“Did you have fun?” I asked Mila as we boarded the plane back to Virginia.

“It was amazing!” Mila said. “But, I wish we didn’t have to leave so soon.”

“Soon?” Samson laughed. “We were there for almost a week, kid.”

“It wasn’t long enough!” Mila insisted.

“There’s only so much Mickey Mouse a man can take,” Samson said.

“You didn’t like it?” Mila asked with a worried frown.

“Of course, I did,” Samson said. “I was just kidding.”

“Good,” Mila said. “Because that place was awesome, and we’re totally going back someday. Right, Dad?”

“Sure,” I said.

“I wish we didn’t have to leave,” Mila said wistfully.

I just shook my head and settled her in by the window. Within five minutes, she was snoring with her head leaned back against her seat.

“Passed out already.” Samson snorted. “Figures.”

“She’s tired,” I said. “That was a busy week for her.”

“She’ll have a lot to tell the kids at school on Monday,” Samson said.

“I just hope she had fun.” I shrugged.

“Of course, she did,” Samson said. “Didn’t you?”

“It was good for her,” I said with another shrug. “She needs memories like these to hold onto when she’s older.”

“Unlike us,” Samson said.

“What?” I frowned.

“You want her to have the memories we never got,” Samson said. “Fun family trips, happy times, all that Brady Bunch bullshit.”

I didn’t say anything. He was right, but I wasn’t in the mood for an emotional conversation. Mila wasn’t the only one who was tired after all the excitement. Disney World had been great, but I was exhausted and ready for a night in my own bed.

“You know you had fun,” Samson said, leaning back in his seat as the pilot prepared us for take-off. “Admit it. It was magical.”

“I don’t use words like ‘magical,’” I said. “I’m not a woman.”

Samson just laughed and closed his eyes. It didn’t take him long to fall asleep too. I managed to keep my eyes open for most of the flight, but by the time we landed, I could feel my lids growing heavy.

“We’re home?” Mila asked sleepily as I scooped her up in my arms.

“No,” I said. “Just getting off the plane.”

“Okay.” Mila yawned and rested her head on my shoulder.

Samson and I got the luggage and piled everything in the car. We didn’t talk much on the way home. It was late, and Mila was dozing soundly in the back seat. It wasn’t until I turned into my driveway that Samson found his voice.

“I was thinking,” he began. “About Tanner Bikes.”

“Monday,” I said firmly. “It’s too late to talk business.”

“I’ve never heard you say that,” Samson said. “Come on. Two seconds.”

“Fine.”

“I was thinking,” he said again. “If we can’t get Alex to sell, then we can always buy the property when it goes to auction.”

“You’re so sure it will?” I asked.

“Aren’t you?”

I sighed and looked away. The truth was, I was certain Alex was going to lose Tanner Bikes. We didn’t know everything about her finances, but we knew enough. Unless she had a vault full of gold buried somewhere, she was pretty much screwed.

But, I didn’t want to admit that to Samson. When I last saw Alex, she was determined to never sell. That conviction was stronger than anything else about her. I knew how bad things were for her, how much she was struggling, but I couldn’t deny that I was rooting for her. Deep down, I wanted her to win. I wanted her to find a way to keep her family’s business.

“Probably,” I finally said. “But we don’t know what will happen. For all we know, Alex may come into money and settle all her debts without breaking a sweat.”

“You don’t really believe that,” Samson said.

I want to.

“No,” I said. “I don’t.”

“Exactly,” Samson said. “So, when the shop fails and the bank seizes the property, we’ll buy it at the auction.”

“You haven’t even issued a formal offer,” I said. “You’re already giving up?”

“No,” Samson said quickly. “But, you said it yourself, Alex is going to be a hard sell. She’s hanging on to that shop with everything she has. It won’t be easy for her to accept defeat and sell. Chances are, she’ll lose the property to the bank.”

“Maybe,” I said.

He was right, but I didn’t want to admit that. I didn’t even want to talk about Tanner Bikes. Somehow, it felt like I was betraying Alex. Even though I barely knew her, even though we’d only seen each other a handful of times, I felt this inherent sense of loyalty to her. Just talking to Samson about the shop made my stomach twist into a nauseating knot.

“So, you agree?” Samson asked.

“Agree?” I frowned. “To what?”

“That if we can’t convince Alex to sell, we’ll buy the property at auction,” Samson said.

“Why are you pushing this so much?” I asked. “I know you’re interested in the shop, but Jesus, give it a rest already.”

A look of pain shot through Samson’s eyes. I shouldn’t have been so harsh, but I couldn’t help it. I was tired and trying not to think about Alex. Samson continuously hounding me about her shop wasn’t helping.

“I thought you wanted me to be more involved in the business,” Samson said. “Aren’t you the one who’s always telling me to take initiative?”

“Yeah,” I said. “But, that doesn’t mean getting tunnel vision. There are a thousand other properties out there. You could focus your attention on any of them.”

