Billionaire Mountain Man

We waited on the porch while she went inside to fetch Jane.

“She seems really nice,” I said to Everett.

He smiled. “She does. We'll have to take her up on that offer to hang out sometime.”

Bianca returned with Stacy and Jane in tow.

“Say goodbye to your friend now,” Everett encouraged Jane with a smile.

Jane hugged Stacy like they’d been friends forever. “Bye, Stacy,” she said. “I enjoyed playing at your house with you. You should come to my house soon.”

“Can I, Mom?” Stacy looked up at her mother with a shy smile.

“I’m sure we can work that out,” Bianca assured her daughter.

“Good,” Stacy turned her attention back to Jane. “I like you! You're my best friend.”

“Aw, isn't that so cute,” I remarked, squeezing Everett's hand.

I reached down and took Jane's hand.

“Come on now, Jane; I’m afraid we have to go. You'll be able to see Stacy again tomorrow at school.” We waved goodbye to them and headed down the steps.

“Yay!” Jane said with a big grin. “I like playing with Stacy.”

We walked out to the SUV, and Everett chatted with Jane as we got into the car.

“So, you had a good time there, huh sweet pea?” he said.

“Yeah, Daddy! We played with her Barbie dolls, and she has another doll that's like a real baby! Its eyes open and close, it can even cry! You got to hold it really careful, or it'll cry, just like a real baby!”

“That's good, that's good,” he said as he drove. “And did you just play with dolls all afternoon, sweet pea?”

“No, we also colored. Stacy has some pretty coloring books.”

“That sounds like fun. You didn't play video games or anything like that?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Stacy's mom says she can't play on tablets or cellphones or play video games. But it's okay, I think; I liked playing with dolls and coloring.”

Everett shot me a sideways glance and a wry smile. “I think we should definitely encourage this budding friendship, huh?” he remarked. “Sounds like they're good people.”

I chuckled. “An electronics ban doesn’t make them good people,” I said. “But they do seem to be on the same wavelength as us when it comes to raising a child.”

We pulled into the driveway and we all piled out of the SUV.

Jane jumped out and immediately looked across the street and saw her friend playing on the porch of his family's house – my former house.

“Hey, there's Jason!” she exclaimed. “Can I go play with him for a while?”

“But, sweet pea, you've just spent the whole afternoon playing with Stacy,” Everett said.

“But I'm not tired yet!” Jane declared.

I took Everett's hand and squeezed it suggestively. “Let her go, honey, there's still an hour or two of daylight left... And I can think of something nice we could do in the house once we're all alone.”

Everett grinned, picking up the hint immediately. “Well … okay, sweet pea, you can go and play with James for a little while.”

“Yay!” she said and ran toward the street, stopped and looked both ways for any cars, and then sprinted across. She immediately sat down next to Jason, who was playing with toy cars and trucks on the porch. His mother looked across the lawn and saw us, offering us a friendly wave.