Witch in a TaleSpin

Matchmaking & Other GS Badges

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James chuckled.

“I think that could be arranged.”

He glanced at the rear view mirror just as Annabelle began to cheer and clap. He had never seen her that excited about James agreeing to act silly. She must really be fond of Susannah.

And apparently quite fond of the idea of James spending more time with Susannah.

It wasn’t a long drive from the park to James and Annabelle’s house. As soon as he parked in the driveway, James turned the car off, unbuckled his seat belt, got out, and opened the passenger doors for Annabelle and Susannah.

“Thanks, Daddy!” Annabelle said as she hopped out of the backseat; already quite proficient in quickly releasing herself from her seat belt.

Susannah smiled as James offered her his hand. Her hand was soft and warm in his as he helped her out of the car.

“Thanks”, she murmured somewhat shyly.

James beamed at her.

“You’re welcome.”

Closing both doors, James made sure the car was all locked up before leading Annabelle and Susannah into the house. Annabelle immediately took her shoes off, placing them in their designated spot in their cubby hole before hanging her backpack on one of the hooks by the door.

“You don’t have to take your shoes off if you don’t want to”, James assured Susannah. “I sometimes keep mine on. Annabelle needs to take hers off because she has a dreadful habit of tracking all sorts of things into the house.”

“It was one time!” Annabelle pretended to complain. The two of them had had that particular fake fight hundreds of times. Annabelle truly did have the worst luck when it came to stepping in the gross things one could often find on the sidewalk.

James glanced over at Annabelle.

“Please go wash your hands. I’ll put on some music while you do, Belle.”

“Okay, Daddy!” Annabelle said before zooming towards the bathroom.

James chuckled.

“She usually protests that. You must be a very good influence on her.”

Susannah smiled. “The girls know better than to argue back about washing their hands with me, even after just a few weeks.”

“Terrible punishments if they misbehave? Lose a hand?”

“And when they run out of hands we move on to toes,” Susannah replied to James’s teasing with a laugh. “No, more that they get two stamps on their charts if they can show me clean hands.”

“What is the chart for?” James asked, he took a seat and gestured for Susannah to sit down too. She wondered if she should sit next to him or take the chair. There wasn’t a lot of furniture, but if it was normally just James and Annabelle, they probably didn’t need a lot.

“A full chart gets to pop a balloon. The balloons have a treat inside, might be some kind of glitter pen or might be a little chocolate bar. But they have to pop them to get it. It’s adorable watching them try to sit on the balloon, excited and yet scared that it’s going to pop.”

Susannah had taken the idea from her own time in the Girl Guides. It had been fun then and it turned out it was fun now. Or at least the girl’s thought so, and that was the main thing.

Susannah assumed that James wouldn’t be quite as scared as the girls were if he had to sit on a balloon, but the mental image of him being adorable made her smile.

Matchmaking & Other GS Badges

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While James wasn’t a fan of all of Bon Jovi’s work, he could admit that they did rock.

On occasion.

“Our go to Bon Jovi songs are Livin’ On A Prayer and Wanted Dead Or Alive.”

James grinned at Susannah before he put the car in reverse and backed out of the parking spot.

“Both good choices”, Susannah commented.

“Daddy says I sing better than him”, Annabelle chimed from the back, her tone of voice quite playful.

“That’s because you do, Belle.”

James flicked on his Sirius radio, which thankfully was already set to an 80s station. He was a sucker for the music of his youth. As luck would have it a song had just ended, and the Bangles’ Walk Like An Egyptian began playing. James drummed his hands against the stirring wheel in time with the opening notes.

“This song good for you ladies?” He asked Annabelle and Susannah as he stopped the car at a red light.

Susannah nodded. “I do love this song,” she replied, turning in her seat to face Annabelle. “When I was about your age I used to play the cassette tape my Mum had with this song on. I would sing into my hairbrush and practice walking like an Egyptian.”

“I have a toy microphone I use,” Annabelle admitted. “But I don’t know how to walk like an Egyptian.”

“I’d show you now if I could but it’s hard to walk when you’re belted into a chair.” Susannah pretended to try and walk, making a clown show of it. Annabelle giggled loudly and clapped her hands together, clearly very amused by Susannah.

“Maybe when we get home,” Susannah continued, “I could show you how with some help from your Dad.”

spider-mann

Matchmaking & Other GS Badges

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James could not recall the last time he swung Annabelle like that. Of course it had to have been before the split, or had he and his mom done this with Annabelle?

He wasn’t sure, but James was quite sure he would remember this time. He was sure he would remember everything about his, well, their time with Susannah.

Once they reached the car, James let Susannah into the passenger side before getting Annabelle in and secured.

“Are we going to sing along with the radio, Daddy?” Annabelle asked as James buckled his own seat belt.

James chuckled.

“I don’t think Susannah wants to hear my tone deaf singing.”

Susannah laughed and shook her head.

“Don’t cancel the concert on my account. I do love singing along with the radio as well.”

James turned to look at her, a grin on his face.

“We tend to go with songs from the 80s and 90s. The cheesier the better. You in?”

Susannah grinned as she got her seatbelt done up. “I have been known to conduct my own private concerts to the hits of the 80′s and 90′s. I’ve been on a glam and hair rock band kick lately.”

“We’ve got some Bon Jovi, is that close enough?” James asked, accessing the playlist on the car stereo system.”

Susannah nodded. “Absolutely. You can never say no to some Bon Jovi.”

“Which one are they?” Annabelle asked from the back seat.

“Livin’ on a Prayer? Always? Blaze of Glory? Bad Medicine? Have a nice day?” Susannah said rattling off the first songs that came to mind for Annabelle, though she had to admit, she couldn’t remember if that last one was the name or simply a line in the chorus. Either way, Susannah had loved Bon Jovi since she was little, watching Young Guns with her Dad.

