Mulligans

16. Morning Run

Nathan peeked into Birdy's room and noticed the light was still on in her loft. Of all the rooms in the lake house, this was one of his favorites. The ceiling was two stories up, and the walls were floor-to-ceiling bookshelves stocked with leather-bound volumes of his favorites, some dating back to his childhood. There was a converted loft up and over one of the walls of books, accessible only by a sixteen-foot ladder. Birdy had voiced claim to the space as hers long ago, and as soon as she was old enough to make the trek up and down the ladder safely by herself, Nathan and Stacey had granted her the space and the fairy-tale-like privacy it provided.

"Are you still awake, Pickle?" Nathan asked, crossing to the ladder.

"I want to find out what happens to Boo and Scout," she called over the library wall.

Nathan smiled to himself as he climbed the ladder. He remembered the intrigue of discovering those characters as a child too. Boo Radley, the mysterious and reclusive young man who lived next door.... At least she hadn't discovered his old copy of The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall. That would only lead to questions, and more questions from his daughter would likely put Stacey into a state of panic after this afternoon's hysterical talk about Birdy's budding sexuality—whatever it was.

Nathan poked his head over the library wall and looked into Birdy's loft, bathed in soft light from her reading lamp. She was tucked into bed and surrounded by a stuffed animal menagerie, her eyes not leaving the pages of the worn copy of To Kill a Mockingbird. "Hi, Dad," she said, flipping a page.

Nathan climbed into the loft and stooped to avoid hitting his head as he walked over to Birdy's bed. "What's happening?"

"He just saved Jem and brought him home," Birdy said, looking up at Nathan. "Can I get my ears pierced like Jenna's?"

"We'll have to talk with Mom. How did you like your veggie burger tonight?" Nathan asked, running a hand softly over Birdy's hair.

"I didn't. It tasted like sand," she admitted, scrunching her nose.

"Well, if you didn't try it, how else would you know, right? It's good to try new things."

"Yeah, I guess. How come Chase is staying with us? Why doesn't he spend the summer with his own family?" Birdy closed her book but kept a finger in place. "Brian says it's because his parents probably hate him."

"That's not true, Pickle. His dad died when he was a little boy, and he doesn't really get along with his mom, so this summer we're like his family," Nathan explained.

Birdy seemed to digest this information and file it somewhere for further processing. "Can I get my ears pierced tomorrow?"

Nathan just smiled at his daughter and shook his head. "We'll talk about it in the morning, sweetheart. Good night." He gave her a kiss on the forehead and headed down the ladder. "Don't stay up all night!"

"I won't, last chapter, I promise!" Birdy called out. "Night, Dad, love you."

"Love you too." Nathan turned out the light in the library and closed the door. He was quite content if the worst he had to consider was his daughter staying up late reading. She'd be a teenager soon enough, and he knew what would be on the boys' minds during high school. Then again, maybe he wouldn't have teenage boys to worry about....

The sun was still peeking over the horizon as Nathan's sneakers squished the dewy grass as he walked across the yard to the guest cottage. He intended to show the boys that he was more than capable of keeping pace with them after Tyler's snide remarks at the breakfast table yesterday. Nathan quietly snuck inside and stood between the two twin beds. The sheets were twisted and pulled into ropes on Chase's bed, and his pillow lay on the floor; he was evidently an active sleeper. His tan skin stood out in contrast against the white sheets, looking warm to the touch.