Page 67 of Hearts Aweigh
Spencer gladly passed the purse to her and returned to the tent. Madeleine was sitting in the beanbag chair with her knees hugged to her chest.
He stopped in front of her. “Is that better?”
Madeleine shrugged.
He ran a hand through his hair. “Okay … I guess … I’ll go back outside.”
A whimper stopped him.
Spencer tamped down his impatience. Most parents complained because their children wouldn’tstoptalking. He lowered the tent flaps to block out the other passengers and approached his daughter in much the same way he had the frog. Quietly. Not wanting to spook her. He lowered himself to the empty beanbag.
Should he pat her back? Hug her? Tell her not to be frightened?
Where was Abby? He needed an expert opinion.
Spencer cleared his throat. “I put the frog outside. You’re safe now.”
“I’m scared.” The tremor in his daughter’s voice pricked his heart.
“Scared of what?”
The wind kicked up, and Madeleine’s head jerked. “It might come back.”
“You don’t like frogs?”
“One time,” she tugged a blanket closer, “when I was little—”
Spencer pressed his lips together. It wouldn’t be right to laugh at his grown-up five-year-old daughter. Not when she was confiding in him.
“A frog jumped on my arm.”
He shifted his body so he could see her better. “Where were you?”
“In the park, with Nanny Margaret.”
“And she didn’t help you?”
“She was on the phone.”
His jaw clenched. Why were all these expensive, highly vetted governesses so undependable? He forced his mind back to the present moment and his frightened daughter. How could he set her mind at ease? From somewhere deep in his subconscious surfaced a childhood memory of someone holding him and singing a silly song. He couldn’t recall who it was, but he remembered feeling comforted. It was worth a shot.
“I know the perfect thing to do when you’re scared.” Spencer reached over and patted her silky hair twice.Awkward.He dropped his hand back on his lap.
Her rounded eyes stared up at him. “What?”
“Sing a song. Do you like to sing?”
Her lips pursed, and her nose scrunched. “I don’t know.”
“Would you like to try?”
“Yes.” Madeleine blinked. “Which song?”
It was one question after another. Why was this parenting thing so hard? He tried to remember a children’s song. Any song. What was the one about the rain?
“Ah”—he slapped his knee with his hand—“I’ve got it.” Spencer cleared his throat and looked around the tent. “Frog … frog …”Please, God, don’t let anyone outside hear me.“Go away.”
Changing an old nursery rhyme to fit the situation.Not bad, Masterson.
