If I Didn't Know Better (The Callaways #9)(36)

"She's in heaven."

"That means she's watching over you."

"I want her to come back."

"I know you do." She gave Ashlyn a hug, because she just couldn't stop herself, and surprisingly Ashlyn accepted the embrace. Her body was stiff and awkward, but she didn't push Mia away.

Deciding to press her luck a bit further, Mia said, "Your father loves you very much. He's not trying to take the place of your mom, but he wants to take care of you and make you happy."

"Mommy said he didn't want us."

She shook her head. "He didn’t know about you, Ashlyn. Your mom didn't tell him. He didn't find out about you until after she died."

Ashlyn looked confused. "Mommy said I didn't have a daddy. She said she was Mommy and Daddy."

"I don't know why she told you that, but your dad is a good person, and he's trying really hard. Maybe you should talk to him a little bit. Get to know him. Let him get to know you." Ashlyn didn't look convinced, so Mia added, "I have a fantastic father. As a little girl, I looked up at him, and I knew he was big and strong and he would always protect me. Now that I'm a grown-up, I still talk to him about my problems, because even if he doesn't know the right thing to say or he says something stupid, because he's a guy after all, I still know I can count on him."

"Where is he?"

"He's in San Francisco with my mom. That's where I live when I'm not here."

"Are you going to leave, too?"

"Not anytime soon. By the time I'm ready to leave, you'll be sick of me. But your dad is never going to leave."

"He makes good pancakes," Ashlyn said.

Mia smiled. "I bet he does a lot of other things well, too." She paused to pick up some decorative bobby pins from the bed. "I have an idea. We should put these in your hair. They would look so pretty. But first we should probably brush your hair." Ashlyn's thick dark hair was a mass of tangles and from what she'd seen over the last few days, she doubted anyone had put a brush to it in a while. "What do you think?"

Ashlyn nodded in agreement.

"Good. Your dad went to the gym for a while, so it's just you and me." She looked Ashlyn in the eye. "We need to get something straight. I don't want you to go back to your house without telling me. I'm responsible for you, and your dad won't let you come over here, if I can't keep an eye on you. Understand? If you get mad at me, you talk to me; you don't run away. Do we have a deal?"

"Okay."

"Let's go into the house and do your hair. Have you ever had a French braid?"

She nodded. "Mommy used to braid my hair. He doesn't know how to do it."

"Well, Jeremy is a guy, and they just aren't good with hair. But I am really good." She climbed off the bed. The little girl took her hand, and Mia didn't mind the sticky syrup on her fingers one bit. She felt like she'd just won a bit more of Ashlyn's trust.



*



An hour later, Mia had gotten Ashlyn in and out of the shower, blow-dried her hair and put it into a beautiful French braid decorated by the pins they'd found in the cottage.

Then they got into the car to take Ashlyn's new look into town and to get copies made of the art patterns. On their way out of the copy shop, Ashlyn pointed to a children's clothing boutique across the street, grabbed Mia's hand and dragged her across the sidewalk.

"Okay, okay," she said with a laugh. "We'll go look at clothes." She was beginning to realize that Ashlyn had inherited some of her father's determination.

They stopped in front of the window of the store, and Ashlyn's eyes widened in appreciation as she looked at the yellow and white summer dress on the child-sized mannequin.

"Let's go inside," Mia said.

As they wandered around the store, Ashlyn looked at the clothes with a reverence that made Mia realize that the little girl was starting to come alive again. She didn't know if Jeremy would appreciate her buying his daughter clothes. On the other hand, he'd told her that Ashlyn never wanted anything, so if she wanted something, he wanted to give it to her.

"Do you want to try on some clothes?" she asked.

"Can I?"

"Of course. Let's pick out a couple of dresses and shorts and shirts and see what you like. It will be fun. I love to shop for clothes."

Ashlyn seemed to share her enjoyment, and it was clear her favorite clothes were very girly with cute buttons, flouncy skirts, and bright colors.

They spent a good thirty minutes trying on outfits, and Mia had never had so much fun. Ashlyn also enjoyed herself, smiling and parading in front of the mirror in the dressing room. A new hairstyle and a pretty dress had certainly taken her mood to a new high.

Finally, they settled on the yellow and white sundress from the front window, a cute pair of sandals to go with it, and pink shorts with a matching tank top. Mia had also thrown in a pretty chain with a silver heart that had captured Ashlyn's interest. She really hoped Jeremy would be okay with everything. If he could see Ashlyn now, she thought he would be.

In fact, she felt a little guilty that she was the one seeing Ashlyn come out of her cocoon of pain, but hopefully Jeremy would soon get to witness his little butterfly beginning to fly.