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Not like their father did.
Which was why they were having this conversation and one he should have pushed harder for her to understand prior.
“But don’t you need that money you get for me to like pay for things?”
“Bella. That’s your money. There was nothing else left of the old man. His life insurance policy covered his funeral expenses and I put the rest in an account for your future.”
“You did? Why? You were his kid too.”
“Because I can take care of myself and have been for years. My job now is to teach the same of you, but you’re going to get a better head start. Please, I don’t know how many ways I can tell you money isn’t an issue and I’m just so sorry if you’ve felt it is because of the way Dad was.”
“I don’t want you mad. I just feel like maybe your life is different now because of me.”
“It is. But it’s not in a bad way. Please don’t think that. I mean it.”
“Okay. I’ll try. I really will.”
“Is there anything else other than the money?”
“Not that I can think of. But back to why I wanted to talk. Tiff and I wanted to go to the American Tobacco Trail this weekend and walk.”
“Okay. Sounds like fun.”
“Her parents won’t let her go alone. I mean, not just the two of us.”
And he was going to say the same thing.
Two thirteen-year-old girls alone on a trail—nope. Not under his watch.
“That’s right. So you’re asking if I’ll take you?”
“Would you? I know walking the trails probably isn’t what you’d like to do on a Saturday.”
It really wasn’t, but he’d bet Marly would enjoy it.
And after their coffee date this morning, he said he’d try to figure out how they could spend some time this weekend.
It would also give him the opening he needed to let Bella know he was dating someone.
On the tail of her thinking his life changed so much, maybe she’d feel better knowing that he was out there dating also.
“I can take the two of you at some point that day. I’ve got to work something out. Since we are talking, maybe I should let you know that I’m dating someone.”
Her smile told him everything he wanted or needed to know.
“Since when?”
“It’s been about a week.”
“That’s just talking, not dating,” Bella said, as if she were the authority on relationships.
“It’s more than that. It’s someone I dated years ago in school.”
He refused to say when and have her try to bring up having a boyfriend right now. Nope. No way.
“Oh, so this is one of those reconnecting things?”
“It could be considered that for sure,” he said. “We had dinner last Saturday when you were at Tiff’s.”
