Off to a different start

 

When a knock came on her door, Poppy was expecting it to be Gage, not Niah.

"What are you doing here?" Poppy felt as if she'd been slapped with reality. Niah came over whenever she pleased. She hadn't meant to hurt her feelings. "Does your dad know?"

"Well, of course, he does," Niah said with her little hands on her hips and sashayed in as if this might be her other home. She did like coming over and drawing with Poppy. Sometimes, Poppy would pop popcorn on the stove and they would watch one of those shows her dad couldn't stand. Poppy hated to tell her, it wouldn't happen tonight.

"But why?" Niah shrugged making herself comfortable on the couch.

"I'm expecting company," she told her a friend was dropping by.

"Just a friend? Not a boyfriend?" Niah wanted to know.

Poppy gritted a smile. No way was she counting any chickens before they hatched. She wasn't even sure there were even any eggs to count. But Gage made her feel as if there was a slight possibility. Although, she really wasn't much good at the romance radar. After all, Alfie was not exactly a master of that sort of thing. Although, he knew exactly what he wanted and the bedroom was optional. She sighed. Maybe this was what it should be. Have Niah here to play twenty questions with Gage. Poppy would just have to let it go. In spite of all the vacuuming and cleaning, she'd done in the last few hours, as if to make her place a home. Although, it was small and the clutter wasn't really going anywhere, and neither was Niah.

Niah sat up straight as if she was ready to judge the night.

Poppy got out the cheese platter with plenty of fruit. There was caramel dip and yogurt dip for the pretzels.

Of course, Gage was nice enough. For a moment or two Poppy thought Niah might be Gage's date. He wanted to know what she'd been for Halloween. Did she get a lot of candy?

"Nobody will let me eat it," she informed him. "My dad says I might get cavities."

They both learned that her dad had been brushing her teeth since she was practically an infant. "He still likes to do it after breakfast and before bed."

Poppy looked to Gage as if they'd both learned a lesson in dental health. "Do you brush Alec's teeth?" She wanted to know.

Gage only grinned back as if this had nothing to do with his son Alec.

Finally, she turned on the TV and they went to the kitchen for a serious talk.

"I don't even know why she's here," Poppy told Gage who said, it was OK. Everything was OK.

But she found that hard to believe. He did look a little nervous. She squinted hard and went to get her phone. At least she could text Joon that he needed to pick up Niah.