Chapter 7

Seven

Harper

I ’d never been to Leo’s house before. Family gatherings were held at his parents’ home or the restaurant.

I wondered why I’d garnered an invitation. Leo said it was so Evie could play on the playground and in the yard, but my traitorous heart wanted to find meaning behind it. That he was interested in me.

Why now? Nothing had changed over the years. Was it that he’d only just now noticed me? Or maybe he was finally willing to risk his parents’ disapproval.

Evie slid down the slide and tumbled onto the ground. When she cried out, we rushed to her. Leo got to her first and brushed the dirt and leaves off the scrape on her knee and lifted her.

Her eyes were filled with tears as he carried her inside. “Let’s clean this up and get you some medicine.”

I followed them into what looked like a spare bathroom. There was a blue toilet, a tub-shower combination, and a sink. He settled her down on the edge of the tub and ran the water.

“Can you grab the first aid kit from under the sink?” he asked me.

My hands trembled as I rushed to comply. No one had ever comforted Evie in this way. I’d always been the primary parent. If something like this happened when Manny was around, he’d step back and let me handle it.

Leo dabbed at her wound with a wet paper towel, and I handed him the antibacterial ointment. He blew the wound dry before applying the ointment. “There. All better.”

“It doesn’t hurt anymore,” Evie declared.

Leo visibly relaxed, his shoulders lowering as he said, “Good. I’m glad. That slide was a little faster than I anticipated. Maybe I should adjust the slope.”

“Now that Evie knows how it is, she’ll be okay.”

“It was fun,” Evie said as she slid to the floor and left the bathroom.

“She seems okay,” Leo said, as if he was reassuring himself.

I squeezed his bicep, marveling at the size of his muscles. “She is. Thanks to you.”

His brow furrowed as we followed Evie out of the bathroom. “I washed it and put on some ointment. It wasn’t a big deal.”

But it was to me. It was nice having someone to share things with. What if Evie grew closer to him and this went badly? I didn’t think I could handle that.

At least with my mom’s boyfriends, I knew they wouldn’t stick around. I had no expectations that anything would turn out differently. But with Leo, I held out hope.

We followed Evie to the kitchen.

Not ready for Evie to go down that slide again, I asked Leo, “Did you say something about a playhouse?”

“I cleaned it out this morning,” he said to me, and then to Evie, “You can tell me how you’d like it decorated.”

Evie turned to us as she opened the slider in the kitchen, her eyes wide. “You have a playhouse?”

She adored dollhouses.

“It’s a storage shed, but it looks like a house.” He led her to the other side of the yard where a storage shed sat. It looked like a miniature house with a door, shutters, and a window. “I was thinking we could add a flower box under the window and a little porch on the side.”

He opened the door for Evie, and she went inside, exploring every inch. “What do you think I should put inside?”

“A kitchen and a table and chairs,” Evie said.

“I think we could get some curtains for the window too. What do you think?”

“Yes,” Evie breathed in agreement.

“It’s not much, but we can make it yours.”

“Leo, this is too much,” I hissed when she ducked back inside to explore.

“The only thing in here was my lawn mower, leaf blower, and a few other tools, and I have plenty of room for that in the garage. Can you get the things she wants for the inside? I don’t know anything about play kitchens. She’ll need pretend food and dishes, right?”

I swallowed. “Yes. But you don’t have to do this. She’s happy playing with it as it is. She has a good imagination.”

“But it could be so much better. I’m sure she won’t be the only child in the family who’d like to play in here.”

He hadn’t called her a niece or a grandchild, but he’d lumped her in as family. It was nice, but at the same time, I didn’t want to be a charity case. “I’ll pay for the upgrades,” I finally conceded. I was saving for a new apartment or even a house, but I couldn’t let Leo do this himself.

“Why don’t you mark the things you’d like on the computer later, and we can order them?”

“Yeah, okay,” I acquiesced.

“Is this mine?” Evie asked, her head popping out of the doorway.

Leo smiled wide and said, “It is.”

I didn’t want to ruin this moment for him or her, so I stayed silent.

Evie grabbed sticks and rocks and pretended she was making stone soup.

“She needs the real thing so we won’t always be eating stone soup,” Leo murmured when she gave him a handful of rocks.

I laughed at how silly he looked sitting cross-legged on the ground, playing pretend restaurant with my daughter. He was always so confident in the restaurant, but with Evie, he was a softie.

Leo cocked a brow at me. “I think your mom would love some soup.”

“Oh. I forgot about Mommy. Be right back.” Evie hunted in the grass surrounding the playhouse for more rocks.

When she returned, I accepted the soup and thanked her, pretending to eat it. “That was good soup.”

Evie sighed. “Wasn’t it?”

When she grew tired of the game, we went inside for a snack and drinks. Leo arranged crackers and cheese for her on a plate, then pulled out his laptop and set it on the counter so we could search for a play kitchen.

Evie pointed out the ones she liked.

