Chapter 14

fourteen

DANIEL

Sitting on the veranda of Acorn Cottage, I listened to Ben's friends enjoying his birthday. The sixties soundtrack they were playing traveled well in the still evening air, especially when the only things around me were a glistening lake, acres of trees, and a sky full of stars.

Their laughter brought back memories of my family's birthdays on Shelter Island. My mom would bake a cake, smother it in frosting, and we'd all blow out the candles. Sometimes, Dad would even relight them so we could do it again.

A deep longing for the past filled me with sadness. After my parents died, birthdays were never the same. Granddad and Grandma tried their best, but the two most important people in my life were missing.

"Hello. Are you Daniel?"

I almost fell off my chair. A little girl stood at the edge of the veranda, holding a red-haired rag doll.

"I am. Who are you?"

"I'm Amy and this is Dolly. Did you hear us sing happy birthday to Ben?"

I looked over her shoulder, hoping her parents weren't far away. At least I knew she was supposed to be at Ben's house and wasn't lost. "Yes, I heard you singing. Where are your Mom and Dad?"

Her smile faded. "My mommy died when I was a baby. Uncle Paul and Liam look after me now." She took a step closer and peered through the open French doors. "Where are your mommy and daddy?"

"They died too."

"Really? Who looks after you?"

I swallowed, a familiar ache tightening in my chest. "My grandparents looked after me when I was younger, but now I look after myself."

"Oh. Do you like looking after yourself?"

I rubbed my jaw, unsure of what to say. "It's okay. I have a brother named Owen. He spends a lot of time with me."

Amy grinned and skipped across to my chair. "Can I tell you a secret?"

Her big, blue eyes stared up at me, almost bursting with the information she wanted to share. I hadn't spent much time around children. Most of my friends had delayed having families, and my brother had enough trouble keeping a girlfriend happy, let alone thinking about becoming a dad.

"If your uncle wouldn't mind you telling me your secret, then that's all right."

Amy leaned against the arm of my chair. "I'm going to be a big sister," she whispered. "But don't tell anyone. Uncle Paul said it's a surprise."

My eyebrows rose. Her uncle would be even more surprised if he knew what Amy had told me. "That's wonderful. I promise not to tell anyone."

She held her little finger in the air. "Pinky promise?"

I almost smiled until I saw Amy's worried frown. With a solemn nod, I touched my little finger to hers. "Pinky promise."

The two words unleashed another dimpled grin from my pint-sized visitor.

"Why did you come to see me, Amy?"

"Ben wanted to invite you for cake, but he said he had to tidy his studio first. Then Uncle Paul and Jonathon started helping. So I thought I'd come and see you. Are you Ben's boyfriend?"

Just when I thought I'd aced the conversation, Amy managed to leave me speechless. "Um…no. I'm giving Ben money to stay in this cottage."

"Why?"

Telling a six or seven-year-old that I wanted Ben to come back to Manhattan would open a can of worms. So I stuck to the second reason I was here—the one that had as much chance of happening as the first. "I'm on vacation. My brother thought it would make me happy."

"Have you been fishing?"

I shook my head.

"Jonathon's friend has a boat. If you went fishing with him, you could bring a fish home for Ben. Then you'd be his boyfriend and you wouldn't have to look after yourself all the time."

I had no idea how we'd gone from fishing to boyfriends. And even less of an idea about what to say to Amy. But I did know one thing. It was time to take her back to her uncle.

"Come on, Amy. I'll take you to Ben's house."

"Do you want to stay for cake?"

"Only if it's still okay with Ben."

Amy wrapped her hand around mine. "We could be friends, but you're a lot taller than me."

"That's because I'm an adult." As we walked toward Ben's cottage, Amy told me about the other adults who were her friends. She was a walking, talking, encyclopedia of information—and an adorable optimist who made me smile.

If I ever had children, I hoped they were just like Amy. Life could be unpredictable and, sometimes, all you needed was an excited child to remind you about what was important.