“I want the repair shop,” Samson said with the rich kid voice I knew all too well. “What’s the problem?”

“Nothing.” I shook my head. “There’s no problem, Sammy.”

I sighed and gazed longingly at my front door. All I wanted to do was crawl into my bed and let my eyes fall shut. Somehow, I was more tired and conflicted than I had been before the vacation.

“I just thought it was a good idea,” Samson said, defeated. “The auction thing, I mean. I thought it would be a smart play. A solid backup plan at least.”

“It is,” I said, making sure to keep my voice level. “Look, I’m sorry I snapped. I’m just tired, and I want to get Mila to bed. I didn’t mean to bust your balls, all right? I didn’t.”

Samson nodded with satisfaction. He didn’t smile, but he let the subject drop. He helped me unload mine and Mila’s bags and then said goodbye as I pulled Mila from the back seat.

“See you at work,” he said softly. He gestured to Mila and added, “Give her a kiss for me.”

“I will,” I said. “See ya later.”

He waved and made his way down the driveway to where he’d left his car. Mila wrapped her arms tightly around my neck as I carried her through the front door and up the stairs. She was awake but just barely. When I laid her down in bed, her eyelids fluttered open with exhaustion.

“Thank you for taking me to Disney World,” she said sleepily. “That was really fun.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” I said. “Now, get some sleep. You’ve had a long week.”

“I don’t want to sleep,” Mila whined.

“Tough,” I said. “You have to.”

She groaned and rolled to her side, but her eyes opened wider. I kissed her forehead and made to leave the room. I’d only taken two steps when I heard Mila sit up in bed. I turned around to see her frowning at the wall, her eyes full of something I didn’t recognize.

“Do you feel sick again? Does your stomach hurt?” I asked, suddenly worried. Maybe I’d pushed her too hard too soon. Maybe the stomach bug wasn’t totally out of her system when we’d left for Disney World.

I pressed the back of my hand against her forehead. She didn’t feel warm, but that didn’t quiet my nerves.

“I feel fine,” she said.

“Then, what’s wrong?”

“I’m just,” She shook her head. “I think I’m just confused.”

“About what?” I asked.

“I love Uncle Samson,” Mila said. “But none of my friends have uncles who spend so much time with them. How come Uncle Samson’s always around?”

“Because he loves you,” I said. “And because he has no life.”

Mila didn’t even crack a smile. Her frown only deepened as she looked away again. I realized something was really wrong, so I hurried back over to her and sat down on the edge of her bed.

“Talk to me,” I said. “What’s going on?”

“All the families at Disney World,” she said. “They all had a daddy and a mommy and kids. My friends are the same way. They have a daddy and a mommy. But me, I just have a dad. And Uncle Samson.”

Mila’s words were like a punch in the gut. I always knew she would ask about her mom one day. I just never expected that day to come so soon.

“Well,” I said slowly. “A lot of kids have uncles, honey.”

“I know that,” Mila said impatiently. “But, they have moms too. Why don’t I?”

“That’s a long story,” I said. “And one we can talk about when you’re a little bit older.”

“Is Uncle Samson around so much because I don’t have a mom?” she asked.

“Uncle Samson is around because he loves you,” I said. “Don’t you like hanging out with him?”

“Yes,” Mila said. “He’s fun, but—”

“Then, don’t worry about it,” I said, trying to laugh lightly. It sounded off even to my ears.

“It doesn’t make sense,” Mila said. “Why don’t I have a mom like everyone else?”

“You have a mom,” I said slowly. “She just doesn’t live with us.”

“But why?” Mila asked. “Did she die?”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Her question was a natural one. Of course, she would think something awful happened to her mother. What other reason could there possibly be for her not being around?

“Listen,” I said. “One day, I will tell you all about your mom, okay?”

“But—”

“No,” I said firmly. “It’s late, Mila. You need to get some sleep.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but I shot her a look and she quieted immediately. She rolled over and pulled her comforter over her shoulders. I knew she was upset, but there wasn’t anything left to say. She wasn’t old enough. Not yet.

“Good night,” I said softly. “I love you.”

I stood up and took a couple steps toward the door, all the while listening for her soft voice. She’d never once ignored an “I love you” from me. I paused by the door and looked back at her. She was hunkered so far down under the covers that I could barely see the top of her head. After a few minutes, I sighed and accepted her anger.

How could I blame her? She deserved to know the truth, but neither of us was ready to face that truth. She was only five years old. Almost six, but still, almost six was too young to understand. How could I explain it to her? How could I tell her that her mom, who was supposed to love her more than anyone, didn’t?

I stepped out into the hall and glanced back at her one last time. She was still tucked away beneath the covers. I sighed and shook my head, hoping she would forgive me in the morning.

Just as I pushed the door closed, I heard her call out.

“I love you, too, Daddy.”