The Distance (26 page)

I chewed my lower lip for a moment before saying, “This sounds so great. I’d love to work at the garage, and to see you every day. But what if it’s the wrong choice? What if working together is too much pressure and ends up costing us our relationship?”

“It won’t.”

“How do you know?”

“Because we won’t let it.”

I thought about it for a while before saying, “Maybe we can do this on a trial basis. We could give it a month and then see where we are. You concentrate on that restoration project and I’ll pick up the small jobs that come in. If there’s any sign that our work arrangement is having a negative impact on us, I’ll resign from the shop at the end of thirty days. I’ll even help you hire someone in my place if you want. I know a lot of mechanics.”

Kai hugged me and said, “I’m so glad you’re willing to give this a shot.”

“Thank you for thinking of me.”

He sat back a bit and looked at me. “There’s something else I’ve been wanting to tell you. I’ve decided to quit racing.”

“Are you serious?”

He nodded. “There comes a time, you know? I’ve been racing since I was sixteen and I already stuck with it longer than I should have. I think it’s best to walk away at this point and not keep tempting fate. I don’t need the money like I used to, and I guess I really don’t need anything else from it, either. Not anymore.”

“Don’t you? It was such an important outlet for you.”

“How can I put this?” Kai paused for a moment, then said, “Racing used to be an absolute necessity, because it was the one thing I had that was just mine, and that didn’t have a thing to do with being a parent. It was the only time I could act my age. It made me happy, and made me feel fulfilled.” He touched my face and said softly, “I don’t need racing to feel happy and fulfilled now, Jessie. I have something so much better for that.” I grinned and pulled him into a kiss.

Izzy held out a little bouquet of dandelions and said shyly, “These are for you.”

I pulled off my work gloves and crouched down so we were eye-to-eye. “Thank you so much,” I said as I took the flowers from her. “This was really nice of you.” She smiled and looked at her little pink sneakers, which matched her tiny, pink handbag, her pink shorts, and her pink sweatshirt with a silhouette of Tinkerbell on the front.

“Sorry if we’re interrupting,” Malia said as she gestured at the silver Corolla I’d been working on.

“You’re not. This customer’s picking up her car at six, and it’s already done. I was just fine-tuning the engine to increase its fuel efficiency.”

I’d been working at the garage for two weeks, and so far it had been a huge success. I loved the job. It was deeply satisfying to roll up my sleeves and spend each day fixing things. The fact that I got to see Kai all the time was the best part though, and not just for the hugs and kisses we snuck in throughout the day. He was incredibly easy to work with. I appreciated the fact that he let me work independently and never gave unsolicited advice. We’d consult with each other whenever one of us wanted a second opinion, but there was no sense of him looking over my shoulder or acting like he was my boss. He respected me and treated me like an equal, and I loved that it felt like a partnership.

I asked Izzy, “Want to come with me to find a vase for these?” She nodded and slipped her hand in mine, and the three of us went back to the office. I found an old glass bottle, filled it with water and the dandelions, and put them on the photo shelf. Then I asked Izzy and Malia if they wanted a drink, and when they said yes, I handed them both an apple juice from the mini-fridge.

As Izzy sat on the blue quilt I’d found for the daybed, sipping her juice and swinging her feet, Malia said, “I like what you’ve done with the place.”

“I didn’t do much. Mostly, I just cleaned,” I said, indicating the tidy shelves and desk. “The curtains and new bedding did freshen it up a bit, though.” Kai and I spent the night in the office two or three times a week. We’d go to his house around five, spend every afternoon and evening with his family and tuck Izzy in before returning to the garage and working until midnight. Of course, whenever Nana called, I’d drop everything and go help her, but those calls were few and far between.

Malia said, “It’s a huge improvement. My brother doesn’t usually give much thought to his surroundings. Where is he, anyway?”

“He said he had a meeting and took off maybe forty minutes ago.”

“What kind of meeting?”

“No clue. I expect him back soon though, since he said he’d only be gone an hour.”

“I just assumed he’d be here. Mom and Gran are both out, and I’m supposed to pick up my boyfriend and drive to Redwood City to look at a second-hand food truck. I can take Iz along, but I think she’ll be bored out of her mind.”

“You can leave Izzy with me if you want. We’ll go out to the patio and draw pictures, right Princess Isabella?” The little girl gave me a bashful grin and nodded.

Malia thanked me and apologized before heading to the door, but there was no need to. I loved spending time with Izzy, and she and I had really bonded over the past few weeks. I gathered up the pads of drawing paper and the Mason jar full of colored pencils I’d bought for her visits to the shop, along with a tiny, pink gift bag. Then I closed and locked the garage and headed to the patio with my cute companion.

