She whirls around and clutches her wet hand to her chest, leaving a damp print on her T-shirt. “Fire truck you, Athos.” She laughs and grins at her daughter. “Hey, sweetheart. How was the beach?”
“Fun!” Nova exclaims, her squealed voice filling the room. Her arms go up as if she’s showing us just how much fun she had.
Olivia grabs a tea towel and dries her hands as she closes the distance between us. “Did you have fun with Uncle Troy?”
“Yes!”
“I bet you’re covered with sand.” Olivia pokes her in the tummy, and we’re rewarded with a giggle. “Should we give you a bath before dinner?”
“Yes!”
“You want Uncle Troy to help?” Olivia asks.
“Yes!” Nova points to Butterscotch. “And doggy!”
Olivia kisses her daughter on the forehead. “I hope you’re not expecting him to join you in the bathtub. How ’bout he watches from the sidelines?”
I doubt Butterscotch would complain about joining Nova in the bath, but the room would be a disaster by the time those two were finished.
We head to the bathroom. While Olivia fills the tub with water, I send Jess a quick text.
Me: I’m helping to give Nova a bath first and then I’ll be over.
“So how was quilting club?” I inquire again since Olivia never answered the question earlier.
“It was good. But since it’s summer, only a few people were there. We discussed possible themes for this year’s charity Christmas quilts.”
“What charity are you supporting this time?”
“We haven’t decided yet. The final decision will be made in the fall, once all the members are back from their vacations.”
“Well, you know my mom will be bidding on yours.” I lower Nova to the floor.
“That’s because your mom’s super sweet. Or a super-competitive bidder.”
“Mom happens to love your quilts.” I check the water temperature and dump several of Nova’s bath toys into the tub.
Olivia removes Nova’s clothes. “I swear you’ve got a beach-full of sand in your hair. It’s a good thing its hair-washing night.” She lifts her up and lowers her into the tub.
Nova sits and splashes the water, sending it everywhere. Warm droplets soak through my T-shirt.
I sit on the closed toilet seat since there’s not a lot of room in here. Olivia suds up Nova’s hair, making funny shapes with it, even though Nova can’t see them. We laugh at them. She giggles and splashes.
Butterscotch props his paws on the rim of the tub and barks. That only makes Nova giggle harder and makes it more difficult for Olivia to wash her squirming daughter.
I chuckle, the deep sound echoing off the bathroom tiles. Being with Olivia and Nova like this helps dull the pain I often feel at the loss of my best friend. It’s like he’s here in the room, smiling at us, much like he would’ve been smiling at Olivia and Nova if he were alive and helping Olivia clean their daughter.
I take one of her colorful rubber fish and push it through the water like a boat while making goofy noises. Nova laughs so hard, she almost slips under the water.
My chest aches at how much I enjoy moments like this—with a little kid around. Moments I might never have with Jess.
Once Nova is clean and rinsed off, Olivia dries her and dresses her in her pj’s.
“You want to join us for dinner?” Olivia asks me as I carry Nova downstairs. A loud noise crackles the air outside as lightning splits open the sky. Nova covers her ears. Butterscotch whimpers.
“Sorry, I can’t. Jess is expecting me.”
Olivia winces, and her lips press into a flat line for a fraction of a second. “You really want to go out in that?” She jerks her head toward the front door. “It sounds pretty bad out there.”
