Page 9 of Take Me to the Valley

“The faster the internet, the faster the gossip,” he says, making us both laugh.

Since we haven’t really talked in ages, we take some time to catch up. He asks about my life away from home and I find out about his career on the force. Before I know it, an hour has gone by, and I’ve set up the coffee machine.

“Have we really been talking for an hour?” I ask, shocked.

“Looks like it. I better go pick up Skye. See you this weekend,” he says.

I'm looking forward to this family dinner more than any other one before it. Maybe I know why, but I’m not admitting it.

Chapter 5

Evan

As I pull into Cody's parents’ place, I park my car and take a few minutes like I do every day to leave work at work and refocus on being present with my daughter. Dealing with this drug case is taking a toll on me, but I have never brought my work home before and I don't plan to start now. Thankfully, Maggie and Don understand and will keep her occupied until I walk through the door. They are heaven sent. Not only do they watch her for me after school, but they help her with homework. For now at her age, it’s mostly reading and spelling words.

Once I feel like I've fully left work at the office, I step out of my car and go inside. I don't knock. When I was a kid and knocked, I’d get in trouble because Maggie would tell me I was family, and family doesn't make her get up from the couch to open the door for them.

“It smells like cookies!” I call out, opening the front door to the delicious smell of Maggie’s chocolate chip cookies filling the air.

“Daddy!” Skye squeals and comes running to me from the kitchen. “We made cookies for a snack, and I got to mix and lick the spoon!”

It’s pretty obvious because there is flour on her shirt, and chocolate smeared on her face.

“She didn't have homework today and got a one-hundred on her spelling test, so I thought we'd celebrate.” Maggie greets me with a kiss on my cheek as I walk into the kitchen.

When I set the lunch box Maggie insists on packing me on the counter, she takes it and packs leftovers from whatever they had for dinner last night in it. I then put it in the fridge so later I can take it home and have it for lunch at work. She claims to prepare it for me because she can't cook for just two and feels bad about it going to waste. I think it's her way of taking care of me, and I let her do it because Maggie is the best cook I know.

“That's amazing, princess! Way to go on your spelling test! We have to stop at the grocery store on the way home How about you pick out what you want for dessert tonight?” I set her on the kitchen counter and grab a paper towel to clean her up.

“Anything?” She asks, excitement in her voice.

I pause because I know a setup when I hear one. But she's seven so how bad can it be?

“Within reason,” I say to cover my bases.

“I want one of those unicorn ice cream sundaes Nana and I saw on the TV yesterday,” she says.

The happy excitement on her face is something I’d do almost anything to see, but I have no idea what she is talking about so I look over at Maggie who is on her phone.

“Unicorn Sundae? Do they sell them at the Whiskey River grocery store?” I ask.

“You have to make it, silly,” Maggie says, showing me a video on her phone.

The unicorn sundae is more sugar than Skye gets in a year combined. It’s a chocolate coated waffle bowl, not a cone, but a bowl that holds six scoops of blue, pink and purple ice cream. The ice cream is topped with bright blue frosting and glitter sprinkles. Then, if that’s not enough sugar, a large lollypop is stuck in. To make it look like a unicorn, they’ve added candy eyes and candy corn.

“Good lord, who even eats that?” I hand back Maggie’s phone.

“Please, Daddy?” Skye begs.

“Let's see what the store has, and we can make a much smaller version with one scoop of ice cream,” I say, attempting to compromise.

“See, I knew you wouldn't say no!” Skye jumps off the counter and runs to get her backpack and I know I've been played.

“She asked me yesterday, and I said you would tell her no. Heck, I would have said no,” Maggie laughs and starts putting the cookies away.

Once Skye has all her things and goodbyes are said, Maggie reminds me once again that tomorrow is picture day and to make sure Skye dresses up. Finally, we are out the door.

On the way to the store, she tells me all about her day. How she had pizza for lunch, and we should have spaghetti for dinner so she can keep the Italian theme going. She tells me how her friend Becky’s family has plans to go camping in Yellowstone and when can we go to Yellowstone. Then she asks twenty questions about Yellowstone and makes me promise to take her this summer.

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