Page 74 of Embracing the Change

Therefore, now, he was delighted to have it back.

He cleared his throat and remarked, “I think you get your mission was accomplished with Nora and me.”

“Yeah,” she mumbled.

“You okay with that?”

She lifted her head and tipped it to look at him. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I’m just checking.”

“I like her.”

“I hope so.”

“I like her, Dad.”

He used his free hand to touch her nose as he smiled at her. “You’ll always be my girl.”

She looked away.

Damn.

“Dru?” he called.

“I know.” She sighed and put her head back on his shoulder. “I’ll always be your girl.”

He caught her hand in his hold and bounced it once on his knee. “I mean it, Dru.”

“I know you do.”

She sounded despondent, and Jamie didn’t like it.

He hadn’t had a lot of time for her the last two days, considering everything that was happening.

He should have found it.

“You’re worrying me a little bit, honey,” he said.

She moved her head to look at him again and whispered, “She got Mom’s roses.”

And his chest tightened again.

“You remember that?” he pushed out.

“I’ll never forget it.”

“You’ve known Nora awhile, and you haven’t mentioned it. I thought, since it was an emotional time, it slipped your mind. And since it was an emotional time, I didn’t want to remind you.”

“I wasn’t…” She trailed off and looked to the trees. “Wanna hear something stupid?”

“I want to hear anything you have to say, but I doubt it’s stupid.”

She looked back to him. “You’re right. This isn’t stupid. But it’s…weird.”

“I’m sure it’s not.”

“Okay, then maybe a little creepy,” she mumbled.

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