Page 117 of The Single Dad

“So polite! You’re going to give that fish a great home. Did you promise your mother you’d take care of him?”

Archie gives me a confused glance over his shoulder.

Flustered, I shake my head. “Oh, I’m not his mother. I-I’m just the nanny.”

Just the nanny. As soon as the words come out of my mouth, they start to sting.

“Ah.” The woman nods politely, though she wears an awkward grimace. “I see.” She gives Archie a last, fleeting smile. “Well, good luck with your fish.”

She moves on down the aisle. I watch her go as Archie returns his attention to the aquarium decorations, a strange sadness making me feel empty.

Eventually, Archie chooses some plastic driftwood and an underwater plant for his fish to hide in. With the tank and the food already picked out, we’re ready to go. We check out and head home.

For the entire ride back to the Sullivan house, Archie stares, wide-eyed, at the tiny creature floating in the cup he’s holding.

The betta’s fins are slightly withered, and its scales are dull, but I’ve heard that this is pretty common for a pet store betta. With a little time in a big enough tank, it’ll begin to shine brilliantly once more. Archie is enamored with it regardless of its looks, anyway.

As Archie gets to know his new fish, I can’t help but turn over the interaction with the older customer in my head. The weird feeling it gave me hasn’t faded; in fact, it’s only intensified in the time since we left the store.

I’m not Archie’s mother, but I am getting pretty attached to him. And the fact that someone mistook me for his mom… well, it takes me down mental pathways I’d already promised myself to avoid.

It makes me think about what I really want, in my wildest dreams—the things I won’t even allow myself to admit.

Back at home, Archie and I set up the fish’s little tank, filling the bottom with bright blue pebbles and carefully placing the driftwood and plant inside. We fill it up with water, then, finally, let the fish get accustomed to its new home.

We set it up in the living room, on a low table where Archie can reach the lid to feed it. He gives his fish its first pinch of multicolored flakes.

“Remember,” I tell him, “you’re responsible for this little guy, so you need to make sure you remember to feed him, okay? Later in the week we’ll learn how to clean his tank.”

Archie nods rapidly, bouncing up and down in excitement. The fish starts to pick at the food, which delights him even more.

I tiptoe over to the couch, staying out of Archie’s way as he runs through the house, thrilled. He stops to check on his fish every few minutes, exclaiming at everything the little creature does. It hides in the stalks of the undersea plant and swims circles around the driftwood.

When Cole comes home, I meet him in the foyer. From the other room, we can both hear Archie’s shout. “He’s blowing little bubbles!”

Cole raises an eyebrow. “Today was fish day?”

“It sure was,” I say, nodding. “I gotta warn you, before you come in—he’s very excited about the fish. We’re on a twenty-four-seven fish lockdown.”

Cole cracks a fond smile. “Oh, I bet.”

He hangs up his jacket in the closet, then steps toward me. His hand brushes my upper arm, and I feel a tingle of excitement in my chest, a sudden burst of energy to rival Archie’s.

Then Archie’s voice calls out again, and Cole moves away from me quickly.

“You have to come meet him!” Archie demands. He stands in the doorway to the living room, his cheeks a little flushed. He’s still as excited as he was earlier, but he’s starting to look a little strung out; I figure he must be tiring himself out.

“Of course,” Cole says. “Let me come say hi to the newest member of the Sullivan family.”

God, what’s wrong with me? Why am I getting jealous of a fish?

I follow the two of them into the living room, where Cole bends down to inspect the tank. “It looks good,” he says approvingly. “You did a good job choosing. What’s his name?”

“Swimmy,” Archie says. He’s much less exuberant than he was earlier; he sounds almost subdued. “Swimmy Sullivan.”

“That’s an excellent name. I love the alliteration.”

Normally, Archie would be curious enough to ask Cole what alliteration meant. Right now, though, he doesn’t respond at all. He seems uncomfortable; there’s some sweat on his brow.

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