Ashley watched with a pleased smile on her face as the purple bowling ball thundered down the lane, its path wobbling and irregular. The ball hung on the edge of the lane, just on the precipice of the drop-off into the gutter.

Almost, she thought.

Then, with a thud, it fell off, landing into the gutter and rolling down and out of sight, not a single pin jostling as it passed.

"That's another big, fat ‘x'," she said, watching the letter appear in the open box on the screen above the lanes.

She grinned as Scott said nothing, shaking his head as he made his way back to his seat.

The bowling alley was lively and loud, the sounds of pins crashing, balls bounding on lanes, and classic rock music through the speakers blending together in a noisy din. Ashley sat in the hard, plastic chair in the lane, Olivia next to her, her tiny feet clad in orange and white-colored bowing shoes.

"You're…not very good at this, Dad," said Olivia, her eyes on the overhead screen.

"Hey, I never said I was an expert bowler," Scott said, taking his seat next to the girls.

"I think your performance tonight is making that very, very clear," said Ashley, a playful grin on her face.

"OK, I think I'm ready for some real food," said Scott. "That pizza should be ready by now."

"You're only saying that because you're losing," said Olivia.

"I'm only saying it because I'm hungry," said Scott.

Ashley chuckled. It was strange to her seeing Scott pull up a distant third in their little match. When Olivia suggested the bowling alley for dinner, Ashley was half-expecting Scott to approach bowling with the same careful expertise that he had for nearly everything else that he did. She was so convinced that his skill for just about everything else that he took on would translate to bowling that she almost didn't believe It when she watched his first toss curve abruptly into the gutter.

"You know," said Ashley. "I'm sure if I asked they'd be more than happy to put the bumpers in."

"Ha, ha," said Scott.

The three finished their game, Scott pulling up a distant third.

"I'm almost a little happy to see you're so bad at this," said Ashley with a wink. "It makes you seem almost human."

"I'm just a little rusty is all," said Scott.

"Dad, it's been the same amount of time since both of us last played," said Olivia.

"And how was he then?" asked Ashley.

"Just as bad."

"Hey, how about that pizza?" said Scott, eagerly bounding away from the lanes and towards the food court, his garish bowling shoes a humorous contrast to his otherwise stylish outfit of gray slacks and a tight-fitting white Henley.

Olivia and Ashley shared a knowing look before following after him. By the time they arrived at the food court, Scott had already picked up their pizzas- an extra cheese for Olivia and Ashley and a supreme for Scott, along with a pair of corn-yellow beers in frosty glasses for the adults and a cherry Coke for Olivia.

"Bowling really works up an appetite, you know?" said Scott, folding his slice in half, green peppers and black olives falling off and onto his paper plate.

"Yeah, I bet it takes a lot of effort to lose that badly," said Olivia through a wide grin.

"Aw, lay off your poor Pops," said Scott. "Otherwise I might start crying in front of everyone."

"Now that's something I'd like to see," said Ashley, trying and failing to imagine the always-composed Scott Everest sobbing over anything.

"Want me to save you any olives?" asked Scott, gesturing towards the spare black rings that were accumulating on his plate.

"Ew!" said Olivia, pulling a long, stretchy string of cheese from her slice.

"You know," said Scott, "I named you after olives because I knew they'd be your favorite food."

"No, you didn't!" Olivia said in a protesting voice. "You named me after your grandma or something."

"Nope, olives," said Scott.

Ashley smiled as the father and daughter talked. She knew it felt silly to think this after just a month with the two, but she was almost starting to feel like a member of the family. Fitting in with this pair was easy for her, and the presence of a woman in the house seemed to Ashley to be something for which both Scott and Olivia had been quietly yearning.

The rest of the evening passed with the same sense of lighthearted fun with which it began. The three made their way back into the car, the evening air cool and fresh, Olivia fell asleep nearly immediately upon climbing into the back. Ashley watched the city pass by as Scott drove them carefully towards home, a feeling of quiet contentment settling over her.

