I shrugged one shoulder. “Sure. It can’t be that hard. You’ve got bananas and pancake mix. Besides, everything is possible with Google.” She gave a little laugh and I wanted to hold on to that sound forever, just grab it tightly and listen to it over and over again. Instead, I walked to the coffee table to retrieve my phone.
Twenty minutes later I had thrown together Google’s easiest banana pancake recipe and two good-sized pancakes were cooking on the stovetop.
“Were you on a date with my dad last night?” Ruby had been noticeably quiet as I prepared the batter, and I’d let the silence between us linger, unsure of where to start a conversation, so I was completely caught off guard by her question.
“We… were… just spending some time together. No big deal.” I tried to sound airy and light, not at all like we were talking about the huge change Ruby had picked up on.
“He put on his fancy cologne before he left. And you’re wearing a dress.”
I read between the lines of what she was saying, and thanked my lucky stars I was forced to watch the pancakes bubble instead of having to face her. Obviously, Devon hadn’t explained to his children that he was dating, and it wasn’t my business to have that conversation with his daughter. The pancakes made a satisfying sizzle as I flipped them, and then I turned to Ruby.
“Your father and I just enjoy each other’s company. Sometimes it’s good for adults to spend time with other adults.”
Her face didn’t change with my statement, and she continued to watch me, looking as though she was waiting for more of an explanation. Waiting for me to tell her something that would take the fear of change away.
“Are you making us breakfast? Why are you making breakfast? What are you doing here?” Jax’s questions came just as quickly as his presence. Suddenly, he was just there, climbing on the stool beside Ruby.
“Good morning, Jax. I hope you like banana pancakes.”
“We’ve never had banana pancakes before,” he replied, thankfully dropping his previous line of questioning. “But I like bananas, and pancakes, so sounds good.”
I smiled at him, glad things were so black and white for him.
“Where do you guys keep your plates?”
The next few minutes were spent making sure the pancakes didn’t burn, getting plates ready, finding the syrup, and then watching Ruby and Jax take their first bites.
“So?” I asked, curious as to whether the banana pancakes would pass the kid test. Both Ruby and Jax’s eyes rolled closed.
“These are the best pancakes I’ve ever had, Miss Richards,” Jax said, mouth full and with a second bite on its way.
“I’m glad you like it. And tell you what—if we’re not at school, you can just call me Grace.”
He nodded and gave a grunt in response.
“Ruby? How are the pancakes?” She took a moment to think about her answer.
“They’d be better with chocolate chips,” she said just before putting another forkful in her mouth.
“Yeah! Chocolate chips would be amazing,” Jax agreed.
I gave them both a smile. “Next time I’ll be sure to add chocolate chips.”
Chapter Ten
Devon
The sound of talking and laughter coming down the hall was what woke me. My eyelids were heavy, and my body was begging me to just roll over and go back to sleep, but in the last three years, that had never been an option. If the kids were up, I was up.
I remembered coming home the night before after my hasty trip to the drug store in town, walking into a dark house, the only light the moon shining in through the windows in the living room. Grace was curled up on her side, shoes slipped off her feet, cell phone on the floor just below her outstretched hand, indicating she’d fallen asleep while looking at it.
Her hair was spread out on the decorative pillow, her dress covering everything important but giving me a nice look at her legs. She looked peaceful and comfortable, prompting an inner battle; I wanted to move her to my bed and take the couch myself, but I didn’t want to disturb her since she was already asleep. I’d picked up her cell phone and placed it on the coffee table, and then grabbed an extra blanket from the closet and draped it over her carefully, trying not to wake her.
After watching her sleep for a few moments, I finally dragged myself back to my room. In any other situation I would have had a hard time sleeping while Grace was just down the hall, but I’d been exhausted and I hardly remembered actually crawling into bed.
My eyes swung to the digital alarm clock I kept on my bedside table and I had to look twice. It was 10:00 a.m. The last time I’d slept until ten in the morning had been back in college. I flung the covers off the bed, pulled on a T-shirt and jeans from a pile in the corner, made my way to the bathroom, and then out to the living room.
The surprises kept coming as I walked into a scene of Grace sitting on my couch with both my kids, all of them looking at our television, watching Jax play Minecraft.
“Good morning,” I said, still confused, when Grace and Ruby turned to look at me, both of them wearing perfect smiles.
“Grace made banana pancakes if you want some, Daddy. We saved you some. We just have to warm them up.”