“I’ll measure it and see if it fits,” Leo said.

“You don’t need to buy her a kitchen,” I said, unable to stop myself from saying it.

“I can’t leave the playhouse empty. That would be silly, wouldn’t it, Evie?”

“Uh-huh,” she said around a mouthful of crackers.

“Don’t forget to drink something,” I prompted her.

Leo crossed his arms over his chest. “Besides, she was having so much fun.”

My heart melted a little at his words. I would have thought that he would have gotten annoyed with having us here all afternoon. Kids could be a lot for people who weren’t used to them.

“I want to clean out more of the house and the garage. Gia’s put me in touch with a contractor.”

“You’re going to renovate?”

“My parents always say you should do it yourself, but I’ve lived here for a couple of years now, and I haven’t had time to do any improvements.”

I was impressed he had the money to buy and renovate a house while I struggled to save money for a bigger place.

“I’m excited to get started.”

“What do you have planned?” I asked, genuinely curious.

“I want to do the kitchen and bathrooms, the flooring, and paint.”

“Wow. That’s a lot. But it’s going to look amazing when it’s done.” The home was older, but that meant the neighborhood had mature trees, and his lot backed to trees. He had a nice, flat yard that was perfect for kids to play in. There wasn’t a fence, but then he didn’t need one living here alone.

“Can I help?“ Evie asked.

“Leo said you could help with the play house, not his house.”

“I’d love to have your input. I don’t know anything about design.”

“I love lots of color,” Evie said.

I laughed. “I think you’re going to regret that offer.”

Leo ruffled Evie’s hair. “I don’t mind.”

I’d thought a lot about what it meant not to have a father or male figure in my life growing up, and it pained me to think I was creating the same experience for Evie. But that didn’t mean I needed to find a guy to fill that hole. It hadn’t worked for my mother, and it wouldn’t work for me. Evie would be okay if it was just me and her.

I assumed we’d be the best of friends, and we’d weather everything together, but Leo was making me think of other possibilities. One where I opened my heart to the right guy, and he loved me and my daughter. It was ridiculous and went against everything I’d ever told myself. Or maybe it was my mother who always said to keep your expectations low, then you won’t be disappointed. It had served me well over the years.

But being here with Leo was making me wish for a different life. One where I could have everything I’d ever wanted. Someone to love, a father figure for Evie. It was too good to be true, and when something seemed that way, you had to trust your instincts.

“We should get going,” I said, brushing the crumbs off the counter and dumping them in the garbage. I put away the box of crackers in his pantry and put Evie’s cup in the sink.

Evie’s face fell. “But I’m still hungry.”

“You want to get some pizza at the restaurant?” Leo asked.

“Oh, that’s not necessary,” I said at the same time Evie said, “Pizza!”

“How can you be hungry? You just ate,” I asked her.

Leo waved a hand in the air. “I’ll follow you back, and we can grab a pizza to go or sit in the dining room.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” I asked when Evie ran to grab her shoes she’d left by the slider.

“I’m not ready for the day to be over,” Leo said.

Pleasure filled my chest, but before I could ask what that meant, Evie was next to us. “Can we go?”

“Sure. Let’s get in the car.” We went outside. I was parked in front of the garage, and Leo was parked inside.

On the drive over, I wondered what I was doing getting involved with Leo. Maybe he was just being nice. He was just doing what he would for Gia if she had a child.

But I couldn’t stop my heart from longing for a different reason. That he’d finally noticed me and wanted me.

I parked at the back of the lot, not wanting to take a closer spot from a customer.

“You know you can park closer. There’s no point in walking farther with Evie or when you have groceries. You live here.”

“I don’t want to cause any problems with the customers who are coming to eat. It’s not a big deal.” Making myself small had been an unfortunate habit over the years. I wasn’t sure it was healthy, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself from doing it.

“You want to eat pizza in the dining room or take it to go?” Leo asked Evie.

“Inside,” Evie said.

“Are you sure it’s a good idea? It can be busy on Saturdays,” I said.

“I want to eat inside too,” Leo said firmly.

We followed him inside, where he talked to a hostess, and she led us to a booth in the back.

“This is nice,” I said, realizing I never sat at a table unless the Giovanni family had closed the restaurant for a party. “I don’t usually eat in the dining room.”

Evie was busy coloring on the kid’s menu the hostess supplied.

“Tonight, you girls are my dates,” Leo said, with a wink in Evie’s direction.

Evie’s eyes went wide. “Are you Mommy’s boyfriend?”

The boyfriend-girlfriend thing was going around her school, and it drove me a little crazy. They teased each other mercilessly about it.

Leo chuckled. “We’re not dating. But I’m having fun spending time with you.”

“I think that’s what you do on dates,” Evie said before returning to her coloring.

I shrugged to play it off. “That’s a child’s logic for you.”

The waitress appeared at the end of the table with a notepad and a smile for us. “What can I get you?”

“Hi, Lindey,” I greeted her.

