Page 62 of One Kind Goal

Chapter Ten

Sawyer balanced a pile of books in his left hand, letting their spines lean against his chest as Nia wandered around the bookstore. She picked up books and held them up to him.

“What’s this one say, Daddy?” She pointed to the title. She’d done that with basically every book in the place.

He tried to read the title as Nia waved the book at him. “Hold it still, Nia.” His eyes were finally able to focus when she stopped moving. “This one says Frogs and Amphibians.”

Nia studied the cover which featured a frog resting on a log by a vernal pool. “Do we have frogs back home?”

“Rhode Island has several types of frogs,” Sawyer said. “Are you interested in frogs?”

“Yes.” Nia threw her hands out to indicate the shelves on either side of them. “I’m interested in all of it!”

No doubt another thing Carina had done right in raising their daughter. Sawyer was overwhelmed with a feeling of needing to catch up in the parenting realm. Surely he could teach Nia important things too.

He couldn’t think of any important things right now, but there had to be something.

Sawyer angled the pile of books in his hand toward Nia. “Why don’t you add that frog book to these then pick one more for now? We can always come back before we leave Vermont.”

Nia put the frog book on the top of the pile when he bent to her level then turned her attention to the shelves to her right. “When do we have to leave Vermont?”

“Not for a while yet,” he said, reliving his excellent phone call with Carina. He kept thinking he’d wake up and find himself in a hotel room he shared with Brett or another Anchors teammate. All of this could be a dream. Being in Vermont. Having Nia. Enjoying Morgan.

Another book—one on becoming a ballerina—knocked into his knee with surprising force.

“This is my last choose,” Nia said, grinning up at him. “Thanks, Daddy.”

“You got it, kid.” He gestured to the checkout area with his casted arm. “Let’s pay for these so we’ll be ready when Morgan finds us.”

Nia led the way to the registers. “Will you read all these books to me?”

“I’d be delighted to do that, Nia-bunny.”

She clapped. “Maybe Morgan can read some to me too.”

“I’m sure she’d be happy to.” He slid the books onto the counter as the cashier smiled at them.

“Wow, that’s quite a haul there.” The cashier leaned over the counter to see Nia. “Somebody around here love books??”

“I do! I do!” Nia did one of her typical happy dances. “My teacher says reading can take you places.”

“She does?” The cashier shot Sawyer a little smile. “That sounds like a smart teacher.” She started ringing up the books.

“Miss Kristy is smarter than a computer,” Nia said, her voice full of awe.

“I see.” The cashier held up one of the books. “I bet you’ll be as smart as your teacher if you keep reading books.”

“Smooth,” Sawyer said. “Now I have to come back in here to buy more books, don’t I?”

“Yup.” The cashier grinned. “I find appealing to the kids always gets me more purchases.”

“Sinister.”

“I prefer to call it my marketing strategy,” she said, “but I’ll throw in a free tote bag to soften the blow.”

Sawyer paid and took the tote bag full of books the cashier handed him. “Thanks.”

“Hope to see you again,” the cashier said to Nia, but then her gaze combed up the length of Sawyer, coming to a rest when she landed on his left hand. His ringless left hand. Her eyebrow arched then she said, “Is it just the two of you?”