“I really do hope you’ll bring him to dinner soon.”
“Enough about Thatch, Mom.” I walked over to Cat and picked up her now empty plate as I asked, “Are you ready for your skating party?”
“Mm-hmm.” She nodded excitedly.
“Then run upstairs and get dressed. We need to head out in ten minutes.”
“Okay, Momma.”
While Cat rushed up the steps to get changed, I cleaned up the kitchen and started gathering all the party favors. Mom and Dad helped me get everything loaded into the car, and once Cat was all dolled up in her party outfit, we were ready to go.
As soon as we made it to the skating rink, Mom and I got busy taping up the decorations while Dad made sure all the fees were covered. Cat was chomping at the bit as she waited for her friends to arrive, but thankfully, she didn’t have to wait long before they started streaming in.
They all put on their skates, and with Cat right in the center, began skating and talking and laughing. It did my heart good to see Cat having such a wonderful time, especially after the way her morning started out.
I knew there was a decent chance that all of this would come back and haunt her in the future, but right now, she wasn’t thinking about her father. She wasn’t thinking about the night he tried to kill us or the day Joyce took her to the prison to see him. At this very moment, she was enjoying her party with her friends.
Cat was happy, and that was the only thing that mattered.
The girls skated for hours, then ate cupcakes and Cat opened presents. By the time they were done, we were all exhausted. Mom and Dad helped me get things cleaned up, and then Cat and I headed back to the house.
When we got home, we both took a bath and got in our pajamas, then piled up on the sofa to watch a movie. We were just about to start one of her favorite Disney movies when I turned to her and asked, “Did you have fun today?”
“Oh yeah, it was so much fun.” Her eyes lit up as she said, “Maddie told Livy that I was her best friend, and that I always have the coolest parties.”
“Is that right?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Well, what about you? Did you think it was a cool party?”
“Yeah, I thought it was awesome.” She gave me a little shrug. “I kind of wish Thatch could’ve been there.”
“Really?” I giggled. “Thatch at a skating party? That would’ve been a sight to see.”
“I think he would’ve had fun.”
“So, you really like Thatch.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“I like him, too.”
“I know.” A big smile crossed her face as she turned towards me and said, “You act funny when he’s around.”
“I do?”
“Mm-hmm.” She nodded. “Your face gets red, and you stare at him a lot. And your voice gets all weird, too.”
“No, it doesn’t.”
“Yeah, it does,” she argued. “It gets all soft and sweet ... Kind of like when you’re tired.”
“No way.”
She giggled. “He talks funny to you, too.”
“He does not.”
“Does so.” She stopped giggling, and her smile faded. “I think he does it because he really likes you.”
“You think so?”
“Mm-hmm.” She nodded.
I was still a little worried it was too soon, but I was curious to see how she’d react when I told her, “You know, he asked us to move in with him.”
“At his house?”
“Yeah, at his house.”
“But I like our house,” she complained. “And I like my room.”
“You didn’t like his house?”
“No, I liked it.” She raked her teeth across her bottom lip as she thought silently to herself. After a moment, she gave me a funny look and asked, “Wait ... Do you think I could have that big bedroom upstairs with the tub in the bathroom?”
“I don’t know. You’d have to ask him.”
“Well, he does have a really cool house.”
“Yes, he does.”
“And he lives right on the lake.”
“This is true.”
“And we’d be safe there.”
“We would.” I gave her a moment to consider everything, then asked, “So, what do you think?”
“I think we should do it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure, but I’m gonna want all my stuff.”
She held out her hand, and as she pointed to one finger at a time, she started listing all the things she would want to take along with her to Thatch’s place. “My Barbies. My dollhouse. My camper. My bike. My bed. My glow-lights. My jewelry box ...”
The list went on and on.
I didn’t mind.
I was just glad that she was excited about the possibility of us moving in with Thatch.
I didn’t know what the future held for the three of us, but it didn’t matter. We loved each other, and as long as we were together, we could face any storm that came our way.
The following morning, I was still in bed when I got the call that David, my hospice patient, had just passed. Since it was the weekend, I hadn’t planned on going into the office, but sadly, I had no choice. I had to confirm the time of death and notify the hospice director of David’s death.