She didn’t act surprised to see us together. “Is it nice to sit on the other side of the table?”

“I have to say it’s easier on the feet,” I said with a laugh.

“You want your usual?”

“I always get the Hawaiian,” Leo said.

“That works for me, but Evie needs a plain cheese,” I said apologetically.

Manny always got annoyed that Evie ate something different from him.

“One Hawaiian and one cheese,” Leo said with a flick of his hand, as if he couldn’t have cared less.

When the waitress was gone, I leaned in to say, “Evie can’t eat a large pizza.”

“Will you share your pizza, Evie?”

Her lips pursed in concentration. “Nope.”

“Evie,” I chided.

Leo smiled easily. “It’s okay. She’ll have some leftover.”

“I can pay for her pizza.”

Leo reached over to touch my hand. “Let me.”

I swallowed over the lump in my throat. He was being a nice guy. I just hadn’t seen many of those in my life. “Yeah, okay.”

Leo smiled widely, and I was momentarily blinded until he turned his attention to Evie. “Play tic-tac-toe with me?”

Evie pushed her paper toward him and handed him a small red crayon. I watched them play. Evie won one, and then Leo won one.

I couldn’t look away because I was so enraptured with the fantasy of Leo, Evie, and me being a family.

“What are you doing here?” a male voice asked, startling me from my reverie.

Manny stood at the end of the table, his hands curled into fists.

“We’re eating dinner,” Leo said more evenly than I would have.

Manny’s lip curled. “You look awfully cozy over here. Like you’re a family.”

“The Giovannis are like my family,” I said smoothly.

“What’s going on?” Manny gestured at Leo and Evie, who sat on the same side of the booth.

“I’ll be right back,” I said to Leo and Evie as I stood and led Manny outside. “I don’t know what your problem is or what you think you saw, but I’m eating dinner with a family friend. That’s it.”

“So, you’re not fucking him?” he asked incredulously.

I flinched at the venom in his voice. “If I was, it wouldn’t be any of your business.”

“You were the one who made that decision.”

I didn’t respond because even if I’d made the decision not to stay with him, he wouldn’t have stuck around. This argument was pointless.

“You took Evie from me.”

We’d had this argument a few times, but whenever I gave in to his demands and gave him more access to Evie, he always disappointed her. I’d given up on expecting much of anything from him. I crossed my arms over my chest. “You did that all on your own. I said we wouldn’t be together as a couple but that you were free to be in Evie’s life however you wanted.”

“How was that going to be? I wasn’t even allowed to be in the delivery room.”

“You don’t support me.” Mrs. G. and Gia were there for me, and their entire family afterward. “When you’re around, it’s always about you. But this is about Evie. You choose not to visit her and not to pay child support consistently.” My stomach rumbled in hunger. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to get back to dinner.”

I opened the door, but before I could go inside, Manny grabbed my elbow and said, “This isn’t over.”

Then he was gone. I drew in a shaky breath before I steeled my expression. I returned to the booth, pleased to see the pizza had arrived and Evie was preoccupied eating hers.

“Everything okay?” Leo asked softly, his brow raised.

“It will be.” I’d take care of Manny like I always had. I kept a family attorney on retainer, and whenever he requested more time, or something else, I had her send a letter requesting he put it in writing. He never responded. That way, I could say he was the one who didn’t want to cooperate.

I believed that Evie should know her father, but he didn’t make an effort.

Leo leveled me with a look that said we’d be discussing it later, so I nodded in response. The only people I ever spoke to about Manny were Gia and my attorney, Avery. It would be good to have a male perspective.

I focused on my pizza and watched Leo help Evie eat hers. It was nice. Like I wasn’t the only one Evie could rely on. “I can’t remember the last time I ate at a restaurant.”

“You’re kidding,” Leo said, his brow raised.

I smiled. “I’m usually working at this one.”

“Mommy said it’s healthier to eat at home.”

“Your mamma’s smart, but it’s nice to have a treat every once in a while.”

I flushed because I was sure he understood why I didn’t eat out often. I had to save money. We did the drive-through on nights when we were running around or grabbed the free pizza on nights I worked. But otherwise, it wasn’t a luxury I allowed myself often.

“We should take her out for a nice meal. At one of those fancy places.”

Evie nodded. “We can get dressed up.”

“That would be nice,” I said to Evie, knowing how much she loved dresses and feeling like a princess.

“We’ll make it happen. Just let me know what you like.”

“I love crab and lobster,” Evie said with a straight face.

Leo coughed as if he were choking on the bite of pizza he’d just eaten. He drank some water, and when he recovered, he said, “You’re going to be an expensive date when you’re older.”

Laughing with him, I said, “She has good taste.”

“Just like your mamma, bimba ,” Leo said.

From working and being around the Giovanni family, I knew bimba meant little girl, and I loved that he called her that. He was a natural with her, reminding her to drink water between bites and cleaning up any messes she made.

Being around him like this was dangerous. It made me want things I couldn’t have.