She's been beside the point this whole time, Olivia said. Not because anyone meant that, but she's not beside the point. She's the point. She's part of whatever this is, and I want her at the table. Literally, I want to cook dinner for both of you at my place.
My table? She paused. Is that too fast? Marcus thought about his daughter at the science fair. Explaining water filtration to this woman with lit up eyes.
He thought about Maya in the ice cream booth, watching Olivia laugh and going soft for just a second. He thought about pajama clad Maya in the kitchen doorway saying she looks at you like you're the first solid thing she's grabbed onto. No, he said it's not too fast. Next Sunday, she said. Next Sunday, he confirmed.
She got out at the building door. She turned around this time fully looking back at him through the windshield and she raised one hand. A small wave and he raised one back and she went inside. He sat in the truck. He was not going to make a big thing of this internally.
He was not going to sit here and have a moment about it. He was a grown man who had work tomorrow and a daughter to get home to. He sat in the truck for 4 minutes having a moment about it. Then he drove home. Maya was awake.
She wasn't supposed to be. It was almost 11:00, but she was on the couch with her book and the reading lamp and the specific innocence of a child who knows she's up past bedtime and is betting that her parent is in too good a mood to make it an issue. Marcus looked at her. You're up late, he said. I lost track of time, she said, which was her standard explanation for everything.
He sat down next to her. She put the book down and looked at him. Good dinner, she said. Yeah, really good. What did you have?
Pasta. Too much salt. Uncle Daniel made it. Yeah. She nodded sagely.
He always does too much salt. She pulled her knees up. Was Olivia there? She was. Maya looked at the coffee table.
Then she said, "Dad, yeah, I know she's not mom." Maya said very simply, very directly the way she said everything. I know that. I don't need anybody to tell me that or explain that to me. She paused. But she's good to you and to me, and that matters.