Broken Hero

“Yeah?””I’m taking the girls out to see the horses. We’ll be around the eastern part for a bit.”

“Thanks, Ollie!”

We amble slowly across the ranch. The place is bustling with activity today, with busy preparations for the wedding season. The first wedding is only a week away and everything needs to be in order. Mini fridges for the outdoor bar just arrived and I can see Tim and Jack sorting through the huge number of chairs we have stocked for the outdoor ceremony.

Nora tugs at a strand of my hair again. “Why doesn’t Sophia or me have this color?”

Sophia looks up at her sister. “Because Mom and Dad don’t.”

“It’s genetic,” I say. “But your mom is my sister, and we had the same parents. So technically, either of you might have had it. Maybe your kids will in turn. Who knows?”

“Ge-ne-tic,” Nora spells out. “Genetic, genetic, genetic.”

Great. Now she’s going to be stuck on that word for a week. I give her a little bounce. “It’s a big word, kiddo. I’ll explain it to you when you’re older.”

We turn a corner and walk under the leafy trees that surround the spa. Sophia tugs at my hand. “I’ve never been this far away from the main house before.”

“No, we didn’t use this part a lot before Lucy came.”

“The spaaaa,” Nora drawls. “Mom said it’s a spaaaa.”

I smile at her exaggerated tone. “A spa, yes. Where people relax.”

We reach the spa fifteen minutes past one. I know the client will be gone by then, but I’m counting on Lucy staying behind for a bit. She usually does.

Sophia races up the stairs. She stops on the top step, her hand poised, and shoots me a questioning look.

“Go on. You can knock.”

She knocks softly, but Lucy hears. “Come on in!”

Sophia tugs the door open and peers inside. I stick my head in, too, Nora dangling from my arms. The place looks immaculate.

“Hi, there! I’ll be with you in just a moment! Feel free to have a seat.”

The chipperness in her voice makes my chest tight. She’s always unfailingly happy and dedicated to cheering others up. It was less than a week ago that her smile had been turned on me and me alone.

“We’re not customers.”

She peeks out of the supply closet, her expression unreadable. “Oh.” Her head disappears again, and a moment later she reappears with a stack of towels in her arms. A blonde strand of hair has escaped from her ponytail. She aims a blinding smile at the kids. “Hi!”

Nora waves. “Hello!”

“We brought ice cream.” Sophia lifts up her basket.

Lucy’s eyes meet mine. I see the calculation there, the insight. She knows what I’ve done, but she also knows there’s no escape. I shrug. What’s a man to do?

Her indecision only lasts a moment. “You did? That’s amazing! I love ice cream.”

“We chose chocolate,” Nora adds.

“Thank you.””Let’s sit outside?” I nod towards the bench. “The weather’s nice.”

“Yes, I’ll be there in a second.”

It’s hot in the shade, but bearably so. I pull Nora onto my lap and help her with the wrapping paper.

“Did you sell a lot of cookies?” Sophia asks. “At the fair?”

Lucy nods. “Yes, a whole lot. Nearly two hundred.”

“Two hundred?”

“Yes, Scout’s honor.”

Nora is quiet, completely absorbed in her ice cream, but she perks up at this. “How many did you eat?”

“Me I ate two.”

Nora shakes her head. “I’d eat a hundred if I worked there.”

I shake my head too, pretending to be disappointed. “What a waste,” I tell Lucy. “A waste.”

Her gaze rests on mine for the first time since we’ve sat down. There’s carefulness there, yes, but also amusement. It’s more than I could’ve hoped for.

“Really? Would you have eaten more?”

I open my mouth to reply but Sophia beats me to it. “Uncle Ollie can eat so much. Like, this much.” She holds out her hands a couple of feet apart. Lucy laughs, the sound spreading warmth through me.

“Really? That’s a lot!”

“Mom says it’s because of his metallic rate,” Sophia says. She whispers the mistaken word like it’s a disease.

“Thanks for ratting me out, kid,” I tell her, but I pat her on the head to make sure she knows I’m joking.

Lucy’s lips tug at the corners as she shoots me another look. “His metabolic rate? Well, adults do need more food than kids.” She tweaks Sophia’s nose. “And men usually need more than women.”

Nora hands me her finished popsicle stick and leans back against me. She’s growing big, too, her little body heavier than I’m used to. It feels like just yesterday that Sarah announced she was going to marry John.

“You full?”

She nods and reaches up to put her sticky hand in my hair. It’s become her thing, lately. Maybe Austin and I are becoming mutually interchangeable-hard to tell apart.

“Pretty uncle,” she murmurs, as if by reflex.

Lucy’s warm smile right then could break my heart. Her features are soft, her eyes softer still, one of her hands resting on Sophia’s back.

“He is pretty,” she agrees.