Page 34 of Sherry and Sunflowers
Peanut and Butter sat a respectful distance away, but their eyes tracked every bite of chicken Zia took—and for every bite, she placed another two pieces on her plate for them.
"Peanut. Butter." Ollie admonished the dogs. "What are you guys doing?"
"They haven't done anything wrong," Alara said quickly. And she knew they wouldn't. It wasn't fair to get them in trouble when all they were doing was waiting patiently.
"It's okay, Mom," said Zia. "He's not mad at them. He just doesn't want me to feel scared of them. Do you, Sunshine King?"
Ollie chuckled. "I know you're not scared of them. But I don't want you to feel under pressure to have to share your food with them."
"I don't mind sharing," she said happily. "I know I'm not allowed to feed them while we're eating, but look." She held her plate up. There was probably more chicken on it than she'd eaten herself, and it was divided up into two neat piles. "There are no bones in," she said. "I checked. It's safe for them."
Alara shot Ollie an apologetic look, but he smiled at her. "I don't mind them having some." He shot the dogs a stern look. "They just need to watch their manners."
Peanut whined and Butter barked.
"They're telling him that their manners are impeccable," Reaves told Alara. "And they're right."
"Yes, they are," said Zia. "They're very clever, you know, Mom. They scare the people who need scaring. They're kind to the rest of us, and they're especially kind to me because I'm small." She wrinkled her nose for a moment. "They're kind and gentle with Grandpa Grape too." She turned to Ollie. "Is that because he's a gentleman?"
Ollie exchanged a look with Reaves, and Alara could guess what they were thinking. Neither of them would want to say—or to admit—that it was probably because Charles was older.
"I think it is," she answered Zia for them.
Zia wiped the back of her hand across her mouth, smearing ketchup everywhere. "Can I be finished now, Mom?"
"Did you get enough to eat?"
"I did." She lowered her voice to a stage whisper. "And Lady Sunshine baked cookies, so I need to save room."
Alara exchanged a smile with Callie, who gave her an apologetic look. Alara glanced back at the dogs. She didn't want everyone to feel as though they had to accommodate her and Zia, so she said, "Cookies sound awesome. And if Ollie doesn't mind, I'm sure the dogs are tired of waiting for your chicken."
"Go ahead," said Ollie.
Zia scrambled down from where she'd been sitting on Reaves's lap. Instead of going straight to the dogs, she tugged his hand. "You can come too, Prince Daddy."
As she watched the two of them with Peanut and Butter, Alara pressed her lips together. Today was the best day she'd had in a long time. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had a daylike this, with nowhere else she needed to be. Good friends, a pool for Zia to swim in, and…
She glanced at Reaves again. A good man. A good friend. That was all he was.
But…
She started to get to her feet, but Ollie took her plate. "I can help, I…"
He met her gaze and held it. "If you don't mind, you can do me a favor and sit right there. It's taken me long enough to get Callie to believe that I'm capable of cookingandcleaning up afterward. If you start helping, you'll undo all my good work."
Callie laughed out loud. "I'm not as bad as he makes me sound. I don't have to do everything around the house. But…" She sighed. "I'm used to it, you know. It's hard to just sit on my ass and let him take over."
Alara smiled and nodded but didn't say anything. She knew exactly where Callie was coming from.
She forced herself to stay seated while Ollie cleared the table. Callie excused herself to go to the bathroom—though Alara suspected she was probably getting a moment alone with Ollie, even though he wouldn't let her help.
She smiled as she watched Reaves and Zia play with the dogs. If today was a good day, seeing the two of them together was the best part of it. Zia loved that man with all her heart, and it was easy to see he felt the same way.
She laughed at the sight of him pretending to fall, lying down on the grass, flat on his back. Zia and both dogs camerunning to him—two tails wagging and the beautiful sound of her daughter's laugh filling the air.
Zia had never known her father—or even a father figure—but Reaves… She wasn't surprised that Zia had named him Prince Daddy. She couldn't choose a better man for the role. And if Alara wanted to be honest, she'd love to choose him too. But…
She turned away from the happy scene in front of her. She refused to let worst-case scenarios intrude on this day.
