Page 43 of Manhattan Kiss

“And who did you sit next to?” I ask, trying to draw blood from the stone. That’s my daughter.

“Kimberly.”

Kimberly’s a friend I’ve not heard of before.

“Who’s Kimberly?” I ask.

“Kimberly at my school. She’s in my class, Daddy.” Her tone suggests she thinks I’m the biggest idiot who ever lived. She clearly thinks I need to have a handle on everyone in the class. Ironically, that would be easier to do if she ever gave me any information about her day.

“How was Mrs. Walsh today?” I ask.

“Good,” she replies.

I do my best not to eye roll.

“What story’s she reading you at the moment?”

“The same, Daddy.”

“Thirteen Story Treehouse?”

She nods, stuffing a mouthful of baked potato, cheese, and beans in her mouth.

I don’t bother asking her whether she likes the book. She’ll just answer that it’s “good.”

“Tell me the three best things about your day?” I ask.

“You go first,” she says. Willow will be a first-class negotiator when she’s older, if the early signs are any indication. I swear, she’ll probably work for the UN or something.

“Coming home to be with you,” I say, without skipping a beat.

Willow grins and her smile makes my heart soar. Christ, I’m a lucky bastard having a daughter.

“What else?” she asks.

“As I was going to work, I saw a lady carrying a cat on her head.”

Willow starts to giggle. “You did not, Daddy.”

“I did!” I say, in mock outrage that she wouldn’t believe me. “It was curled up around her head. I thought it was a hat when I first saw it. A furry hat with a tail. And then I saw its tail move and I jumped out of my skin.”

Willow scrunches up her nose. “Really?”

“Well, no, I stayed in my skin, but it made me jump.”

“You know, I saw a lady with an elephant on her head today,” Willow says, taking my cat and raising me an elephant.

“You did?” I say, on a gasp. “I bet that was heavy.”

Willow nods. “It was a baby elephant, but even baby elephants are very heavy, Daddy.”

Gabby comes out of the loo, interrupting our conversation. “Hi, Deacon. Can we talk for a second?” she asks.

I press a kiss to the side of Willow’s head, stand, and follow Gabby into the living room.

“I won’t be long,” Gabby says. “I just wanted to say this in person.”

My stomach drops.