“Nope, but there’s no time like the present to give it a shot,” I said and picked up a throw blanket from the edge of the sofa.
“I can’t believe that worked,” I said quietly after we successfully moved Brinkley to her room.
“I’m glad it did,” he smiled. “My wife was a petite woman, and you’ve met my son; he was never small.”
“I’ll definitely be using that trick again,” I said, suddenly aware of how close together we were standing in the hallway.
“Well,” I said and pointed to the door across the hall. “Here’s the guest room. There are some extra pillows and blankets in the closet. And you know where the bathroom is. Let me know if you need anything else.”
“Thanks, Mackenzie. I’ll be fine.”
“Goodnight, Bear,” I said and reluctantly closed the door. Even though I was exhausted, I didn’t want the evening to end.
4
Iwoke up well before the sun rose and quietly made my way to the kitchen. After watching Mackenzie make coffee the night before, I knew where everything I needed was and helped myself to a cup.
“Good morning, Mr. Bear,” Brinkley said several minutes later, effectively scaring the shit out of me.
I jolted in surprise and almost choked on my coffee. “Uh, good morning,” I coughed. “You kind of scared me.”
“How? I didn’t say boo.”
“You’re right,” I laughed. “You didn’t.”
She climbed into the chair beside me at the kitchen table. “Can you make breakfast?”
I wasn’t sure how to answer her. Yes, I was fully capable of making breakfast. For myself. But I didn’t know what she could have or if she had any allergies. “Maybe we should wait for your mommy,” I suggested.
“Okay,” Brinkley happily agreed, much easier than any other hungry child I’d encountered.
I figured out why moments later when she carefully slipped out of her chair and ran down the hall to Mackenzie’s room. “Mommy! It’s time for breakfast! We’re waiting for you!”
Mackenzie materialized several minutes later with Brinkley in tow. “Morning. I hope she didn’t wake you.”
“She didn’t. I’ve always been an early riser.”
“I wasn’t, but she is, so I begrudgingly became one.”
“Mommy, can we have your crunchy toast for breakfast?” Brinkley asked.
“French toast,” Mackenzie corrected. “And yes, you can have it for breakfast.” She turned to me. “Do you want French toast, or would you like something else for breakfast?”
“I’m not picky. I’ll eat whatever you’re making.” After the questionable things I’d eaten over the years, I considered anything that wasn’t prison food a treat.
While Mackenzie got started on breakfast, I made a cup of coffee and placed it on the counter beside the stove where she was cooking. “Want some coffee?”
She glanced at the mug and back to me before repeating my words from the night before. “I’ll never say no to coffee.”
“Good answer,” I winked and returned to my seat at the kitchen table.
“How’s it look outside?”
“About the same as it did when we went to bed. Maybe a little more on the ground.”
“I hope it doesn’t last long. If I have to drive anywhere today, I’d at least like to do it with a full set of tires.”
“I think this will be gone by early afternoon, but I can have a prospect bring over a loaner car from the club until you get your tire fixed.”