Jake
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The Wrong Girl Chapter 9 Part 1
Updated: Aug 19
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It seemed as if the weather in Aspen Ridge turned to autumn over night. Leaves began turning colors and dropping, much like the temperature outside. Now when I bundled the kids up to catch the bus, we could see our breath as we walked outside in the near-darkness.
I’ve always loved fall; it seemed filled with the promise of new things happening, the excitement of sports and upcoming holidays. I found myself thinking about activities I could do with Ethan and Olivia, ways to share more with them, improve our relationship. I knew there was a lot to do and it was a process, but the moments they let down their guard and acted more like kids and less like little soldiers gave me hope.
It also seemed as if the Fall Fest and our almost-kiss were an unconscious turning point for the dynamic between Ellie and me. There wasn’t anything explicit or direct said between us, but our conversations always had flirtatious edge when no one else was around. Every time we spoke, it was more banter and less business. Something about the way she was dressing now—all buttoned up and professional—turned me on even more than the breezy sundresses had. It was like a tempting package I couldn’t wait to unwrap, and she occupied way more of my thoughts than I cared to admit.
It wasn’t hard admitting to myself that I had it bad for the girl.
But it turned out one lesson I had to learn was that kids were far more observant than I realized. Here I thought they were completely entertained playing corn hole and chasing their new friends around the Fall Fest. But out of nowhere, Olivia casually grilled me about Ellie several days later, just when I thought I was safe.
“Dad?” Her voice was light, innocent, as she sat at the table and erased something from her math homework.
“Yes, honey?” I asked, not really paying attention. I was making my famous grilled cheese, and it was seconds from being done. A few seconds too long and the bread would turn to char. I used a spatula to peek under the pan-side and check doneness.
“Is Ellie your girlfriend?”
“What?” I whipped around, spatula in hand. “Why would you ask that?”
She shrugged a narrow shoulder casually, not raising her gaze to meet mine. “I dunno, she’s nice. You like her.”
My brain spun like wheels in mud, trying to find the right response for this scenario. I wasn’t used to Olivia voluntarily engaging me in conversation, but I certainly didn’t want to discourage it. This felt like progress. “I mean, I do like her, and I agree, she’s nice. But she’s also kind of my boss, honey.”
“So?” Olivia raised her wide brown eyes to mine, questioning this idea in the innocent way only a child could.
“Well,” I gestured artlessly with the spatula. “You’re not supposed to date your boss.”
“Isn’t she younger than you? She looks younger than you.”
Was that a nine-year-old insult?
“She is,” I answered carefully. “Why do you ask?”
“If you’re older, aren’t you supposed to be the boss?”
“It doesn’t always work like that, honey.”
“Why?”
“Because sometimes people change jobs, like I did, and when you start someplace new, you don’t always get to start as the boss.”
“But you will be her boss one day, then? When you aren’t new?”
“No… Ellie’s daddy is the real boss. He owns the resort. But he’s going to retire, and then Ellie will be the boss.”
“So she’s only the boss because her daddy owns it?”
“What? No, that’s not what I said.” I certainly didn’t want her repeating that idea to anyone.
“Yes, it is. You said her daddy owns the resort and when he leaves, Ellie will be the boss.”
A sharp, acrid scent reached my nose.
“Dammit, the grilled cheese!” I whipped around and scooped the sandwich out of the smoking pan, but it was already far too late. One side was perfect, the other side was black as pitch.
“I think it’s burnt, Dad.”
I slid the sandwich onto a plate and ran the pan under water to stop the smoke. It would be just my luck for the fire alarm to go off now, too.
“Yeah, I think you’re right, honey.”
Olivia appeared at my elbow and stroked my arm with a reassuring smile. “It’s okay, Daddy. You can just make a new one.”
A deep, bone-weary sigh escaped my lips. “Actually, I can’t, Olivia. That was the last of the bread. But thank you.”
“Oh.” She glanced at the charcoal sandwich speculatively. “Well, can you take the burnt part off?" My teeth were already on edge, but I knew she was just trying to be helpful. “I don’t think that would work, honey. It’s the whole sandwich.”
“Just take off the burnt piece, then cut the other piece in half. Ethan only eats a half sandwich, anyway. As long as it’s triangles, he won’t notice. And you can share mine.”
My heart swelled, and I swallowed down the sudden lump in my throat. When did she get so grown-up and smart?
“That is a great idea, Olivia. Come here.” I drew her into a hug and squeezed her tightly. “Thank you.”
She grinned and wrapped her little arms around my neck. “No problem, Daddy.” She paused for a second. “But I should probably finish my homework,” she added, a little out of breath.
“Of course, honey.” I planted a kiss on the top of her head, then released her. “Go ahead.” I turned and started dissecting the sandwich, then checked on the tomato soup.
She waited until she was safely settled back into her seat to add, “Even if Ellie is your boss, she should be your girlfriend. I like her.”
I was still mystified about the reasoning behind this conversation, but I also didn’t want to shut her down. “Thanks for the vote, kiddo. I’ll think about it.”
“She likes you.”
Even though I knew it was coming from a nine-year-old, I desperately wanted it to be true. “What makes you say that?”
A smirk stretched across Olivia’s cheeks and she sat up straighter. “She watched you a lot at Fall Fest when you weren’t looking. She smiled at you a lot.”
“She did?”
“Uh-huh.” Her gaze dropped to the paper in front of her again.
It felt like there was a driver behind this conversation that I was still not seeing. “Livvie, why do you want Ellie to be my girlfriend?” I asked in a light tone.
She didn’t look up from her homework when she answered casually, “Because she’s nice, and she took us horseback riding.”
That’s what this was all about. The bubble of excitement in my chest deflated in a way that only the innocent commentary of a child could manage.
“Ahh, so you think I should date Ellie so you can go ride horses again?”
“Yup.” She wrote the answer to a math problem carefully on the sheet without glancing my way.
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