chest. He stepped into the bathroom, talking as he bent to fetch the spray can of bubbly bathroom cleaner, which felt half empty. “Of course I’m not mad,” he assured Chloe. “It’s clear that you made a mistake, but I’m betting it was only because you’ve never cleaned a bathroom before.”
“Nope,” Chloe agreed, still shaking.
Jeb finally allowed his laughter to erupt. Giving the can a brisk shake, he commenced with spraying the mirror again with snowy white and then turned on a trickle of cold water. “Well, sometimes, the only thing to do when you mess up is to make the best of it. So I think we should have a little fun.”
“Fun?” Chloe squeaked, but Jeb felt the tension ease slightly from her frame.
“Fun,” he assured her. “Let’s draw pictures!” He started by drawing a small heart in the foam. Then he rinsed his fingertip in the water. “Your turn.”
Chloe stared up at him, her eyes still shadowy with fear. It occurred to Jeb that her father might have sometimes lulled her into believing he wasn’t angry, only to turn on her when she relaxed. The thought nearly broke his heart.
“It’s okay,” he said in a low voice. “Take your turn. I promise nothing bad will happen.”
With a still-shaky hand, Chloe drew an arrow through the heart.
“Cupid’s bow? Very good,” Jeb said. Next he drew a fair replica of his dog’s head, floppy ears included.
“Bozo!” Chloe giggled. “You forgot his melting lips!”
“You add them,” he encouraged. “But rinse off first or you’ll smear our picture.”
The little girl drew what Jeb could recognize as jowls by using his imagination, and then she added zigzag lines dripping from Bozo’s bottom lip.
“Drool!” Jeb said with a chuckle. “That tells me you’ve been treated to one of his string-slinging moments.”
Chloe nodded, looking up at Jeb with large, innocent brown eyes. Searching her expression, he saw wonder and incredulity that he wasn’t mad at her. In that moment, Jeb knew he was a goner. It was far too easy to lose one’s heart to a child, any child, but a little girl like Chloe, who’d been mistreated, didn’t merely worm her way into a man’s affections. She crashed right through all his defenses.
* * *
Amanda turned her back and walked away so Jeb and Chloe wouldn’t see her tears. She wasn’t sure what kind of reaction she’d been expecting from this man, but she’d never in her wildest dreams thought that he’d turn the bathroom debacle into a game to make her daughter laugh. In the kitchen, after grabbing a paper towel to wipe her face and blow her nose, Amanda washed and dried her hands, and then began slicing the still-warm bread. From the other room, she could hear Chloe giggling and Jeb laughing. Amanda knew Jeb had worked hard all morning, and she found it extraordinary that hecould muster the energy during his only break before dark to make a child feel better.
When man and girl entered the kitchen, Amanda had a platter of warm bread, plates, and a saucer of butter on the table. She was filling bowls with stew when Jeb nearly startled her out of her shoes with, “Holy smokes, homemade bread? Oh, man! That smells so good I could almost swallow my tongue. My machine-made stuff isn’t the same.”
“Mommy’s bread is the best!” Chloe exclaimed.
Amanda heard chairs scrape as they seated themselves. Then Jeb said, “Let’s pretend this is our appetizer. We can say the blessing before we eat our stew.”
“I like the heel,” Chloe said.
“No,” Jeb said with an exaggerated note of complaint, “I have dibs on
all
the heels.”
Amanda suspected that Jeb hoped for some verbal sparring from Chloe, but cowed as she’d been for most of her life, she quietly said, “Okay, you can have them.”
Jeb chuckled. “I was teasing, Chloe. We’ll share the heels.” Silence. “Amanda, are you a heel lover, too? Chloe and I can divide them up into thirds.”
Amanda found herself
“Nope,” Chloe agreed, still shaking.
Jeb finally allowed his laughter to erupt. Giving the can a brisk shake, he commenced with spraying the mirror again with snowy white and then turned on a trickle of cold water. “Well, sometimes, the only thing to do when you mess up is to make the best of it. So I think we should have a little fun.”
“Fun?” Chloe squeaked, but Jeb felt the tension ease slightly from her frame.
“Fun,” he assured her. “Let’s draw pictures!” He started by drawing a small heart in the foam. Then he rinsed his fingertip in the water. “Your turn.”
Chloe stared up at him, her eyes still shadowy with fear. It occurred to Jeb that her father might have sometimes lulled her into believing he wasn’t angry, only to turn on her when she relaxed. The thought nearly broke his heart.
“It’s okay,” he said in a low voice. “Take your turn. I promise nothing bad will happen.”
With a still-shaky hand, Chloe drew an arrow through the heart.
“Cupid’s bow? Very good,” Jeb said. Next he drew a fair replica of his dog’s head, floppy ears included.
“Bozo!” Chloe giggled. “You forgot his melting lips!”
“You add them,” he encouraged. “But rinse off first or you’ll smear our picture.”
The little girl drew what Jeb could recognize as jowls by using his imagination, and then she added zigzag lines dripping from Bozo’s bottom lip.
“Drool!” Jeb said with a chuckle. “That tells me you’ve been treated to one of his string-slinging moments.”
Chloe nodded, looking up at Jeb with large, innocent brown eyes. Searching her expression, he saw wonder and incredulity that he wasn’t mad at her. In that moment, Jeb knew he was a goner. It was far too easy to lose one’s heart to a child, any child, but a little girl like Chloe, who’d been mistreated, didn’t merely worm her way into a man’s affections. She crashed right through all his defenses.
* * *
Amanda turned her back and walked away so Jeb and Chloe wouldn’t see her tears. She wasn’t sure what kind of reaction she’d been expecting from this man, but she’d never in her wildest dreams thought that he’d turn the bathroom debacle into a game to make her daughter laugh. In the kitchen, after grabbing a paper towel to wipe her face and blow her nose, Amanda washed and dried her hands, and then began slicing the still-warm bread. From the other room, she could hear Chloe giggling and Jeb laughing. Amanda knew Jeb had worked hard all morning, and she found it extraordinary that hecould muster the energy during his only break before dark to make a child feel better.
When man and girl entered the kitchen, Amanda had a platter of warm bread, plates, and a saucer of butter on the table. She was filling bowls with stew when Jeb nearly startled her out of her shoes with, “Holy smokes, homemade bread? Oh, man! That smells so good I could almost swallow my tongue. My machine-made stuff isn’t the same.”
“Mommy’s bread is the best!” Chloe exclaimed.
Amanda heard chairs scrape as they seated themselves. Then Jeb said, “Let’s pretend this is our appetizer. We can say the blessing before we eat our stew.”
“I like the heel,” Chloe said.
“No,” Jeb said with an exaggerated note of complaint, “I have dibs on
all
the heels.”
Amanda suspected that Jeb hoped for some verbal sparring from Chloe, but cowed as she’d been for most of her life, she quietly said, “Okay, you can have them.”
Jeb chuckled. “I was teasing, Chloe. We’ll share the heels.” Silence. “Amanda, are you a heel lover, too? Chloe and I can divide them up into thirds.”
Amanda found herself
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