Kat walks over and drops down, arms open, and I watch my daughter beeline for a hug. She and Kat are becoming close, and it’s a huge relief to have another adult with whom Violet has connected.
When I reach the two of them, Violet is babbling on to Kat about who knows what, but my cousin is nodding and smiling as if she follows every word.
“Come on, missy, let’s sit down and get breakfast before Daddy has to go to work.” I lift Violet up and sit her down at a nearby table. “Can you grab her some milk, Kat?”
My cousin nods. “You betcha. Coffee for you?”
“Yes, please. And a breakfast sandwich.” I ruffle Violet’s hair. “Hey Vi, what do you want today, eggs or pancakes?” Yeah, it’s a trick question. I already know the answer.
“Pancakes, pease.”
Kat gives us a thumbs up and heads over to the counter to put in our order as I reach into Violet’s backpack to dig out a hair elastic.
“We forgot to braid your hair, honey, you okay with a ponytail today?”
“Rena!”
My head snaps round, searching for her. Vi starts squirming in her seat and I let her go. Serena’s over on the bakery side of the building, but she must hear Violet because she turns around just in time for Violet to crash into her legs, squeezing them.
I make my way over, my hands stuffed in my pockets so I don’t do anything stupid like hug her just as hard as my daughter.
“Hey,” I say softly over Violet’s head.
“Hi.”
“Sleep well?”
I see her fighting back a smile as a flush covers her cheeks. “Yeah. I did. You?”
Slowly I shake my head. “Not really. Couldn’t stop thinking about last night.”
I don’t miss the catch of her breath and wink at her.
“Hey you two, breakfast is ready over here.”
I twist over my shoulder to wave at Kat before facing Serena again. “Would you like to join us for a bit?”
Please say yes…
“Sure.”
We wind our way back to our table, and my hand manages to find the small of Serena’s back in a way that is perfectly acceptable. No matter how much I want to claim her in public, we haven’t talked about that yet. And I haven’t told Violet that Serena is more to me than just her dance teacher. Two things I need to fix, ASAP.
“Hey Serena, can I get you anything to eat?” Kat asks once we’re sitting down. I’m busy cutting up Violet’s pancakes as she works on her milk mustache.
“No, thank you, I was actually just grabbing some tea and a muffin next door.” Serena holds up a bag and a to-go cup. “I’ve got to get ready for class soon.”
“Me dance?” Violet goes to wipe her face on her arm and I catch her just in time, using a napkin instead.
“Yes sweetie, it’s your dance class this morning. I can’t wait to see you twirl.”
“Braid like Rena, Daddy?”
It takes a minute for my brain to disengage from memories of last night that are definitely not okay to be thinking about around my three-year-old. When I do, I can’t figure out what she’s asking.
“What's that, Vi?”
“You want your hair braided like mine, Violet?” Serena stands up, putting her hand on my shoulder. “I got this, Daddy.”