Chapter 11
Roger
The next morning, I woke up feeling so delicious and warm with Danielle curled up next to me that it took all my self-control to keep from leaping with joy from the bed and waking her. Instead, I shifted around, freeing my arm from beneath her, and then kissed her on the nose.
She stirred, her eyes flickering beneath closed lids before finally opening. “Good morning,” I whispered, breathing in the sweet scent of her hair.
“Good morning,” she whispered back, and then: “Oh god!”
“What’s the matter?” I asked as she leapt out of bed, feverishly searching the room for her undergarments. “Do you need Plan B?”
“No, no,” she said, wrestling herself into her panties. “It’s not that. I’ve been on birth control for years. It’s…well, Maggie.”
“Maggie?” I echoed stupidly. “What’s wrong with Maggie?”
Danielle whirled on me, her face stern and annoyed. She looked beautiful as ever. “I’ve spent the night, Roger!” She explained. “What do you think Maggie is going to think when I topple out of your bedroom, wearing the same thing I was yesterday?”
“Oh,” I said. “Right.” For a second, I thought about suggesting that she wouldn’t notice, but that was pointless. Maggie was too sharp for that. “Do you think she’ll mind?”
“I don’t know!” Danielle snapped. “She’s your daughter!”
To which I offered another, stupid, “Right.”
“Oh, I should never have done this!” She wailed. “I can’t believe how selfish I’ve been! I never once thought of Maggie!”
This statement hit home hard. Not because I agreed that Danielle should be feeling guilty, but because I, too, hadn’t thought of Maggie. Not really. And she was my daughter. Danielle was just her nanny.
I told her this, but it didn’t seem to help things.
“Urgh!” She groaned. “I’ve ruined everything! I finally find something nice – great, even – and I go ahead and ruin it! Veronica was right…”
I couldn’t take the sight of her looking so upset, so I stood. “No, Danielle, it’s okay. We’re both adults, and Maggie knows that. Why don’t we try giving her a chance? You know how smart she is.”
As I said this, I took her into my arms and held her close to my naked body. This seemed to calm her down, for after several deep breaths, she said, “You’re right. There’s no point in hiding it, anyway. I think honesty is best. But can I shower, at least, before hand?”
“Of course,” I laughed, and pointed her to my master bathroom. Once she disappeared inside, I scowled in thought. As much as I’d tried to calm Danielle down, I was worried, too. After all, I had brought Danielle into our lives for Maggie. Did I just screw it all up? Did this make me a bad father?
Knowing I needed a shower but not caring, I got dressed and greeted Danielle as she left the bathroom ready to go.
“I’m going to give Maggie a little heads up,” I said. “Come out in a few minutes, okay?”
Danielle nodded, and began toweling off her hair. Meanwhile, I took a deep breath and left the bedroom.
Maggie was already awake, still in her pajamas and sitting before a bowl of cereal. “Hey, Dad,” she said cheerfully as she saw me enter the kitchen. “You want some Cheerios?”
“No, Mags,” I said. “Actually, I need to talk to you.”
She set her spoon down, and gazed at me with a look of worry. “What is it?”
I sat. “Well, darling, I just want to start off by saying that I love you very much, and the time we spend together. You know that, right?”
“Oh, god. What happened? Did you decide to send me to Brookdale, after all?”
I shook my head, and I saw her relax. A little.
“So what’s wrong then?”
“You see, honey…your mother has been dead a long time, and that means that…sometimes…your father has needs.”
She eyed me suspiciously. “And, what does that mean?”
“It means…well…sometimes I’d like to try bring a woman into my life.”
She grimaced. “Like the ones you visit in the hotel?”
I blinked at her, astonished. “You knew about that?”
“Please, daddy. I know pretty much everything that goes on around here.” And she rolled her eyes matter-of-factly.
As perturbing as this revelation was, I found it also oddly comforting. If Maggie knew about my dalliances downstairs, surely she would be okay with me and Danielle.
Right?
“Well, now I have something else to confess.”
She stared at me. Was that a smile I detected on the corner of her lips?
“I’m currently seeing – ”
“Good morning, Maggie!” Danielle’s bright voice interrupted as she entered the kitchen. Even though her hair was wet and she was wearing the same rumpled clothes as yesterday, she looked magnificent.
My gaze spun to Maggie, waiting for her reaction. Slowly, like sunlight emerging from a cloudy day, a broad smile spread across her features.
“Danielle?” She finished for me.
I nodded, feeling insanely like a little boy.
She giggled.
“That’s great, you guys!” She exclaimed, then leapt from her seat to rush over and hug Danielle. Then, however, she hesitated. “Wait a minute,” she said. “Does that mean…will you still be my nanny?”
“Of course, dear,” Danielle said, and Maggie gave a little dance of happiness.
“I’ll go get dressed!” She squeaked, and then dashed off to her bedroom.
Danielle sighed and sat down beside me. “Well, that was easier than I expected,” she said.
“You got that right,” I agreed. “Now, after all of last night’s adventures, I’m pretty hungry. What do you think: eggs and bacon?”
“Wonderful,” she said, and I basked in the glowing warmth of her smile.
Even though I almost never cook, I dug the ingredients out of the fridge and began preparing them for her, all the while thinking of how happy Maggie’s reaction had made me. This is amazing, I thought over and over. Danielle is great. Maggie is great. What could possibly go wrong?