Page 44 of The Payback Adventure
He was helping Caitlin with her chores while Elisabeth cooked dinner. Anything to keep him out of the kitchen and away from her.
Henry needed space.
He was getting too close to Elisabeth. Their midnight encounter two nights ago had only been the beginning. Working together, living together. He couldn’t turn around without catching a glimpse of her. And if he didn’t see Elisabeth, he was thinking about her. That didn’t seem…right.
Not when he was only her friend.
Henry had to keep reminding himself of that. But it wasthe truth. He was nothing more than the Wheelers’ farmhand, friend, and fairy godfather. And when the time came to leave, he was out of here.
As Caitlin glanced around, she pouted. “Where is that cat?”
“Maybe if the cat had a name, he would come,” Henry suggested.
“He has a name,” she said. “Cat.”
Henry chuckled. “I meant a name like Caitlin or Henry or Flower.”
“How about Kitty?” she suggested.
“Good idea, but that name is a lot like Cat.” Henry rubbed his chin. “How about Ritz?”
“I love Ritz crackers. So does Elisabeth.”
He’d been thinking more along the lines of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, but crackers worked. Especially if Elisabeth liked them—no. He shouldn’t take her into account for everything. Not when he was only trying to be her friend, a temporary one at that.
“Come, Ritz.” As Caitlin called the new name, Henry shook the bowl of dry food as added incentive. “Dinnertime, Ritz.”
The no-longer nameless cat came running as fast as his too-small-for-his-large-body legs could carry him.
Caitlin’s mouth formed a perfectO.“Ritz likes his name.”
“Yes, he does.”
“I like you.”
Henry ruffled her blond curls. “I like you, too, princess.”
“Will you be my daddy?”
He froze. That wasn’t what he expected her to say.
“Puh-lease?” she added.
Henry opened his mouth and then closed it. He was at a loss for words. Instinct told him to pack his duffel bag and leave. Forget about packing. He didn’t need any of the stuff Cynthia had purchased for him.
Caitlin tugged on his hand. “Will you be my daddy, Henry?”
A ten-carat-diamond lump formed in his throat. He swallowed around it. “Do you want me to be the daddy if we play house?”
“Yes, but I also want you to be my daddy all the time. The other kids at my preschool have mommies and daddies. I just have Elisabeth. A sister. Abby’s my sister, too.” Caitlin scratched Ritz’s head, and the cat purred as loud as a tractor engine. “All the princesses have daddies. Ariel, Jasmine, Belle, Aurora.”
“What about Snow White and Cinderella?” Henry brushed aside his own question as two little lines formed above the bridge of Caitlin’s nose. “You have a daddy.”
“But he’s in heaven. You’re here with me.”
Henry couldn’t deny her four-year-old logic, but he had to be logical himself. He would never be good enough. He could never be the type of man someone would look up to and call Dad. Not only was he not father material, but he also didn’t want to be a dad.
He was too selfish, too fond of his adventures and indulgences, and too determined to get his own way. His parents hadn’t been the best role models, but Henry was pretty sure being a parent meant learning to give up control asmuch as it meant learning to take responsibility. And he wasn’t good at either.
