Page 17 of Follow My Heart

I watched him as he continued up the sidewalk and into the house. When he closed the front door, I said, “I think I was dismissed for the night.”

“You want to walk with us?” Faith asked.

I glanced at Ryder, not wanting to interrupt his time with his daughter, and when he nodded, I said, “I’d love to.”

CHAPTER 5

RYDER

Iwas riding the high of Faith agreeing to going to a cooking class with me. When Faith asked after a dinner of cheese quesadillas if we could practice riding her bike, I’d said yes.

I wanted to spend more time with her, and for now, she seemed to want that too. Maybe she missed me more now that I didn’t live with her. Whatever the reason, I was going to soak up every minute I could with her.

I didn’t even think about the fact that Violet might be visiting with her grandfather. It was a nice surprise, and that Faith asked her to walk with us was an extra bonus.

She wore the same navy T-shirt dress with white sneakers she’d worn at the shop. It hugged every curve and looked amazing when she had been shaking her hips to the music earlier today. Her hair was pulled back into numerous complicated braids that ended in a simple ponytail.

It wasn’t like I was seeking her out. Except for today at the shop.

We’d gone on a boat tour and were close enough to Violet’s shop that it made sense to go to hers. Plus, her ice cream was good. Who else served Fruit Loop flavor? Not that I liked it, but it was still neat.

Faith pushed the pedals riding ahead of us on the sidewalk.

“She’s doing great on the bike,” Violet said as we watched her ride.

“It was all you.”

Violet smiled. “It was nothing.”

“I think Faith was embarrassed that she’s so old and didn’t know how to ride. She didn’t want other kids to see her struggling. So moving off the sidewalk and to the park was the push she needed.”

“I’m glad I could help.” There was a bounce to Violet’s step I hadn’t noticed before.

“Are you sure you want to take time on your day off to teach us how to make ice cream?”

Faith stopped walking and placed a hand on my forearm. “Actually, you’re helping me. I was looking for a way to share what makes my shop unique. And hosting classes would be perfect. Faith gave me the idea, and I can use my meeting with her to tweak ideas for a group class.”

“You came up with all of that this afternoon?” I asked, impressed by the way her mind worked.

“When I get a business idea, I brainstorm the possibilities and research them. Then I implement it. If it doesn’t work, I’ll try something else.”

“Wow. A true entrepreneur. Not afraid to fail.”

“I’m still afraid. I just know there’s no wins without trying something new.”

Faith stopped at each intersection and glanced over her shoulder at us. I was working on giving her more freedom, so I let her go ahead. It was hard to release the fear and worry, the things I’d seen on the job. “The other ice-cream shops better be on their game.”

Violet grinned. “You’re sweet.”

I wanted to say not as sweet as you or your ice cream, but that would make me sound like a sap. I’d been out of the dating game for a while, but I was fairly sure I’d sound lame. “I’m just happy that Faith wants to do things with me.”

Stacy wouldn’t like that I was taking Faith to cooking classes. She’d take it as an affront to her, like I was criticizing her for not teaching her, when it was something I wanted to do with my daughter.

“I know she’s not a teen yet. But I thought those years were tough. I remember not wanting to do anything with my family. I’d prefer to hang out with friends.”

“You weren’t close to your sister?” I wanted to know more about her.

“My parents were so proud of her, comparing me to her, and I always fell short. I think I grew to resent her.”

---