Page 19 of Dr. Single Dad

We’ve finally emptied the car and I’ve convinced Callie to go home, despite my room being utter chaos. All I need is a bed to sleep in tonight. The rest will sort itself out over the coming days.

There’s a knock at my bedroom door and Carole pops her head around. “I’ve put Guinevere down and I’m about to serve up roast chicken. Come and eat.”

It’s very sweet of her, but I don’t expect to eat with the families I work with. In fact, I prefer not to. It’s difficult because I live in, but I like to try and keep a professional distance. Otherwise boundaries can start to blur on both sides. “That’s so kind, but?—”

“I won’t hear no,” she calls from halfway back to the kitchen. “Come quickly or it will get cold.”

I don’t want to upset her, so I set down the box I was just carrying and follow her.

Before I get to the kitchen, I can hear Dax whispering. “She might not want to eat with us, Mum. Can’t you just leave it?”

Dax hasn’t come across as particularly empathetic, but maybe I’m wrong. I have a feeling there’s a lot more to Dax beneath the surface.

“Nonsense,” Carole replies.

I open the kitchen door before their conversation escalates to an argument.

“This is so kind,” I say.

Carole hands me a plate. “Not at all. You’re going to be looking after my granddaughter. It’s the least I can do.”

I’m struck with the realization that I’ve not actually seen Dax with his daughter other than at the park after Doreen collapsed. “Is she a good sleeper?” I ask.

“Yes, in her room. The temporary nanny seems to have her in a routine,” Carole answers, even though I was looking at Dax when I asked the question. “Help yourself. We’ve carved up the chicken so you can take whatever you want.”

I take a leg and some broccoli and sit down at the reclaimed table at the end of the kitchen, feeling every kind of awkward. “Guinevere’s a week old? Is that right?”

“Eight days,” Dax answers.

“Nine days ago, nobody knew anything about her.” Carole shakes her head, exasperated, and Dax sighs.

Had he been keeping Guinevere a secret from people? Is she a surprise adoption? Was she left on the doorstep? I can barely contain my curiosity so I keep my eyes on the chicken and try not to blurt out eleven questions at once.

“But she looks just like her father. There was no need for that DNA test.”

“Mum. Please. Eira has barely moved in. She doesn’t want to know all my dirty secrets.”

“Don’t you dare call my granddaughter a dirty secret.”

Dax puts his knife and fork down and pushes his chair back from the table, then stands and heads to the sink. “I didn’t callGuineverea dirty secret.”

“Can you believe it?” Carole looks at me. “Had the law been different in America, we might never have known we had another member of the Cove family.”

“But we do,” Dax says.

“You seem completely indifferent, Dax. Do you know how close you came to never knowing you had a daughter? That woman had no intention of telling you.”

Dax comes back to the table with a glass of water for himself and one for me. It’s thoughtful and kind and…unexpected.

“Thank you,” I say as he sets it down in front of me.

“You’re welcome,” he replies as his mother continues to seethe opposite him.

The tension builds and I try desperately to think of a way to make things right. “But Guinevere’s so beautiful. Hopefully that makes up for any difficulty.”

Carole grabs my arm. “Yes, we should focus on the good. And not worry that her mother was going to give her up for adoption without even telling Dax.”

I try not to physically recoil when I hear her words, but it’s difficult.

---