“It’s okay.” More than okay, because her heart ached for him. “You have Sadie now?”
“I do. She’s mine and somehow I’ll make everything okay.” He glanced down the hall again, then turned to her. “She’s been through a lot, so I appreciate your patience, especially with her less-than-warm welcome.”
“Like I said, she’s precocious...and pretty darned adorable.”
“Right?” He smiled with her, but as their gazes held, his smile slowly faded. “Deb, my ex, crashed with her in the car. Drunk. Leaving town because it was my turn for a vacation. I actually passed them on the road, turned back...and found the car wrapped around a telephone pole.” Remembered fear darkened his eyes; he worked his jaw and whispered, “Swear to God, it took ten years off my life, not knowing at first what I’d find.”
Autumn could only imagine, given that her heart beat double-time just hearing about it. “Sadie...?”
“She was in the back seat, luckily buckled in, shocked, bruised and crying, but thankfully okay. Unfortunately, Deb didn’t survive.”
Emotion squeezed her lungs. “No child should ever have to go through that.”
“On that we agree.” He looked stricken, then gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Jesus, I haven’t seen you in forever and here I am dumping my life history on you, when I usually don’t talk about it at all.”
She wanted to tell him that he could talk to her anytime, but as he said, they hadn’t seen each other in years, and he hadn’t know her well when they did. “I don’t mind.”
“You did such a great job distracting her that I guess I just—”
The sound of Sadie’s running footsteps shut them both down.
Tash gave her another long look, then went back to the stove and busied himself, his shoulders set in a tense line as Sadie skidded back in, anxious to hear more about the animals.
Autumn found it hard to swallow.
More than anything, she wanted to haul Sadie close and hug her silly. Instead, giving Tash a moment to himself, she shared one funny story after another.
When Tash set a plate in front of her, she balked. “Really, I don’t mean to impose. If you want to tell me what I’m designing, I can take some measurements while you eat and then, when you’re done, you can let me know what you have in mind.”
“You have to eat with us,” Sadie insisted. “I want to hear about the dog that had only three legs.”
Distracted, Autumn promised, “We found a wonderful, loving home for him. Other dogs and cats, too.”
“Did you name them all?” Sadie asked.
“My sister and I can’t seem to resist. But sometimes they come to us with names. When they do, we don’t change them.”
Again giving her that funny, pleased-but-confounded look, Tash said, “If you have the time, we’d love for you to join us. It’ll give Sadie a chance to tell you what kind of bedroom she wants.”
“That’s what I’m designing?”
He nodded. “And a play area in the spare bedroom. Maybe a swing set outside, too?”
Clearly it was news to Sadie. The little girl looked stunned.
“Oh, fun!” Already Autumn looked forward to spending more time with Sadie. She adored kids, always had. Getting close to adults was difficult for her, but kids, with their frank manners and zest for life, won her over without even trying. “Kids rooms and play areas are my favorites.”
“Perfect.” Gesturing at the food, Tash said, “Dig in.”
So far this visit was everything she hadn’t expected, and nothing that she’d worried about. “Okay, sure. So, Sadie, while we eat, why don’t you tell me what kind of bedroom you want.”
Sadie shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“So what are your favorite colors? Favorite toys or cartoons?”
“Hmmm...baby blue,” she announced around a mouthful of crunchy taco. “I like rainbows and unicorns.” She paused, thought, then added, “Glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling and glitter.”
Tash went comically still. “Um...” He looked to Autumn.
She had a full mouth, too, but she quickly nodded, letting him know it was okay. For years now she’d been managing the combined expectations of kids and parents, finding a moderate compromise that pleased them both.
She reached for her portfolio with her free hand. After swallowing, she rifled through it and withdrew a big printout for another bedroom she’d done.
“What about something like this?” She turned the paper and pointed to the very sweet girl’s bed with a flexible canopy overhead. “The stars could go here, on the canopy, so that they’re closer to you at night. The bedding can be unicorns instead of mermaids, and the rainbow can be accomplished with curtains. What do you think?”
Relieved, Tash let out a breath. “That looks amazing. What do you think, Sadie?”
“I like it,” Sadie hedged, “but it needs more color. Lots and lots of color.”
“Most definitely,” Autumn agreed. “Just leave it to me.”
* * *
The process of designing everything Tash wanted took several visits over the next week. On one visit, she interrupted his work on the computer, but he didn’t seem to mind. She only got a glimpse before he closed the screen, but it appeared to be internet advertising. Fascinating.
On another trip, she found Tash and Sadie at a backyard tea party, sitting on a floral tablecloth, drinking from tiny cups and eating cookies at least twice the size of the miniature plates they were on. Yes, she ate a cookie.
Or two.
And she even drank some juice from the cup.
It was extremely nice that his work allowed for impromptu backyard picnics. In a very short time, she’d already realized that Tash made spending time with his daughter a big priority.
When Sadie wandered off to pick wildflowers, Autumn had quietly asked him about the restrictions of his job.
He explained that he wanted the summer to help Sadie get acclimated to her new life. While watching his daughter, he said, “Time enough to really build my new business after she starts back to school.”
“Ah, so it’s a new business.” While she spoke, she strolled the yard, thinking about possibilities. A number of large trees provided shade to the back of the house, but also complicated things. Where to put the play area so it could be aesthetically pleasing, blending with the trees instead of competing with them?
“I was a partner in an advertising firm before coming here.”