“About a billion things come up when I Google my dad Jasper!” she said happily.
This was how she’d taken to referring to Jasper. As “my dad” didn’t feel entirely right, and neither did “Jasper.” Together they’d become a brand-new honorific.
“Honorific” made Eden immediately think of Gabe, which caused her heart to sort of clunk painfully in her chest. She shoved that thought away.
“Sweetie, I know you’re really curious. How about we Google him together for about ten minutes or so a night whenever you get curious, so that when you have questions I can answer them for you.”
Annelise was nobody’s fool. She tipped her head and studied her mom.
Who was still rather incriminatingly breathing a little heavily from her mad dash.
“Okay,” Annelise said. Brightly and a little too easily.
Eden sighed and plopped down on the old love seat across from the computer desk. If Annelise wanted to know something, there were ways to do that when her mom wasn’t looking over her shoulder. Not all of her friends’ moms policed the internet at their houses. She was a good kid, but she was also really resourceful and more than a teensy tenacious when it came to acquiring knowledge.
“Leesy, your dad Jasper has had a very colorful life. Quite different from the lives we live in Hellcat Canyon. Not necessarily better or worse, just different, you know? We have our ways of doing things, and he has his ways. It’s like that with a lot of people who are famous. If you hear something you think is weird or surprising about your dad Jasper... come right to me and we’ll talk about it. You know how we talked about how some people are sort of naturally dads and others have to learn it? It’s like that. He hasn’t, um, behaved like a dad very often. I’m your mom, so I know what’s best for you.”
She’d decided it was best to start issuing disclaimers for Jasper now, to try to provide a buffer between Annelise and what she hoped was potential, but which she feared was inevitable, disappointment.
Maybe Jasper would surprise her.
More than he already had, that was.
Though Eden wasn’t a cockeyed optimist, in general.
Annelise pointed at the computer screen. “It says here he went out with that girl who has her picture on a magazine I saw when Casey was getting the gum out of my hair that time. Katri... Katri... something.”
It was useful to have a hairstylist right across the street from their apartment, that was for sure.
“He certainly did go out with her.”
Annelise frowned. “But you’re prettier than she is,” she said stoutly.
“Well, that’s very kind of you to say. But everyone has different tastes, and pretty is as pretty does, right?” Eden said. “I don’t want to go on a date with your dad Jasper, and he doesn’t want to go on a date with me.” Though Eden was uncertain this last part was true. She had a hunch that Jasper would go for the mile if given an inch. “I’m happy to be his friend, though! Everyone has different tastes, right? You like Braden in your class, but you don’t like Tim because you saw him pick his nose once. But he’s cute, and everyone picks their nose now and again. And tastes change as you get older.”
“You mean he might not like the taste of boogers when he gets older?”
“Uh, no, not... well, yes. By tastes I mean as in yourpreferences. The things you like will change and grow the way you do. Like when you were little you used to hate it when your food was hot, and I had to blow on it before you’d eat it but now you don’t mind if it’s hot.”
Annelise mulled this. “I’ve never seen you pick your nose.”
“Because I’m setting a good example for you.”
“Oh. Okay.”
Usually Eden could keep on-mothering-point, but this was wobbling off the tracks. Boy, was she tired.
“Okay, computer time’s over!” She clapped her hands briskly. “Let’s tackle that math homework.”
Annelise sighed prettily and slumped with great melodrama over the keyboard. “Can’t I play my guitar for a few minutes? Pretty, pretty pleeeease? I could maybe write a song for Dad Jasper with A minor and G and he’d like it.” She batted doe eyes at her mom from beneath her bent arm.
Annelise’s guitar was leaning against the couch, as it so happened. Because there was a full-length mirror in this room, and she could watch herself in it as she played.
She reallywasher father’s daughter.
Eden wondered how many of these types of pleas she could expect in the future.
“A half hour of guitar. Then math.”