Page 7 of One Touch

“Dad!” It was a clumsy attempt to make her laugh, but it half worked.

“Seriously. They’d have to cancel the wedding.”

“I wanted to wear my new sparkly dress.”

“No chance. Didn’t you hear about the dress code? All black. Probably not even allowed to smile.”

“And Vlad was going to play music. I like music.”

I snorted. “Wouldn’t describe it as music. Noise, maybe.”

“Do you think they’re married yet?”

“Probably. I give it a month.”

“What does that mean?”

I paused for a second and tried to be diplomatic. “Well honey, there are different types of people in this world. You’ve got people like Lily, who’s kind, hard-working, and sweet-natured. Then . . . you’ve got people like Vlad.”

“Losers? Scrubs?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Your words, not mine. All I’m saying is that I’m sure, sooner or later, when the ‘romance’ hasrun out, Lily will realize what type of person Vlad really is. She’s smart.”

“So you’re saying she needs someone who’s hard-working and kind and all that stuff?”

“Sounds like she needs someone like you,” Ava said innocently.

I felt my cheeks redden, surprised by my own reaction. “That’s not . . . I mean, Lily’s getting married, sweetie.”

Ava’s eyes lit up. “Daddy’s embarrassed!”

“I’m not,” I protested, but my daughter’s delighted giggles told me she wasn’t buying it.

I found myself wondering what Lily was wearing today. She wasn’t in black, surely? I pictured her tall and slender physique in a silky white dress, her copper-colored hair falling in ringlets around her shoulders, her sky-blue eyes shining with happiness. I pictured her scrunching up that adorably freckled nose as she said her vows, looking out at Vlad from behind those sexy secretary tortoiseshell glasses.

Jesus, what was my problem? Was I just fantasizing about Lily because she was so clearly off-limits? Maybe I just liked her because she’d always been so kind to me. After Marie died, she brought round all kinds of healthy meals and snacks for me and little Ava. Kept saying she was “heartbroken” for us. Yeah. It was her kindness that was making me blush right now. Just her kindness.

“Daddy’s got a cru-ush, Daddy’s got a cru-ush!” sang Ava.

“Only type of crushing around here is what I do to little girls who tease me!” I grabbed Ava and she giggled as I pretended to squeeze her.

“Stop it!” she laughed.

“Never!” It was so good to hear her laugh, but I relented. “Now, I need to do these stripes, okay? I wanna finish before Gramma Susie arrives to take you to jujitsu.”

Susie was my stepmom. She taught jujitsu at the local community center. Ava adored her.

“Fine.”

“Good luck with the reading.”

She huffed. “I wish reading wasn’t invented.”

“You’ll get there. And remember, it’s okay to make mistakes. It’s how we learn.”

“I wish mistakes weren’t invented, too.”

I headed back over to the car. For a moment, I wondered what life might be like with someone like Lily in it. Not Lily, of course, but someonelikeher. I shut down the thought immediately. After losing Marie, I couldn’t even risk entertaining the idea of a relationship that might not last.

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