From the author:
I have a niece who is roughly the same age as Emmet. Not long ago, we had a conversation that went something like the one here, where she agreed with everything I said while flashing an adorably innocent smile. Writing this scene made me smile at the memory.
From the book: Daniel was standing nearby. I was somewhat shocked to see that he’d lost most of his hair since the last time I saw him. “That’s different,” I said, nodding to the top of his head.
“I cut it,” Brooke said, a huge grin showing off her pride.
“Really?” I looked between her and Daniel in surprise. I didn’t know if it was more unbelievable that he’d let his daughter cut his hair or that she’d actually done a good job. There was still enough to curl slightly on the top, but it was much shorter overall. “It looks good,” I said.
Daniel sprouted a mischievous grin. “Are you complimenting her or me?”
“I guess both of you.” I pointed at Brooke. “But mostly you.”
“Thanks,” she said. “He said I might be able to cut it again, but…” She stopped and frowned at her dad.
“But what?” I prompted her.
“Hair grows so slowly. I’m betting he thinks I’ll forget before it’s long enough.” Her expression dared him to deny it.
“What?!” Daniel widened his eyes in feigned innocence. “Where did you get such a crazy idea?”
Brooke plopped a fist on her hip as she took a stance that said she doubted even Emmet believed her dad’s act.
Daniel copied her posture. Instead of a serious face though, he smiled down at her and moved his eyebrows slowly up and down.
I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing at the pair of them. Brooke was not amused. She stared back for a few moments before she said, “Come on, Piper,” and the two girls ran to join their teammates. The coach had just started lining them up for drills.
I studied Daniel’s new look as he watched the girls begin to pass soccer balls back and forth. I wasn’t sure what to make of it. He looked older. Not older than he actually was but older than he looked before. It reminded me that he was significantly older than me. That should have been a turnoff, solidifying in my mind the obstacles that kept us safely in the friend zone. It was an attractive haircut though, and the fact that he’d done something a little extreme to please his daughter was even more attractive. Unfortunately, he caught me staring at him.
“What?” he said.
“I… uh…” I touched the back of my hand to my forehead to indicate that if my cheeks were turning pink, it was because it was hot outside. “Forgive me for being shocked that you let a 9-year-old cut your hair.”
“She’s nine and a half,” he said with a smile. Then he shrugged. “I usually do it myself, and it’s not like I know what I’m doing either.”
“Really? You told me that once before. I thought you were kidding.”
Daniel playfully narrowed his eyes at me. “Do you ever believe a word I say?” he asked.
“Sometimes.” I tried to match his light tone.
He turned to Emmet, who was still sitting on my hip. “Do you know what I did to lose all credibility with Miss Molly Hartigan?”
“Yeah,” he said.
“You do?” Daniel smiled at him. “Will you tell me?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. Go ahead.”
We both looked at Emmet. The toddler stared back as though he was the one waiting for an answer.
Daniel said, “Was it the time I was late picking up Brooke?”
Emmet nodded and said, “Yeah.”
“Even though there was an accident I couldn’t get around?”
“Yeah.”
“And I called to explain I’d be late. That didn’t help?”
“Yeah,” Emmet repeated.
“And now Molly will never trust me because of that one strike?”
“Yeah.”
Daniel looked at me with a sad shake of his head. “You are one tough critic.”
I took a page from Brooke’s playbook and refused to laugh. “Do you know that he’s two years old and has no clue what you’re talking about?”
“And yet he believes me,” Daniel said.
“I cut it,” Brooke said, a huge grin showing off her pride.
“Really?” I looked between her and Daniel in surprise. I didn’t know if it was more unbelievable that he’d let his daughter cut his hair or that she’d actually done a good job. There was still enough to curl slightly on the top, but it was much shorter overall. “It looks good,” I said.
Daniel sprouted a mischievous grin. “Are you complimenting her or me?”
“I guess both of you.” I pointed at Brooke. “But mostly you.”
“Thanks,” she said. “He said I might be able to cut it again, but…” She stopped and frowned at her dad.
“But what?” I prompted her.
“Hair grows so slowly. I’m betting he thinks I’ll forget before it’s long enough.” Her expression dared him to deny it.
“What?!” Daniel widened his eyes in feigned innocence. “Where did you get such a crazy idea?”
Brooke plopped a fist on her hip as she took a stance that said she doubted even Emmet believed her dad’s act.
Daniel copied her posture. Instead of a serious face though, he smiled down at her and moved his eyebrows slowly up and down.
I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing at the pair of them. Brooke was not amused. She stared back for a few moments before she said, “Come on, Piper,” and the two girls ran to join their teammates. The coach had just started lining them up for drills.
I studied Daniel’s new look as he watched the girls begin to pass soccer balls back and forth. I wasn’t sure what to make of it. He looked older. Not older than he actually was but older than he looked before. It reminded me that he was significantly older than me. That should have been a turnoff, solidifying in my mind the obstacles that kept us safely in the friend zone. It was an attractive haircut though, and the fact that he’d done something a little extreme to please his daughter was even more attractive. Unfortunately, he caught me staring at him.
“What?” he said.
“I… uh…” I touched the back of my hand to my forehead to indicate that if my cheeks were turning pink, it was because it was hot outside. “Forgive me for being shocked that you let a 9-year-old cut your hair.”
“She’s nine and a half,” he said with a smile. Then he shrugged. “I usually do it myself, and it’s not like I know what I’m doing either.”
“Really? You told me that once before. I thought you were kidding.”
Daniel playfully narrowed his eyes at me. “Do you ever believe a word I say?” he asked.
“Sometimes.” I tried to match his light tone.
He turned to Emmet, who was still sitting on my hip. “Do you know what I did to lose all credibility with Miss Molly Hartigan?”
“Yeah,” he said.
“You do?” Daniel smiled at him. “Will you tell me?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. Go ahead.”
We both looked at Emmet. The toddler stared back as though he was the one waiting for an answer.
Daniel said, “Was it the time I was late picking up Brooke?”
Emmet nodded and said, “Yeah.”
“Even though there was an accident I couldn’t get around?”
“Yeah.”
“And I called to explain I’d be late. That didn’t help?”
“Yeah,” Emmet repeated.
“And now Molly will never trust me because of that one strike?”
“Yeah.”
Daniel looked at me with a sad shake of his head. “You are one tough critic.”
I took a page from Brooke’s playbook and refused to laugh. “Do you know that he’s two years old and has no clue what you’re talking about?”
“And yet he believes me,” Daniel said.
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