Page 107 of Deal Breaker
I turn to her. “What?”
“She said, ‘I think Ford is one of my favorite people. Like you and Grandma and Grandpa.” She gives me a small smile. “Then she asked if that was okay.”
My throat tightens. “She said that?”
Landyn nods. “She likes you. A lot.”
I look back through the glass, where Poppy is twirling near the front of the room.
“Yeah,” I murmur. “The feeling’s mutual.”
“Can Ford come over for dinner?”Poppy asks from the back seat as we pull out of the dance studio parking lot. “Please, Mom? We can have grilled cheese again, and he can see my fort! I made it even better this morning.”
Landyn turns in her seat to look at her. “We’re going to visit Grandma, remember? She’s still at the hospital.”
Poppy lets out a groan and flops her head against the car seat. “But I went to the hospital yesterday.”
“And we’re going again today,” Landyn says gently. “Grandma loves to see you.”
“But I miss Ford,” she says, dramatically putting a hand on her heart like she’s starring in her own little play.
Landyn presses her lips together to hide a smile. “I can stay with her, if that helps,” I offer, voice low so only Landyn can hear me. “You can spend some time with your mom.”
Landyn looks over at me with surprise in her eyes. “You would be okay with that?”
“I wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t.”
She nods a little, like she’s thinking it over. “Hey, P,” she says, turning to look back at Poppy. “Would you like to hangout with Ford for a little while tonight while I go visit Grandma?”
Poppy sits up straighter, eyes going huge. “YES! Yes, yes, yes! Can we have grilled cheese, Ford? And maybe… you can teach me how to whistle better?”
Landyn and I stare at each other with grins on our faces.
“I think that sounds like a pretty perfect evening,” I say, glancing at Landyn. “I happen to be very good at whistling.”
Poppy claps in her seat, practically vibrating with excitement. Landyn looks at me and something unspoken passes between us. Relief, maybe, or gratitude.
And for a moment, everything else—every trace of anger and guilt, every complicated thought and unanswered question—melts away.
THIRTY-NINE
Landyn
It’s been a week since Ford spent his first afternoon alone with Poppy, and somehow, everything feels…normal. Easy, even. I can’t quite wrap my head around the fact that he’s part of our life—not just mine, but Poppy’s too. Not that long ago, that felt impossible.
Poppy’s in the kitchen with me, standing on a stool beside the island and stirring a bowl of pasta sauce. She’s humming under her breath, hair tied up in a messy bun. She’s thrilled because Ford’s coming over for dinner. Again.
I was surprised at how readily I agreed to leave them on their own together. They haven’t known each other for long, and I’m not used to being without her. But Ford didn’t hesitate when he made the offer, and Poppy was over the moon about it. I still felt the pull of guilt when I left the house, but I didn’t have any second thoughts about it.
When I returned home a couple of hours later, there was an even bigger fort in the living room and the two of them were curled up underneath it under a canopy of fairy lights. Poppy was nestled into the crook of his arm, her head on hischest, one of his big hands resting gently on her back. She was sound asleep, and he was watching her like she was the most precious thing he’d ever been entrusted with.
And something inside me cracked open.
He kissed the top of her head without waking her before climbing out of the fort and left the house with a look in his eyes I couldn’t shake. Poppy talked about him nonstop for the next two days.
As for the grilled cheese sandwiches, apparently, Ford’s were just as good as mine. Poppy had been very clear about that.
The rest of the week flew by. Work has been busy. Poppy’s schedule has been packed. My mom’s getting better—still not quite herself, but home from the hospital and feeling better every day. And Ford has been there through it all.
