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“You’re jumping to conclusions, dear. What if he wantseverythingto do with you? I mean sure, it’ll probably be a huge surprise at first, but a real man will take responsibility.”
My stomach rolled. Nana had a way of making things sound so much simpler than they really were. She used to write for a dating advice column, so I supposed this made a lot of sense.
“I’ll tell him, I just… I just need a bit of time to think. What if I rush into things, tell him about his kid, and the guy turns out to be a terrible father figure? I’d hate myself if Max wound up getting hurt.”
“Maybe this job could be a blessing in disguise,” she mumbled as she transferred the laundry to the attached dryer.
“What do you mean?”
“You’d be working closely with him for at least a month, right? That’s plenty of time to get to know a person. You could use this opportunity to get a feel for this Kristoffer guy. If you think Max would benefit from having him in his life, then you can go ahead and tell the truth. If not, you don’t have to mention a thing.”
I mulled things over. What she was saying didn’t sound all that bad. It was a win-win scenario. I could work the job and earn a great deal while doing it, and if things worked out, Max could end up meeting his father.
“Food for thought, dear.” Nana patted me on the shoulder.
We ate dinner in the living room, the TV turned on to an old episode of Jeopardy. Max was more preoccupied with his pizza than the trivia game, but Nana ate it up, answering questions like she was a contestant in real life. She was stacking up the points when our signal suddenly gave out, nothing but black and white static across the screen.
“Ah, darn,” she grumbled. “Sam, could you be a dear and give the box a couple of hits?”
I got up from the couch and did as I was asked. Normally I could bump the TV box in just the right spot and the signal would flare up again.
Thud thud.
No dice.
Nana sighed heavily. “Oh, never mind. This old thing was bound to crap out eventually.”
“I keep telling you to check out the electronics store around the corner,” I said. “I’m sure we can find a new one. I would bet they’ve got deals going on.”
My grandmother shook her head. “It’s okay, Sam. I’ll ask that nice repairman downstairs if he can fix her up tomorrow morning. I don’t think we can afford a brand-new TV right now.”
I chewed on the inside of my cheek, a pang of guilt twisting in my chest.
If only I hadn’t freaked out at my interview, maybe I could have…
Max yawned wide, stretching his arms out over his head. “Mama, I’m sleepy.”
“Okay, honey. How about we get ready for bed?”
We fell into our same nightly routine. I helped Max wash up and brush his teeth, get changed into his dinosaur-patterned PJs, and then tucked him into bed.
“Would you like a bedtime story, sweetie?”
Max nodded. “Yes please!”
I picked up a book from the little shelf he had tucked in the corner of his room. It was a story about a family of ducks trying to cross the road so they could go swimming in the nearby pond. It was beautifully illustrated and full of color, simple sentences at the bottom of each page. I lay on the edge of Max’s tiny bed and let him curl up against me, book balanced on his little lap.
“There once was a family of cute little ducks,” I read aloud. “Here we have the daddy ducky. Oh, and here’s the mommy ducky! And who’s that hiding behind her tail? Why, it’s the little baby ducky here to say hello!”
Max flexed his fingers. “Hello,” he echoed with a giggle.
“Today our duck friends want to go for a swim, but first they have to cross the road.” I flipped the page, all the while resting my cheek on top of Max’s head. “Zoom, zoom! There are lots of cars out today. Good thing the crossing guard is ready with her stop sign. The daddy, mommy, and baby duck look left and right before crossing the road. Splash, splash! It’s a great day out on the pond.”
“Read it again!” Max said.
I giggled. “I’m sorry, honey. It’s time to go to sleep. I can read it for you again tomorrow, okay?”
“Mama?”