The mid-May weather was absolutely perfect. Izzy sat beside me on the bench at the red picnic table, and when I put the three-by-three-inch gift bag in front of her, Izzy’s eyes went wide and she said, “It’s not my birthday.”

“I know. I just saw something pretty at the store and thought of you.” She carefully pulled out the tuft of pale pink tissue paper and when she peered into the bag, her face erupted into a huge smile. As she carefully pulled the pair of rhinestone butterfly-shaped barrettes from the bag, I explained, “On days you can’t wear your tiara, you can wear these and still be the butterfly princess.”

She scrambled up onto the bench and grabbed me in a hug, strangling me a bit, but it was totally worth it. “They’re the most beautiful things in the whole world! Thank you so much, Jessie,” she exclaimed. It was a far bigger reaction than I’d expected from a three-dollar set of hair clips.

I hugged her gently and said, “You’re welcome, Princess Isabella.”

When she let go of me, she asked, “Will you help me put them in my hair?”

“Love to.” She opened her little fabric handbag and pulled out a tiny brush. Its handle was clear plastic with hot pink glitter throughout it. Izzy handed me the brush and sat with her back to me, and as I carefully untangled the ponytail holder from her thick, dark hair, I asked, “Do you want me to French braid it for you?”

She looked at me over her shoulder. “Do you know how?”

I nodded. “My sister Ruthie taught me so I could do her hair. She only had brothers, and our mom was usually too busy with something or another to fuss with things like that. I’m out of practice, but I haven’t forgotten how it’s done.” Izzy seemed impressed.

As I ran the brush through her hair, she asked, “Do you think you and my daddy will get married?”

That caught me off guard, and I stammered, “I, um, I don’t know.”

“I hope you do,” she said. “I like how happy Daddy is now that you’re his boyfriend. I used to want him to find a mommy for me because I don’t have one, but I’ve been thinking. I kind of already have three mommies, between Auntie Mal and Gran and Great-Gran. But I only have one Daddy. Our family could use one more, even though we’ll still have way more girls than boys.” I had to grin at that logic.

When the braid was completed and the hair clips were in place on either side of her head, I snapped pictures with my phone so Izzy could see the results. She was absolutely delighted, and said, “You and Daddy need to start spending the night at our house instead of here. That way, you can braid my hair before school. I know you guys do sleepovers a lot, because he’s so happy and smiley in the morning.”

It was nice to hear I had a visible effect on him. “Doesn’t anyone in your family do this?”

She turned to me and shook her head solemnly. “Auntie Mal goes to work really early, and when Gran or Great-Gran try to braid my hair it turns out all lumpy. You made it perfect. Why don’t you spend the night tonight so my hair can be pretty for school tomorrow?”

“I’ll have to ask your dad,” I said.

“He’ll say yes.”

I turned our attention to the three spiral bound drawing pads and handed Izzy hers. The other two were labeled ‘Jessie’ and ‘Kai’. He mostly drew cars whenever we roped him into doodling with us (he thought he was terrible at it, so it usually took some cajoling), and I was basically the stick figure king, but I enjoyed it.

Izzy concentrated on her drawing, her brows knit as she gripped a yellow colored pencil. The tip of her tongue peeked out from between her lips, and when she saw me grinning and watching her, she hooked her arm around the drawing and admonished, “Don’t peek!”

I assured her I wasn’t and went back to my stick figures. A few minutes later, Izzy carefully tore the sheet from her drawing pad and handed it to me. “I made you a present. I drew a frame around it, so you can put it on the picture shelf in the office. You need to be up there, too.”

A lump formed in my throat as I looked at the carefully rendered portrait. Izzy had drawn herself holding hands with me on her left and Kai on her right. We were all smiling and surrounded by hearts. She’d drawn a golden frame around the edge of the paper, and misspelled ‘famly’ at the top of the paper in her adorable, chunky block print. It meant more to me than she could possibly realize. I pulled the little girl into another hug and whispered, “Thank you.”

“Do you like it?”

“It’s the most wonderful present anyone’s ever given me in my entire life.” I really meant that.

She seemed pleased, and when I let go of her, she started drawing flowers on a fresh sheet of paper as she hummed to herself. I took another look at the picture before tucking it carefully between a couple clean pages of my drawing pad. Her ability to open her heart like that, to decide I was family after just a few short weeks, was both touching and humbling. It was so genuine, completely without ulterior motives or the need for explanation. It just
was
.

