“Hi!” I smile down at Penny before looking at her grandma. “I’m Sutton.” I reach out to shake her hand.
“Hello, I’m Alicia. It’s nice to finally meet you. Penny has been talking about you all week—”
“Where have you been?” Penny interrupts the introductions. “I haven’t seen you since we had cupcakes.” Her small pout would make me giggle if she didn’t look so darn sad.
Bending down, I explain, “I had to go to a show this weekend, but I’m back now. I met a little girl that reminded me a lot of you.”
“Really?” Her eyebrows shoot up. “What’s her name?”
“Stacy.”
Penny thinks about this for a moment with furrowed eyebrows.
“Did you give her a toy?”
“No,” I giggle. “I met her before my show.”
“Okay.” She nods and seems pleased with this response. “You gave me Singy because you like me,” she states.
“Of course.” I nod and stand.
“She loves that stuffed chick. Thank you for giving it to her,” Alicia says with a smile.
“It was nothing. I’m just glad she’s better.”
“Oh, she’s better, all right. She’s been trying to convince me to take her to The Mad Batter all morning.”
I chuckle. I have a feeling Penny could live off of cupcakes if they let her.
“It’s spring break, and she thinks that’s a reason to eat sugar all day,” Alicia adds.
“Ah, that’s why you aren’t in school.” I look at Penny.
“Yup. We have a whoooole week off! Isn’t that cool?” She dances in place.
“It sure is. Enjoy it! Well, I’ve got to go to work, no spring break for this girl, but it was great meeting you.” I look at Alicia. “So glad I bumped into you, Penny. Tell Singy I said hi.”
This throws her into a fit of giggles, mouth opened wide, and head tilted back as her cackles fill the town.
“He’s not real,” she says in exasperation, but I just smile and wave at them.
With my smile still intact, I walk to Cup-O-Joe for my coffee fix before grabbing a ride from Harris to Knox’s house.
Our time in Boise was great, but Gavin was still on my mind. Is it silly to think that we could have something more than run-ins and shared friends? I could be digging myself into a hopeless situation, but when I see him or Penny, my heart smiles. It’s pointless, though, with my instability at the moment and constant traveling. Who would want to start a relationship with someone in that situation? Let alone someone who has a daughter.
All the reasons why Gavin and I would never work hits my mind at once, like neon flashing reminders not to be missed, but then I see his quiet calm, the hint of sadness that lines his forehead, and I want to hug him. I want to show him there’s more to life. I want to prove to him that happiness exists if you decide to pursue it. I don’t want to replace anyone, but I want a chance to meet a man that I can come home to.
But maybe a man with a complicated history isn’t the person for that, despite the tug I feel toward him and the draw of my eyes to his.
When I open the door to Cup-O-Joe, I find Lia sitting at a table. What I notice next is Gavin sitting with her, his back to mine.
Lia waves with a smile. “Hey, Sutton.”
I wave and lock eyes with Gavin when he turns around. There’s something written in them that I can’t decipher, a tight-locked code that makes it impossible to read him.
I smile shyly and order my coffee. Before leaving, I glance over my shoulder one more time. When he catches me, Gavin smiles to himself, the beauty of it is something the world should see more often.
Gavin
The surprised look on Sutton’s face when she saw me at Cup-O-Joe with Lia this morning has been stuck in my mind. She was traveling this weekend for a show; however, I expected to see her while I ran errands with Penny in town. It was a weird sensation I haven’t felt in a long time, in years, really. Wanting to see someone, even if a glance of them as we each crossed paths, is a foreign feeling. And there she was this morning as if fulfilling my one wish I’ve had all weekend.
Scrubbing a hand down my face, I ride Dusty Buckaroo back to the barn after I make sure the cattle are secure in the large pen. The cool air hits my lungs as I inhale, the stillness in this part of the ranch stopping me for a moment. I look around at the beauty of this land, the monstrous mountains, and chirping of birds combined with the moo of the cows some feet away from me.
I don’t need much more than this. So long as I have Penny, my life is perfect, but lately, I’ve been wondering what it would be like to have a woman in my life again. If I’d be able to trust another woman, with my daughter, my heart, and my love.
Meeting Sutton has stirred these thoughts that I discarded long ago. Abbie didn’t shy away either when she showed me a message a mom posted on her social media and tagged Sutton from this weekend’s show. She expressed her gratitude for meeting Sutton and for the patience and kindness she showed toward her shy daughter. I smiled to myself when I read it and saw the picture of the three of them. I’ve witnessed the same sincerity from Sutton when she’s with Penny.
“Dadddyyy!!” I whip my head around at the sound of Penny’s piercing voice and squint my eyes to see a blurred form by the barn. Smiling, I squeeze my calves around Dusty Buckaroo and begin galloping toward Penny with the wind flashing by me.
“Hey, sweetheart.” I dismount and tie my horse
