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“Well, it depends on where food delivery people fall on your priority list,” she sasses.
I just wait. Silence is an effective negotiation tactic.
It works.
“Fine.” She shifts her weight to her other hip, eyes gleaming. She’s enjoying this as much as I am.
“You’ll start tomorrow.”
“We’ll give it a one-week trial,” she counters. “That way we can see if it works for both of us.”
“Fine.”
It’ll work. Bella already likes Piper and vice versa. And Piper is everything I want Bella to grow up to be. Not a food delivery driver, no. But a woman who knows her own mind. Who knows what’s important to her. And who still shows kindness and generosity to strangers in a park.
I want that for my daughter. I don’t let anything get between me and what I want.
I’ll make it work.
Chapter 2
Piper
“Hey, sweetie. You want a snack?”
“Yes, please,” Bella says, as she skips across the playroom to join me where I’m standing in the doorway. She sings a little song while we walk toward the kitchen. It’s a bit of a trip. The house is alotbigger than my apartment. In fact, it’s safe to say it’s more like a small mansion. I won’t have any trouble getting my daily exercise while I’m working here.
The entire home has hardwood floors that are covered with luxurious rugs. Bella has a playroom in addition to her bedroom. There’s a formal dining area, but we eat our meals in the less formal kitchen area. It’s got a little table and some bench seating. Even though everything is quite nice, it still has a lived in feeling that I quite like.
We reach the kitchen and Bella scampers into a chair at the kitchen table while I go to the refrigerator. So far, the job has been pretty easy. Bella has pre-school in the mornings. It’s my responsibility to make sure she gets there and back. She also has a couple afternoon activities each week, like piano lessons and soccer practice. Other than that, it’s just the two of us hanging out while I make sure we get fed at regular intervals.
Elijah hasn’t been around much. I wonder if he’s one of those dads who pays someone else to raise their kids. I’ve seen that before with my own parents, to start. Though he certainly seemed to care for Bella at the park. But maybe that was a one-time deal. I hope not. Bella deserves better. Heck, all young girls do. But I don’t want to judge too quickly. It’s only been three days.
“What are you in the mood for?” I open the fridge and poke my head in.
“Where is your family, Piper?” Bella asks.
My whole body jerks, and the ketchup almost falls out of the fridge door. While I make sure everything is settled, I catch my composure. “What do you mean, sweetie?”
“Well, I have my mom and dad. My mom lives in Europe. My dad lives with me. I don’t have any brothers or sisters yet,” Bella says, her little voice very matter of fact. “Where is your family?”
“My mom and dad live far away, and I don’t have any siblings.” Jeez. I sound a little pathetic.
“Who helps when you scrape your knees?” When I look at her, she’s got her elbows on the table and her chin propped in her hands. Her wavy light brown hair falls over her face. She blows it out of her face while she waits for my answer.
“I’ve got some really good friends. They’re like sisters to me.”
“So, you found your family.” Bella nods like that makes complete sense. And I guess it does.
“You’re right. I found my family.” I agree with her. “Now, how about some string cheese?”
“Yes, please.” She’s so polite, this girl. I almost want to teach her to rebel. Instead, I grab two packets of string cheese and open them for us.
Just when I sit down next to her, my phone dings a notification. Ugh. My ex has been messaging me all morning. Of course, I’m ignoring him. I don’t even know why he’s reaching out. We broke up six months ago when I discovered he was borrowing my credit cards and using them to buy dozens of gaming systems. I still haven’t fixed my credit. I should just turn the dang thing on silent. I pull my phone out of my pocket to do so.
“Who is that?” Bella asks. She asks a lot of questions, but I don’t mind. How else are people supposed to learn things?
“This is no one.” I jab my finger at the screen.
