Not Quite Over You
Page 42

“I saw some like that on House Hunters. They were in Chicago. They picked a different condo, but I liked the loft. The ceilings were really high.”
Silver had trouble believing they were talking living spaces. Just a couple of years ago Autumn had been way more interested in Legos and her Elsa doll from Frozen. Time was moving so fast.
They drove into the golf course development. Autumn gazed out the window at the huge homes.
“So not an apartment.”
“No. Drew’s very successful.”
“You’re very successful, too. You created your own business from nothing. You’re an entrepreneur. That takes talent and dedication.”
Silver sent a silent thank-you to Leigh for teaching her daughter to be a sweetie. “I’ve chosen my own path. Most days it’s pretty great.”
They parked in front of Drew’s house. The plan was to spend an hour or so here, then grab some lunch before going to the movies. She knew Drew wanted to spend as much time with Autumn as he could, getting to know her and having her get to know him.
Silver wondered if she would mind sharing, but so far she was perfectly fine with having Drew around. Maybe because he was Autumn’s biological father. Maybe because she could play a little what if.
Drew greeted them at the door. “Come on in.”
Autumn looked around as Drew ushered them into the great room.
“This is nice,” she said. “You have a lot of light.”
Silver grinned at Drew’s look of confusion. “Autumn seems to have a flare for design. She’s an HGTV fan.”
“I am,” Autumn admitted as she ran to the sliding glass doors. “What is that over there? Beyond the golf course.” She looked more closely. “No way! Is that a giraffe?” She spun toward Silver. “You told me about the animal preserve and everything but I thought you were kidding. You have giraffes!”
“Not me personally, but yes, there are giraffes and gazelles and even a water buffalo.”
“Can we go? We have to go. Please, please, please. I won’t touch them or anything but can we go see them today?”
“We were going to the movies,” Silver began.
Autumn shook her head. “Movies, shmovies. We can go another time. You have giraffes!”
Silver looked at Drew, who shrugged.
“I’m in,” he said. “Although Mr. Whiskers is going to be very disappointed not to be the most exotic pet.”
Autumn spun toward him. “Who’s Mr. Whiskers?”
“He’s a rabbit. Some people I know are having me take care of him while they figure out if their new baby is allergic or not. He’s a good guy. Kind of a deep thinker. Want to go see him?”
Autumn gave the giraffes one more yearning look before turning back to Drew. “Yes, please. I’d like to meet your rabbit.”
Silver had to admit Leigh had done a heck of a job raising Autumn. “I’ll text Carol while you visit Mr. Whiskers and see if we can go see the giraffes later this afternoon. Now that I know you don’t care about the movie.” She gave an exaggerated sigh.
“Of course I care. It’s just not the same. We can see the movie later in the week.”
“I could say the same about the giraffe,” Silver teased.
Autumn rolled her eyes, then grabbed Drew’s hand. “Okay, let’s go see Mr. Whiskers. Does he know any tricks? Is he really soft? I bet he’s soft.”
“He is. He’s a standard chinchilla rabbit, so he’s gray and has a very soft coat. He eats hay and a lot of salad. No dressing, of course. Just the greens.”
Autumn shot Silver a “he really has to get out more” look over her shoulder. Silver was still laughing as she texted Carol and asked about visiting the giraffes.
They agreed to meet later that afternoon. In the meantime, Drew barbecued burgers on his patio and Mr. Whiskers hopped around for Autumn even though it was one of his longer sleep periods.
After lunch, Drew and Autumn played checkers for a while. Leigh had set strict phone rules—Autumn had very specific periods of time when she was allowed to text with her friends. For the most part, Autumn didn’t complain about it.
“Peanut butter,” Drew said, continuing their conversation about what they liked as they tried to figure out what they had in common.
“It’s okay, but I’m more into chocolate.” She flashed him a grin. “That could be a girl thing. Green beans?”
“I like them a lot. There’s a Thai place in town that does crispy fried beans that are delicious.”
“Every vegetable is good when it’s fried,” Autumn told him, “but I like green beans, too. Morning person or night owl?”
“Morning person.”
Autumn looked at Silver. “You’re a night owl.”
“I’m not. My job keeps me up late, but when I’m not working I go to bed at a reasonable time.”
Autumn looked at Drew. “She’s not really a morning person. I have to be quiet and not bouncy until she’s had her coffee.”
Drew winked at her. “You don’t say.”
Silver started to point out he already knew that about her, but realized just in time, it wasn’t anything she wanted to mention in front of Autumn. While their daughter had yet to ask about their relationship, Silver was sure the question was coming.
“Ebooks or print books?” Autumn asked.
“Print, unless I’m traveling. Then ebooks.”
“Me, too! Not that I travel that much, but still. Except for textbooks. Those should all be digital, especially when there’s homework. Making kids carry all those books back and forth from school is just cruel. Yet another reason I should have the week off.”
“Nice try,” Silver told her.
Drew hopped over two of her checkers and tapped his. “King me.”
“You’re way better than I thought you’d be,” she grumbled as she did as he requested, but she was smiling as she spoke.
Silver held in a sigh of relief. Drew and Autumn were getting along just fine. He’d reacted better than she could have hoped and Autumn was her normal friendly, upbeat self. With a little luck, they would get through the rest of the week without too much trauma.
* * *
DREW PACKED UP the hay and greens, along with the three litter boxes he’d bought, the extra cage and the hutch. Melissa had called that morning to say the test results were back and Mr. Whiskers was not the reason for the baby’s rash. Apparently it was an additive in the laundry soap. While the detergent was being donated to a neighbor, Mr. Whiskers was free to go home.
Drew had gone by Silver’s to borrow her truck because there was no way the hutch would fit in his sedan. He got the dozing rabbit into a carrier, then loaded all the supplies onto the truck bed before tucking Mr. Whiskers’s carrier safely in the passenger seat foot well.
The drive to the Newports’ more modest neighborhood took less than ten minutes. Melissa met him at the front door.
“You’ve been so great, Drew. Thank you for taking in Emily’s rabbit. I got the call after she’d left for school, so she doesn’t know yet. I know she’s going to be thrilled when she gets home.”
He handed her the carrier, then brought in the rest of Mr. Whiskers’s worldly possessions. Melissa showed him back to Emily’s room—a bright, happy bedroom with lavender walls and a big hutch under the window. He saw the cords had been chew-proofed with special covers and that there was a litter box in the corner.