At the entrance to the living room, she paused and listened, surprised to hear Nick reading aloud. Birdie sat in the far corner of the room, her back to Nick as he used silly voices to differentiate the characters. Birdie wouldn’t look at him, but her shoulders shook with silent laughter at the comedic delivery.
Cassie softened at the sight of his big hands holding the small board book, a hopeful look on his face as he directed his voice toward Birdie. She walked into the room as he finished a page and sat in the chair across from him.
“This isn’t your first time reading Dr. Seuss, is it?” Cassie asked as Birdie crept closer to Nick.
He blushed. “Of course not. Me and the Doc go way back. Sorry, I saw the book sitting here, so I thought I’d read it. For nostalgia’s sake.”
“Right,” Cassie said, a small smile playing on her lips. “Out loud. With voices and everything.”
“Well, if you’re going to do something, you should do it right.” He set the book down. “But now that your grandmother is safe here, I should probably get going.”
Birdie, still facing away from them, but now almost next to the couch, spun around and grabbed the book, then pushed it back into his hands.
Shocked, Cassie held her breath. Since the accident, Birdie had become a shy, frail shell of her formerly vivacious self. She never attempted to communicate with anyone other than close family members.
Nick glanced down at her. “Do you want me to keep reading?”
Birdie smiled and pointed at the book.
Cassie exhaled, her pulse racing as she reveled in the glimpse of the child her daughter had once been. Strong willed. Outspoken. A force of nature.
Nick looked at Cassie, his eyes seeking her permission, and she nodded.
“Okay. Well then, where was I?” Nick thumbed through the book, then resumed his silly, high-pitched voice.
Cassie could barely contain her joy as she watched Birdie giggle and squeal at his antics. Nick finished the book, then picked up a second book from the pile on the couch and started reading. Birdie crept closer and closer to him, until finally, she was leaning against his leg, smiling up at him. When he finished, she placed a third book in his hands. Without missing a beat, Nick read.
Enchanted at this change in her daughter, Cassie let it continue for two more books, but when Nick raised a sixth, she glanced at the clock and realized he’d been reading for thirty-five minutes. She jumped up.
“No, Bird, I’m sure Mr., uh… well, I’m sure Mr. Nick has places to go and things to do.”
Nick laughed. “It’s Koval. Nick Koval. And you sound a lot like Dr. Seuss yourself.”
Birdie giggled again, and Cassie shook her head, still in disbelief. She hadn’t seen her daughter act like this since before the accident. First, her happiness and determination that morning while making blintzes and now, her exuberance while listening to stories with Nick. They seemed like such simple, normal things for a little girl to enjoy, but Cassie hadn’t been providing them. Her throat constricted with guilt.
“I should probably get going, but maybe we could do one more short one?” He grinned hopefully at Cassie, and a small, frozen part of herself that she kept tucked away where no one could see it melted. Birdie jumped up and down in her seat and clasped her hands under her chin, her eyes begging despite her still silent mouth.
“Fine,” Cassie said, suddenly anxious to get away from Nick and the odd fluttering in her chest caused by his easy smile. “I can see I’m outnumbered. I’ll go get some lemonade for everyone.”
Cassie’s hand quaked as she poured the drinks. She set glasses and a plate of cookies on a tray, then gripped the counter and took a deep breath. Mumbled words poured out of her mouth like a soothing mantra. “There’s nothing special about him. This is Birdie getting excited over the attention. It’s not him. It’s the attention.”
What did that mean, though? Another pang of guilt torpedoed her. If attention was all Birdie really needed, why hadn’t Cassie given it to her? Was she so wrapped up in her grief that she’d been ignoring how much her daughter needed her to reach out and interact?
Obviously. Birdie needed someone to focus on her, and Cassie had to fix that. She couldn’t keep using Henry’s death as an excuse to shut everyone out, including her daughter. She took another deep breath, steeled herself, and went back in the living room.
Cassie set the tray down on the coffee table. “Please, have some refreshments. It’s the least we can do to pay you back for your rescuing and entertaining services.”