Page 63 of My Mistake To Make

‘Hello, I’m Bowie Campbell. I’m four and a half years old.’

I lower my knee to the grass to come to eye level with the little girl and take her hand.

‘Hello, Bowie. I’m Cara, and do you want to know a secret?’

Her brown eyes sparkle as she nods, and I lean in, lowering my voice.

‘It’s my birthday today.’

‘It is?’ She beams, and I nod, yes.

‘Yeah. I’m thirty. That’s really old, isn’t it?’

She giggles and covers her mouth with her hand, then leans in to whisper in my ear.

‘Not as old as my dad.’ I chuckle at the mischief in the little mite. ‘You sound like Merida.’

I grin. ‘I do, don’t I? I’m not as cool as her, though. I can’t shoot arrows, and my mum is not a bear.’ She laughs. ‘But, we come from the same place.’

Her shoulders come up to her ears as excitement pours out of her that I know who Merida is. The Scottish Disney princess? You better believe I know her.

‘Bo, do you need to go to the bathroom, honey?’ Doug asks, and the panic straightens her expression as she seems to remember she’s pretty desperate.

‘Come on.’ He sweeps her up into his arms and carries her toward his truck.

‘Where are you taking her?’ I ask, and he looks behind his truck, and I glare at him. ‘Don’t be ridiculous. The bathroom is installed and working, right?’ He nods, and I roll my eyes, then point to the house. ‘Take her inside.’

I stand and watch as the man I was so worried about seeing carries the daughter I didn’t know he had into the house I’m yet to move into, and I shake my head. How my life has changed.

‘I’ll take her home. I’ll make up the hours tomorrow,’ he says when they come back downstairs and meet me in the kitchen. I shrug.

‘Up to you. Having her here is not a problem as long as it’s safe for her.’

He eyes me curiously for a moment.

‘Merida,’ Bowie says as she pulls on my shirt, and I crouch down to her. ‘Do you want to read my books with me?’

My heart melts, and I look back up at Doug. ‘Do you need to leave, or do you still have work you want to do today?’

‘I don’t want to impose.’

‘That’s not what I asked.’

He inhales deeply and huffs it out.

‘I have stuff to do. The flooring for the other bedrooms is coming in tomorrow, so there’s prep I need to get done.’

‘Then get it done. Bowie can show me these books of hers.’ I smile at the little girl.

‘Cara…’

‘Get back to work, Doug. You’re interrupting girl time.’ I wink at Bowie and let her take my hand to lead me back to her little blanket set up on the porch.

‘Thank you for being so understanding. She likes you,’ Doug says after strapping Bowie into her car seat and closing the door. I nod and step back.

‘It’s fine.’ I hear the change in my tone. Gone is the playful Disney princess I’ve been all afternoon. Instead, I’m wary, protective—risk-averse.

‘Okay.’ He nods just once, then climbs in his truck and drives off, and I turn to look at the house. My house. The house I can move into.

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