“God damn you,” he muttered. “Why are you so good to me?”
“Because you need me to be. Point me in the direction of your broom and I’ll get this glass cleaned up, too.”
He hesitated before disappearing inside. The music shut off and he reappeared a moment later with a broom in hand. War shoved it at me and gave me a quick peck on the cheek, mumbling something about not making a mess in his kitchen before waving for me to come inside.
I swept up the glass before going back to the truck.
Lettie crossed her arms over her chest, watching me carefully as I got Charlie out. “When were you gonna tell us you were dating Charlie’s doctor?”
I winced. “Sorry, Punkin. I was waiting for the right time. We’ll talk about it later, okay? Be nice to War. He’s having a bad day.”
I hustled the kids inside and glanced around at a house that was clearly not set up for kids. There were all kinds of breakable and dangerous things within Charlie’s reach. To keep her busy, I went into the living room and set up the playpen and dumped her toys in there. She fussed a bit until I handed her the old tablet I’d bought last Christmas. That thing would keep her busy for hours.
The shower kicked on upstairs, and I took that as a sign that Lettie and I should get busy. I set her to work grating the cheese while I searched the kitchen for a pan to cook the ground beef in.
“Daddy?” Lettie asked as she grated the cheese, “are you a gold digger?”
“Am I awhat?” My jaw dropped and I stared at my daughter.
She gave me one of her famous eye rolls. “I’ve seen enough TV to know plastic surgeons make a lot of money.”
“Girl, no more TV for you.” I shook my head. “You get that idea out of your head. First of all, we’re not poor. We’re just in a rough spot right now. Second…” I leaned in to whisper. “I ain’t dating him for his money. Come on, what do you take me for?”
She shrugged. “Smart? Why work hard when you can marry rich?”
Lord have mercy. Where did she get this shit? “Maya, I’m tryin’ I swear, but your girl’s gonna be the death of me,” I muttered, turning my eyes toward the ceiling.
“I’m just sayin’,” she said with a shrug.
I waved the wooden spoon at her. “Don’t you ever say that to him. Toanybody. It’s rude.”
“So you’re in love with him?” Lettie pinched some cheese and put it in her mouth.
I froze. Was I? It seemed a little soon for that word, but how else was I supposed to explain it to Lettie.
“I like him,” I said. “A lot. So be nice.”
It was a good forty minutes before War made it back downstairs in fresh clothes. His face didn’t look splotchy and his eyes weren’t red anymore either. You’d never know he’d been crying, and he’d never admit it.
He stopped in the kitchen doorway and glanced between me and Lettie before saying, “Hi.”
“Almost done setting up the taco bar,” I told him, setting the bowls in a line on the table. I stepped back and admired how nice and neat everything looked. I’d tried not to make a mess and to keep everything tidy. “I, uh, wasn’t sure what you liked on your taco, so I brought a little bit of everything.”
He frowned, eying the setup. “I’m not sure either. I’ve never actually eaten a taco.”
“What?” Lettie looked at him like had two heads. “What planet are you from?”
“I don’t eat a lot of red meat,” he mumbled.
“I had a contingency plan for that,” I said and grabbed the last bowl, putting it on the table. “You like shrimp?”
He sighed like he was frustrated, and blushed. “Yes.”
“Good then. It’s settled.”
Lettie gave him a lecture about how to assemble them properly, demonstrating first and then standing over him while he made one himself, earning a B plus from her for his hard work. I was a little worried he wouldn’t like them, considering all his issues around food, but he ate a shrimp soft taco without any issues and a little of my homemade salsa. It wasn’t the best salsa I’d ever made, but he seemed to enjoy it.
After dinner, War dug out a Monopoly board and played with Lettie while I did the dishes and cleaned up in the kitchen. It was nice to have the girls distracted so I could work, but even better was hearing them bicker in the next room about fictional rent.