"Of course I am, Daddy," Plum says with a smile.
Then she looks at me. "Chocolate chip cookies are my favorite too. My grandma makes the best ones in the whole wide world." Then she lowers her voice to a whisper. "Don't tell the people at the cafe that, but hers are better. Promise."
I smile. "Good to know."
Fig and Reuben chat for a few more minutes about their siblings and things that I don't know anything about. Somebody's back from a honeymoon and someone else is complaining about working too many hours. I do my best to listen, but honestly, I'm caught up in Plum, who is standing right next to her dad. Dad. Reuben seems so young and this little girl must be four or five. I do the math.
The whole walk down from the woods to his house, he never mentioned that he was a father. But then again, it's not exactly my business.
"So what are you guys doing? Sorry," Fig says, "I just don't think we've ever met before."
"No," I say, "I just came into town on Sunday."
Plum’s eyes grow wide. "You're Rapunzel. I thought I knew you from somewhere."
I smile. "Rapunzel?"
"Yeah," she says. "I saw you when you were in that big bus all painted with rainbows. You look like a fairy princess." Her eyes sparkle when she looks at me.
"Well, thank you," I say. "But maybe I should get a haircut."
"No," Plum says, shaking her head. "It's perfect, but what happened?" She points to the crutch and my foot wrapped in the bandage.
"I fell in the woods today and sprained my ankle. Your dad took good care of me and made sure I went to the doctor."
"Daddy's good at that kind of thing," Plum says. "He always takes good care of me."
Fig gives us both a smile, biting her bottom lip as if she wants to say more, but she doesn't. "All right, Plum. Let's go get my coffee and go back home to sew that costume. All right?"
"See you tomorrow, Daddy," Plum says, waving goodbye.
When it's just Reuben and me again, there is a moment of silence. "Well, so you met my daughter," he says.
"She is adorable," I say. "I had no idea you were a dad."
He exhales. “Hey, you wanna have another coffee?”
I bite my bottom lip. Clearly he is avoiding the topic.
5
REUBEN
After Plum and Fig walk out of the cafe with drinks in hand, waving goodbye, an awkward silence settles over Meadow and me. I go into the cafe for bottles of water, trying to collect my thoughts.
But when I sit down at the table, Meadow speaks first. "So that's your daughter?"
"Right," I say. "Plum, my little girl."
"She's so sweet," Meadow says, "and she's lucky to have a dad like you."
I run a hand over my jaw. "Yeah. Well, I'm a single father and sometimes I feel like I'm doing it all wrong. My parents, they help but..."
"You must have a lot on your plate," Meadow says, "but the way she looks at you tells me you're doing something right."
"Thanks," I say, appreciating her ability to not press into corners of my past that I'm not ready to open up about. "Hey, I was thinking. I know we just met, but I really don't want our time together to end. Maybe that's too forward, but..."
Meadow shakes her head. "No, I don't want it to end either. I'm having a great time getting to know you, Reuben, and I know I'm only in town for a few more days, but..."
"Right," Reuben says. "A few days?"
I nod. "Yeah. Then we're headed south to California."
"In that case, I guess we should take advantage of the fact my parents are watching Plum tonight." Meadow’s cheeks go red and I immediately clarify it. "I wasn't saying—I just meant we could hang out some more if you wanted."
"That sounds great," Meadow says. "What did you have in mind?"
"We could get dinner. I could take you out."
Meadow smiles. "I feel like I should be the one taking you out. After all, you've been my knight in shining armor today. Rescuing me, making sure I was okay, buying my coffee."
Reuben frowns. "No, don't think of it like that. I'm just glad I was there when I was. Hell, you'd be still sitting in those woods if not."
Meadow grins. "I told you I had a plan. I was going to roll down the mountain to the campground."
I chuckle. "I'd kind of like to see that actually, you rolling around on the ground."
Meadow grins playfully. "I don't know what that means, but I think it's your way of flirting with me."
"I'm a little rusty," I admit.
"It doesn't seem that way," she tells me.
"But about that date," I say. "Want to make dinner together?" I suggest. "Maybe that's weird but..."
"No," Meadow says, "I love that. I am fine going out to a restaurant, but I'd prefer to actually hang out with you, and I don't need a whole scene."