Free Firefighter Daddy by Lee McKenzie Page B

“She’s renting the apartment upstairs.” It was as much a reminder for himself as it was for his daughter. Rory had her own apartment, her own life, and she was free to come and go without him and his family keeping tabs on her every move.
    “I know, but she said I could visit her and Buick whenever I want. The kids at school are going to be sooo jealous.”
    That was probably true. From what he’d seen, the other students were as crazy about Miss Sunshine as Miranda was. “It was nice of her to say you can visit, but you always need to check with me or Grams first.”
    “Why?” Her blond curls bobbed in the breeze as she rotated her head to look up at him.
    “We’ve been over this, Miranda. You’re not old enough to leave the house on your own.”
    A cable car clanged in the distance. If the sound registered with Miranda, she didn’t let on. “But Miss Sunshine’s apartment is inside our house.”
    “That part of the house is hers now.”
    “Why?”
    These days, why was her favorite word. “Because she pays for it. That makes it hers.”
    “But she said I could.”
    Mitch gently squeezed her hand and looked down at her, making every effort to smile. “I know she did, but Grams and I will be worried if we can’t find you, and we might not think to look for you in Rory’s apartment.”
    She seemed to process that information as she hopped along on one foot. “Okay, I’ll ask first. But you have to say yes ’cause she said I could go anytime I want.”
    Mitch sighed. “Thank you for saying you’ll ask first.” He wanted to explain that just because she wanted to do something didn’t mean the answer would always be yes, but he stopped himself. This afternoon was about having fun, about the two of them managing to be a family on their own.
    The hopping stopped and she resumed walking. “Rory’s a cool name, isn’t it?”
    “Yes, but it’s just a nickname.”
    “What’s that?”
    One of these days he’d learn to agree with her rather than give out information that resulted in a never-ending stream of questions. “Sometimes a nickname is a short version of a person’s real name.”
    “Like your name is really Mitchell instead of Mitch?”
    “Right. Or it can be a different name, like Grams’s. Her real name is Elizabeth, but everyone calls her Betsy.”
    “I wonder what Miss Sunshine’s real name is.”
    He knew it was Sonora, but if he told Miranda, would she tell the other kids in her class? Probably, and it wasn’t like Miss Sunshine didn’t have enough names already. “I don’t know,” he said to Miranda, hoping they could stop talking about her teacher.
    “She’s lucky she’s got a cat. Can we get one?”
    “No,” he said.
    Miranda’s head swiveled sharply and she gave him a surprised look. “Don’t you like cats?”
    “No. I mean, yes. Cats are fine, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to have one when you’re at school all day and I’m at work. Besides, I don’t think Grams wants a cat.”
    “She likes Buick.”
    She had that right. His mother seemed completely infatuated with the new tenant, cat and all.
    Laura had been allergic to cats. Within minutes of being around one, she’d start to sneeze and her eyes would go red and puffy, so having one had been out of the question. It seemed Miranda hadn’t inherited that problem.
    “Here we are,” he said, relieved to switch the conversation from Rory’s cat to ice cream. The subject was sure to come up again, and when it did, he hoped to have a better reason not to get one.
    Miranda looked up at the long list of ice-cream flavors posted next to the window. “If Mom was here, what kind do you think she’d order?”
    Mitch waited for his grief to stab him in the chest, but it didn’t happen. So he scanned the list and picked one. “She liked peaches and cream.”
    “That’s what I was going to say!” She tipped her head back and smiled up at him. “But I’m having chocolate-chip cookie dough.”
    Mitch