alex pulls out a chair for me and then for Sadie before sitting down himself.

“Where did Imelda go?”

“I told her to go have a nice evening on me,” he says without even a hint of hesitation.

We eat and Sadie tells us all about her day at the park yesterday with Imelda. Then she goes on and on about the pony that Daddy is going to get her someday. Alex and I exchange a glance at that one. He’s clearly told her “someday” on the pony and not “no.”

Then she starts telling me about her Uncle Phil and how he takes her to the movies and they play video games together. From the conversation I gather that she likes the shooting games. Alex keeps pretty quiet and lets Sadie and I talk with one another.

After dinner, Alex gathers the dishes and heads into the kitchen to wash everything. Sadie grabs my hand and pulls me upstairs to go see her room, and I willingly follow. She shows me her favorite pony toy and her favorite princess dress. She shows me something else, followed by another toy, again and again. She’s adorable.

I don’t know how long this has been going on, but now I’m having a tea party with Sadie, her pony, a doll, and a teddy bear. She pours the imaginary tea and starts a conversation with the teddy bear. So, I play along and start talking with the doll. The ear-to-ear smile on her face is just priceless.

Alex taps me on the shoulder and I almost jump out of my skin. I had kind of forgotten he was even here.

“Sadie, it’s time for bed.”

Without a second thought, she drops what she’s doing and heads to the bathroom to brush her teeth and get her pajamas on with a cute little “Yes, Daddy.”

I get up off the floor and stretch. He chuckles at me and leans against the wall.

“Do you do this with all your clients?”

“I’m sorry. This was an important business meeting. Trotters and I were having a very serious conversation about cake flavors,” I say, motioning to the toy pony sitting at the little plastic table.

Alex laughs. Sadie comes running back into the room in her nightgown. Alex scoops her up and gives her a big kiss. Then he tucks her into bed and gives her another kiss.

“Good night, Sadie.”

“G’night, Daddy. G’night, Claire!”

“Night.”

We leave the room, and he shuts off the light and closes the door most of the way. We head back downstairs, and he offers me a glass of wine. I accept, and he pulls out a rather expensive bottle of rosé. He pops it open and pours us each a glass. We retire to a couch in the living room and get comfortable.