“Uh, it’s a Disney movie…” She shook her head back and forth. “I like it the first time—I won’t deny that.”
“Then we can watch it.” I shrugged.
“If you’re sure…” Melanie raised an eyebrow.
“Hey Charley.” I looked over at the little girl who was rubbing her eyes. “Do you want to stay a little longer—your mother tells me that Frozen is your favorite movie, and I’ve never seen it…”
“You’ve never seen Frozen!?” Charley sat straight up, and every hint of sleep was gone from her eyes. “Mommy, we have to let him watch it!”
“I hope you know what you’re getting into…” Melanie gave me a concerned glance. “There’s a lot of singing.”
I don’t think it would be a Disney movie if someone didn’t burst into song at the strangest time.
Melanie called her mom to let her know that she was going to be staying a little later than she originally planned, and I called a chef to come make dinner for us. If Charley was surprised to find out I could get burgers and fries delivered, she was downright amazed when she realized I could hire someone to literally come and cook for us. She was so amazed that she didn’t even seem to mind that it was a healthy meal compared to what we had earlier in the day. We ate dinner in the dining room, then moved back to the living room so we could watch the movie. Charley started spoiling the plot before it really got started, but I didn’t mind. The movie was little more than an excuse to spend a little more time with them.
“Hey…” I nudged Melanie after seeing a message pop up on my phone. “Bryant just asked if we want to have a double date sometime this week. Apparently, Taylor suggested it.”
“I literally just got the exact same message from Taylor.” Melanie smiled and held up her phone.
“You would think they would have too much going on with the wedding coming up—it’s literally next weekend,” I chuckled under my breath.
“Yeah.” Melanie nodded.
“Shh!” Charley gave us a disapproving glare. “Mommy, you’re not supposed to talk during the movie. Jon hasn’t seen it!”
“Sorry…” Melanie looked down and tried to hide a grin.
We agreed that going out with Bryant and Taylor could be fun, so we both responded to the messages they sent us. It was clear that Charley had seen the movie quite a few times because she knew every word to the songs—and sang along. I could see how it might have annoyed Melanie if she had been hearing it every single day, but I thought it was rather cute. After the movie was over, Charley wanted to look around Alcott Manor some more, so we followed along behind her while she hummed songs from the movie.
“Alright, Charley.” Melanie looked at her watch. “We need to get going. You’re not going to want to go straight to bed when we get home, and if we don’t leave soon, that’s exactly what you’ll have to do.”
“Okay, Mommy.” Charley turned to me. “When can we come back?”
“Uh…” I looked at Melanie. “Your mother and I will have to discuss that. Taylor’s wedding is next weekend, so maybe the weekend after?”
“Okay.” Charley grinned. “I’ll see you at the wedding!”
“Wait.” Melanie shook her head back and forth. “You’re not going to the wedding with us…”
“Taylor said I could come…” Charley’s smile turned to an immediate look of disappointment.
“She did?” Melanie blinked in confusion. “When?”
“At graduation! She asked if I was going to be your plus one…” Charley tilted her head to the side. “I told her I would be! She’s expecting me!”
“Charley, we’ll have to talk about this later…” Melanie gave me a worried glance.
I really don’t think that’s a good idea—not when the person sending those damn Carnation Club letters is supposed to show up there.
Charley continued to state her case on the way to the car. I got an opportunity to give Melanie a quick hug, but all I got from Charley was a wave because she was too focused on trying to figure out why she couldn’t go to the wedding. We couldn’t tell her the real reason, and for me there were two—the Carnation Club was the obvious one, but the other was the fact that my ex-wife would be there. It was a selfish thing, but I needed Melanie with me when the conversation finally happened. I was no longer worried that I would say something or give her reason to doubt my sanity when it came to my abilities as a parent, but having Melanie beside me would just present a good front. It would be proof that I wasn’t giving my ex-wife lip service, and I truly had moved on. The conversation would be brief, and then she wouldn’t have a reason to raise any concerns over the girls coming to stay with me during the summer.
Having my kids here in Carson Cove is the first step towards rebuilding my relationship with them.
* * *
Several days later
“You should have just let me pick you up at your apartment once the car arrived.” I adjusted my tie as I walked outside.