The World's Best Dad. Valerie Taylor

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СКАЧАТЬ hope you’re willing to have peanut butter for dinner, then, because I am not up to cooking.”

      “How about we call for pizza?” Ben looked around for the phone. “My treat—in honor of Marisa’s first day in her new house.” He gave Marisa a smile, and she rewarded him with a bright one of her own. Nice kid, that one. “You do like pizza, right?”

      Marisa nodded, her eyes wide. “I love pizza.”

      “Yea, pizza!” Joe jumped up and down. “Spicy Tomato, Daddy!” He turned to Marisa. “That’s the best one. But LaMama’s is good, too. We get pizza all the time, so we know the best ones.”

      “Well, not all the time,” Ben said.

      “Yeah, we have macaroni and cheese sometimes, too.” Joe pursed his lips. “I like Power Rangers macaroni and cheese better than Rugrats, Daddy.” He turned back to Marisa. “But if we get Spicy Tomato, we have to eat all of it, because Spicy Tomato isn’t as good at breakfast. LaMama’s is, though, huh, Daddy?”

      Ben grinned, a little weakly. Carla said, “That’s what you get for teaching kids to talk.”

      AS THE FIVE OF THEM WERE eating the pizza, Ben picked up a flier that had been delivered with it. Noted Parenting Expert Maynard Frader To Speak.

      That Frader idiot again. Maggie was forever clipping his column and bringing it with her when she visited. He tossed the flier on the table.

      Julie picked it up. She pursed her lips. “This is what I need.”

      “That windbag! What about him?”

      Julie laughed. “Maybe you should at least hear what he has to say before you call him a windbag.”

      “I’ve read his column. The man has no idea of the real challenges facing parents.”

      “He’s supposed to be an expert.”

      Some expert. “How can he be an expert when he has no kids of his own?”

      “He has a Ph.D., that’s how.”

      Carla was watching them, her avid gaze switching from one to the other as if she were watching a Ping-Pong match.

      Ben bit his tongue. Better to say nothing than to get himself in trouble.

      Julie eyed him suspiciously, as if she knew what he was thinking. “You think you know all the answers, don’t you?”

      He shrugged. “Of course not. I just know what’s best for my kid.”

      “And you don’t think you could improve things?”

      “Not by listening to a bunch of advice from someone who probably doesn’t know any more than I do.”

      Julie frowned at the flier. “But how could it hurt?”

      “It could confuse you, that’s how it could hurt.” He took a bite of pizza to give himself a minute to think. “He says one thing, someone else says something else. Who’s right? You just have to trust your instincts.”

      “That’s your whole parenting plan? Trust your instincts?”

      He shrugged. “It’s worked so far.”

      She eyed him, looking unconvinced. She had great eyes, a great color of blue. Even when they were all narrowed up like that. He took another bite of pizza and grinned at her, and an answering smile crept over her lips. She knew he was enjoying the view and she didn’t seem to mind a bit.

      Now, this was an interesting woman.

      AFTER BEN AND JOE LEFT for the night, Julie said to Marisa, “Bedtime.”

      “What about my bath?”

      “Oh, right. Bath time, I mean.” Another first. Was there any special trick to bathing a five-year-old? She looked at Carla.

      “You’re on your own, girlfriend. It’s the kind of thing you can only learn by doing.” Carla lay back on the couch. “Besides, I’m exhausted from my exertions.”

      Julie found the pile of boxes marked “Books” and pulled the largest one open. Every Parent’s Guide To Doing The Right Thing was on top. Julie had been reading it up until the movers arrived at her old apartment.

      She paged through the index while she led Marisa upstairs, leaving Carla on the couch with a glass of wine and the Cincinnati Enquirer.

      Bathing, page 42.

      Remember that a child’s skin is very delicate. What seems like a reasonable temperature to an adult can feel burning hot to a young child…. Remember never to leave a baby or young child alone in a bathtub. Young children can drown in even a few inches of water and in less time than it takes to answer the phone….

      How young was too young, Julie wondered. Could a five-year-old really drown in a bathtub?

      She ran the water. Marisa stepped in and Julie hovered over the tub, one hand steady on Marisa’s arm in case she slipped. Marisa sat down and looked up at her expectantly. “Do we got bubbles?”

      “Bubbles.” How could she make bubbles? Shampoo, maybe? Julie opened the nearest box and pushed things around inside, looking for the green bottle. She poured some shampoo into the stream of water. It bubbled beautifully, and Marisa clapped. “Bubbles!” She splashed, then looked up at Julie anxiously.

      “Don’t worry, honey, just try to keep it in the tub.”

      She washed the little girl’s long dark hair, then watched her splash a bit. She’d have to get some bath toys.

      “All ready?”

      Marisa nodded, and Julie helped her out of the tub and into a towel. She dried her off, rubbing the too-thin little legs and arms gently, hugging her through the towel as she dried off her back. “Oh, Marisa, I’m so glad you came to live with me. I’m so glad I’m your mom now.”

      Marisa stiffened. Then, almost convulsively, her arms went around Julie and hugged her back. Julie almost cried.

      She helped Marisa into her pajamas and made up her bed for her. “Shall we read a story? Which one do you want to read?”

      Marisa knelt by the small pile of well-worn books—Julie added a bookcase to her list of things to buy—and pulled out an especially tattered one. Sharing Danny’s Dad. The story of a little boy who one day shared his best friend’s dad while his own father was away at work. The Trocens, Marisa’s foster family before Mary and George, had given it to her last year for Christmas. She’d wanted it read to her almost daily.

      As Julie was tucking Marisa in, she could tell the little girl had something on her mind. “What’s up, honey?”

      “Mom, can I share Joe’s dad?”

      Julie froze her face, trying to keep from showing any dismay. “Well, I’m sure you can be good friends with Ben.”

      “But I can’t share him?”

      Julie СКАЧАТЬ