Page 24 of Suddenly Entwined

Her face sours.

“Carolina, is it?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing at all.”

I watch her go, stepping back to avoid the spray as she peels out of the lot.

***

I lean against the edge of the tub, legs stretched out in front of me on the bathroom floor while the girls bathe before bed. My daughter doesn’t have a scratch on her, and that’s thanks to Carolina. I don’t know what got into Louisa, climbing over the fence like that. Yeah, both my girls are kinda wild and free, but putting themselves into dangerous situations isn’t like them. She pouted with her arms crossed tight over her chest as I cleaned up the party and apologised profusely to the farm owner. Tamara is on the top of my shit list. And when I think of Caro? Well, I hate the fact that she’s downstairs alone after leaving the party with her tail between her legs. She didn’t have a damn thing to be embarrassed about. I scoop up a handful of bubbles from the surface of the girls bathtub and plop them down on top of Louisa’s hair.

“What am I gonna do with you, hmm?” I ask her playfully.

She’s still a little sullen, and I’d guess she’s embarrassed too. You don’t have to be a seven-year-old girl to know that getting covered in mud at your own birthday party isn’t exactly what she’d envisioned.

“Highs and lows?” I ask, even though we’re not at supper.

“Can your high and low be the same thing?” Lou asks.

“Sure.” I shrug.

“Then my high and low is my birthday party. I was having a lot of fun…and then I wasn’t.”

“I know, honey.”

Natalie rests her elbows on the tub, rivulets of water dripping over the edge. “Please don’t marry Milly’s mom.”

I sputter on a sip of my beer. “I’m sorry, what? Why would you say that?”

“She’s always giggling when you’re around,” Natalie answers. “And you invited her to the party.”

“Yeah.” Lou presses her lips together, crossing her soapy arms over her chest. “I didn’t make her an invitation.”

Obviously, something has gotten lost in translation here.

“I already explained that I didn’t mean to invite her. And of course we aren’t going to get married!”

“She wants to marry you with chicken!”

I choke down a laugh, because I know that to the girls, this is serious.

“That’s only the name of a recipe. It’s like…the chicken is supposed to taste sooooo gooood,” I hold my arms out wide, “that you want to marry the person who made it because they are such an excellent cook. Don’t worry, I’m not planning on marrying anyone at all. I’ve got all the girls I need.”

Bubbles slide off Natalie’s head, her wet lashes framing her eyes. “Anyone? Ever?”

What did I do to deserve the third degree tonight?

“Well, ever is a long time. Do you…want me to date someone?” I reach into the tub and twist the plug.

The girls understand the concept of dating and girlfriends and boyfriends. They were pretty excited for Chris even thoughmoving in with Anna took him away from living downstairs. I’ve been on maybe three proper dates since Trudy passed away, and I can honestly say that trying to get into a relationship with someone has been so far off my radar, it’s on another planet. I go from the job site, to the kids’ school, to home. I don’t even know where I’d meet someone. The right person would need to respect my past and be able to build a future with a family that already exists.

“Someone nice.”

“And pretty.”

“And who likes colouring,” Lou adds.

---