Free Days Like This by Laurie Breton

bicycle
tires off her hands, Casey said, “There. We did it!”
    Paige shrugged, and for the first
time, Casey saw a bit of Sandy in the girl.  “You remind me a little of your
mother,” she said as they began walking back toward the house.  “I knew her,
years ago.  I liked her.”
    “You knew my mom?”
    “I did.  She and Rob dated, off
and on, for quite a while.”
    After a moment of deliberation, Paige
blurted, “Were you the reason they broke up?”
    The stricken look on the girl’s
face almost broke her heart.  “Oh, no, honey.  Rob and I have only been
together for a short time.  I was married to Danny Fiore for thirteen years.  I
knew your mom because we were all friends back then.  I don’t know why they
broke up.  If you want to know, you’ll have to ask your father.” 
    They reached the house, began
climbing the stairs.  “I’m so sorry about your mother,” she said.  “I can
empathize with what you’re going through.  I lost my mom when I was fifteen,
and it was a terrible thing to live through.  I know this is scary for you,
because we’re strangers.  You don’t know us, and we don’t know you, and this is
a whole new world for all of us.  But we’re so glad to make you part of our
family.  We look at you as a gift, one that just dropped into our laps from out
of nowhere.  And those are the best kind of gifts.  The unexpected ones.”
    In a flat tone, Paige said, “That’s
pretty much what he said to me.  My father.  In the kitchen.”
    “I’m not surprised.  We’re
generally on the same wavelength.  Your dad’s a really good guy, Paige.  But he’s
scared to death right now, because he doesn’t have a clue how to be a father,
and he doesn’t want to screw it up and disappoint you.  Or himself.  Try to
give him a chance, and don’t expect him to always get it right.  Just remember
how hard he’s trying.”
    Inside, Rob waited with the
lawyer and Lorraine Harriman, the manila envelope tucked into the crook of his
elbow.  Atkinson shook hands all around, wished them luck, and saw himself
out.  “You didn’t have to load it all without me,” Rob said when the attorney
was gone. 
    “We are two strong, independent
women.  Fully capable of doing it for ourselves.  Right, Paige?”
    Paige just made a soft snorting noise.
     “Well, then,” Rob said.  “I
guess we’re ready to roll.”
    Paige said goodbye to Lorraine
and the boy, then picked up her purse and a bright pink leash from the couch.  “Come
on, Leroy,” she said.  The dog ran to her, and she snapped the leash onto his harness. 
    Casey and Rob exchanged startled
glances. 
    “The dog’s yours?” he said.
    “You didn’t know?”  Terror, mixed
with defiance, filled her eyes.  Frantically, she said, “You won’t make me get
rid of him?  I’ve had him since he was a puppy, and he sleeps with me every
night.  He’s my best friend.  My only friend.”
    Casey and Rob exchanged glances again
and held a silent conversation.  This would not go over well with Igor, Rob’s
cantankerous Siamese cat, who was cranky under the best of circumstances, and
who still, after all this time, hadn’t accepted Casey as part of his family. 
    Without speaking a word, they
reached consensus.  Oy , she thought.  This should be interesting.
    “Of course we won’t,” Rob said. 
He crouched down to the dog’s level and held out a hand.  Leroy daintily lifted
a paw, and Rob shot Casey a quick grin.  “Hey, Leroy,” he said, taking the paw
and shaking it.  “Welcome to the family.”
    They stopped at a McDonald’s
somewhere in the urban sprawl on Route 1 north of Boston for lunch, a bathroom
break, and a dish of water for Leroy.  Paige had very little to say, and once
they were back on the road, Casey attempted to draw the girl out.  “So you play
guitar?” she asked, turning in her seat to see the girl’s face.
    Paige shrugged.  “Some.”
    “Maybe you and your dad can