I realized something all of a sudden. Nana had proclaimed me family in exactly the same way, just weeks after I went to work for her. With Nana, just as with Izzy, you could take them at their word. If they said I was family, then as far as either one of them was concerned, I absolutely was. They wouldn’t tell me what I wanted to hear. Instead, they spoke from the heart, always.

I couldn’t remember if I’d ever told Nana I loved her, and if I hadn’t, that was a huge oversight. I picked up the phone and texted:
I love you, Nana. Thank you for letting me be a part of your family.

She texted back:
I love you too, Sweet Pea, and you’ll always be a part of my family. Are you at the garage? I have something for you
. I told her I was, then went back to drawing.

Fifteen minutes later, Nana and Kai’s Gran bustled into the yard. They were both wearing velour track suits and had styled their hair in matching Princess Leia buns. “Oh, Izzy’s here, too,” Kiki exclaimed. “I have something in the car for her.”

She started to turn back the way she came, but Izzy called, “Great-Gran, wait! You have to look at my hair. Jessie did it! He gave me a present, too. Are they sparkly?” She gingerly touched the butterfly clips with her stubby fingers.

“Oh my heavens, they’re just as sparkly as can be! They look like diamonds. That Jessie is one heck of a braider, too, I tell you what,” Kiki said. “You look beautiful, Iz. Now just wait until you see what Nana Stana and I got you today!” She hurried from the yard.

“Where’s Ollie?” I asked as Nana sat across from us and put a tall, pink, bakery box on the table.

“He’s with Ignacio. They’re talking business with Christopher Robin, so Kiki and I decided to go out and make some bachelorette party plans. We found one of those ‘adult bakeries’ and got you and Kai some treats for later. Kiki also got some G-rated stuff for dessert tonight, so Princess Isabella can enjoy, too. Just not what’s in this box. That’ll result in years of therapy.” Nana moved the box to the bench beside her and smiled cheerfully.

Kiki returned a minute later with a tiny garment bag, which she unzipped with a flourish. Inside was a gorgeous pink dress with a tulle rainbow petticoat. Izzy gasped, and Nana said, “I need a flower girl for my wedding, and I can’t think of a prettier, smarter, more perfect little girl in all the world. Will you be in my wedding, Princess Isabella?” Izzy nodded, staring at the dress in absolute wonder.

Finally the little girl managed, “Can I wear my new butterfly barrettes in the wedding?” That made me feel good.

“Of course you can!” Nana told her. “They’ll be perfect with this dress. We’ll go out and get you some pretty new shoes, too. Those you have to try on. You gotta have comfortable shoes, that’s important in life. Do you want to try on the dress to make sure it fits?”

Izzy nodded, and Kiki said, “Come on, Iz, I’ll take you to the office to change.”

I handed her the key to the side door, and when the two of them went off hand-in-hand, I slid the little girl’s drawing from my notebook and showed Nana. Her brown eyes crinkled in the corners as she smiled and said, “I know how much family means to you, Jessie, and I’m so happy you’re getting one of your own.”

“I’ve never felt like this about anyone. He’s everything I could want, and so much more. And Izzy, God, what a great kid. His whole family has been amazing.”

“Kai’s crazy about you. It’s so obvious when I see the two of you together. And good gravy, just wait until you see what he’s doing for you right now! It shows true devotion, if you ask me.”

“What do you mean? Where is he?”

“He’s with Dante, and they’re hatching a surprise for you. That’s all I’ll say. I shouldn’t have even said that much.” Nana pantomimed locking her lips and throwing away the key. Her eyes sparkled mischievously.

“I didn’t realize Kai and Dante had become friends at some point.”

Nana mimed unlocking her mouth, then said, “Kai needed help with this surprise and figured Dante was a good resource for what he needed. He was right, of course. My grandson is one smart cookie. Don’t tell him I said that, I don’t want him to get a big head. Now quit talking about what he and your honey are putting together for you before I accidentally let something slip!”

Izzy returned a couple minutes later, looking radiant in her new dress. It fit perfectly, and she held her head high. “Oh my gosh,” I exclaimed. “It’s just as pretty as your butterfly princess dress!”

She hoisted up the mid-calf-length skirt a few inches and admired the cloud of rainbow tulle underneath, then looked up at the adults around her and asked, “Is this real? So much good stuff has been happening and I’m scared that I’m dreaming.”

I swung off the bench and crouched down to her level. “You know what? I’ve been feeling like that a lot lately, too. But it turns out, we’re not dreaming. We just have awesome families who do incredibly nice things for us. We’re pretty lucky, you and me.” She nodded solemnly.