When they arrived back, Scott scooped up Olivia from the back, the girl sleeping soundly and sweetly in her father's arms.

"She talks a big game," said Scott as they made their way to the front door, "but this girl goes out like a light."

Ashley smiled at Scott as she slipped the key into the lock and opened the front door.

Stepping into the house, Olivia was roused from her sleep.

"I can walk, Dad," she said her voice groggy.

Scott set Olivia down, her stance unsteady.

"Bedtime, little lady," said Ashley.

Olivia said nothing, instead extending her arm out to Ashley, who took her hand in hers and began leading her towards the girl's bedroom.

I've never really thought about motherhood, or anything like that, thought Ashley, walking down the long hall with Olivia, but this is actually kind of nice.

Reaching the bedroom, Ashley led Olivia in. Helping her out of her shoes and shorts, she got the girl into her bed, Olivia's little legs barely able to support her through the fatigue.

"Hey, Ashley?" asked Olivia, her eyelids heavy.

"Yeah?"

"Are you gonna be here for a long time?"

"I don't know," said Ashley, not sure of how to answer. "Things seem to be going well so far, so maybe. I hope so."

"Me too," said Olivia, closing her eyes and drifting off to a quick and easy sleep.

Looking one last time at the sleeping girl, her blonde tresses wreathed around her sweet face, Olivia turned to leave. Scott was at the entry to the room, leaned against the frame of the door, a half-smile on his face.

"Nightcap?" he asked, his voice low and quiet.

"Sure," said Ashley.

Ashley headed out to the back deck, the water of the pool silver with the light of the moon. Scott returned with a pair of wine glasses, each filled with a glass of something red and delicious-looking. Ashley kicked off her shoes and sat with her feet dangling in the cool water of the pool. Scott saw this, rolled his pant legs up, and joined her.

"Cheers," he said, handing her a glass and raising his.

"Cheers," she said.

They drank their wine in silence at first, both appreciating the still of the evening.

"It's good for her, I think," said Scott. "Having a woman around, I mean. She's at the point right between being a girl and turning into a young lady. I feel like I'm starting to be more and more out of my depth with each day."

"You're a great dad, though," said Ashley.

"Sure, I do what I can. But there's only so much you can do by yourself."

"What…" started Ashley, unsure if she should ask the question, but going on anyway, "…what happened to her mother?"

Scott said nothing for a moment, instead taking a slow, long sip of his wine.

"She died in childbirth," he said, his gaze forward. "She and I were college sweethearts. We weren't expecting a kid, but we figured that we could do anything, just as long as we were together. We married in a small ceremony, and spent the time between classes talking about our life together- baby names, where we'd live, what our house would look like, that sort of thing. When it came time for Olivia to come, everything looked great. I even bought some of her favorite ice cream so it'd be waiting for her when she got back. But then something happened, some kind of complication. They said she just wouldn't stop bleeding. Olivia came out just fine, but her mother…"

He took another sip.

"Just like that. It happened over the course of an hour, but it felt like five minutes. There, then gone."

Ashley regarded him, a look of tender concern on her face.

"I'm sorry."

"Thanks. I've made my peace with it, as much as one can be expected to. Thankfully, I was able to make my money right out of college, so at least providing Olivia with the life she deserved wasn't an issue. Everything else, thought, being a dad, that's just been by the seat of my pants."

"Well, I think you're doing a great job. That kid loves you."

"Sure," he said. "We'll see if she's singing that tune when she's fifteen."

Silence returned, Ashley and John letting their bare legs drift below the still water. Ashley could feel subtle heat between them, and casting a glance downward, she saw that her and Scott's arms were nearly touching.

Looked up, her eyes met Scott's. She looked into them deeply, the blues silvered with a frosted sheen of moonlight. She felt her tongue drag slowly over her lips, as if beckoning him to her.

Then, time moved to a slow crawl as Scott closed the distance between them, placing his lips upon hers in a firm kiss.