Matchmaking & Other GS Badges

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James was standing close enough to Susannah that he could smell her perfume. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but she appeared to be blushing. Aware of Annabelle clinging to his neck and how close Susannah was, James was sure he was blushing too.

“Thank you”, James murmured softly, lost in Susannah’s green eyes.

Annabelle giggled in his ear, breaking James out of whatever trance he was in.

“Um, so back to the car? I mean shall we head back to the car?”

Susannah smiled up at him.

“We shall.”

James started walking with Annabelle securely on his back, Susannah by his side.

“Gotta watch those landings, Kiddo”, James commented.

“Okay, Daddy. Sannah?”

“Yes, Annabelle?”

“Will you come over and play board games with my dad and me?”

James obviously couldn’t see Annabelle’s expression, but judging by his daughter’s tone of voice he would bet his last dollar that she was giving Susannah puppy dog eyes.

Judging by Susannah’s expression, James felt he was right.

“You don’t have to, but you’re more than welcome to. It’s usually quite a fun night”, James assure Susannah. He really did want her to spend more time with them, but he also didn’t want Susannah to feel like she was being forced to do so.

Susannah pretended she was thinking hard about it, stroking an imaginary beard. All her girl scouts knew this usually meant yes, and a delighted Annabelle clapped her hands together and giggled.

“That means yes, Dad?”

“Does it? I thought it meant she had an itchy beard.”

Susannah had to giggle at that. “I would love to come and play board games with you, Annabelle.”

“Yay.”

Annabelle came up and took James’s hand and then Susannah’s. “Swing me?”

“Aren’t you a bit big for that?” Susanna asked and Annabelle shook her head. So the three walked back to the cars, James and Susannah swinging Annabelle between them. Another inch and Susannah was sure that Annabelle would be too tall for Susannah to do this. It wasn’t going to be long and Annabelle would be catching up on Susannah’s height.

Matchmaking & Other GS Badges

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James smiled softly at Susannah. From what he could tell she was very good with kids. Annabelle seemed to adore her to boot. It wasn’t a stretch for James to imagine Susannah as someone’s mom.

Or at the very least their cool aunt.

“I’m sure if you want kids, the right guy will come along and you’ll have them. If not… there is always adoption and being the cool aunt.”

James blushed.

“I’m sorry. That was far too pushy of me. I shouldn’t assume what you want one way or the other.”

James hoped Susannah realized he hadn’t been trying to tell her how to live her life, or that he thought just because she was good with kids then she was under an obligation to have them.

Her body, her choice.

“You don’t have to apologise, you were hardly being pushy or judgemental,” Susannah replied. A loud gasp left her mouth as Annabelle propelled herself off the swing. Susannah had done that move many times herself as a kid but it didn’t stop her heart from stopping or at least feeling like it was.

James rushed forward. “You okay, Belle?”

“Mmhmm.” Annabelle’s reply was less than convincing.

“Belle?”

“Okay, I landed a bit funny.”

James ruffled her hair as Susannah watched on. “Want a piggy back to the car again?”

“Yes, please.”

Susannah watched James spin around on the balls of his feet and hunch down in front of his daughter, he gave Susannah a smile.

“Need a hand back up?” Susannah asked once Annabelle was on his back.

“Sure.”

James took her hand and used it to balance himself as he stood up. When he was done, he was standing very close to Susannah and she was sure she blushed. She hoped she hadn’t, but she was pretty sure she had. Strange that James was having such a marked effect on her, and with Annabelle just there.

Matchmaking & Other GS Badges

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“Perhaps I’ll look into bubble wrapping the house as well for a softer landing”, James joked.

He could have sworn he felt Susannah’s knuckles brush against his as she commented on how high Annabelle could swing. Perhaps she had just been shifting where she stood, but it almost felt intentional.

Nah, it couldn’t be.

“She’s quite good at this”, James murmured back before grinning at Annabelle.

“Well done, Belle!”

James glanced over at Susannah. She was worrying her lower lip between her teeth, gaze attentively fixed on Annabelle.

She was worried.

“Don’t worry”, James murmured softly.

Susannah blinked as she turned to regard James.

“Pardon?”

“You seem worried. Annabelle knows how high to swing. Besides, the worst that has happened is a few grazed knees. Nothing a band aid and a few kisses won’t cure.”

James understood the compulsion to worry. When Annabelle first started testing how high she could swing, he was the same way.

Still, it warmed his heart that Susannah cared enough about Annabelle to worry about her safety like that.

Susannah blushed at being noticed with her worry. “I’m sorry. It might seem weird.”

“Not weird, I promise,” James assured her.

“I guess it’s because these girls are the closest I’ll probably get to having kids. I’m like the sweet old lady witch in the village that all the girls come to for lessons but she remains childless. So, I fret.” Susannah looked over at Annabelle as she swung. She’d made peace with not having kids a long time ago, and she enjoyed her time with her girl scouts. She did tend to worry, not being a parent she wasn’t used to situations.

Matchmaking & Other GS Badges

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James chuckled softly.

“I’m glad Annabelle and I are considered better company than fabric brochures”, he teased.

Glancing over at Susannah, he couldn’t help but think how pretty she was. She seemed to be thinking quite seriously about something, though she still seemed happy. He wondered what it was. He knew he was thinking about taking her hand and swinging their arms like they were a couple of silly kids on a date.

Of course this wasn’t a date.

This was an outing between two adults and one very precocious child.

“Daddy”, Annabelle said, stopping just a few feet ahead of them.

“Yes, Belle?”

“Can we go to the playground? I wanna show Sannah how high I can swing!”

James chuckled. “I don’t see why not. Do you mind, Susannah?”

Susannah smiled, making James’ heart skip a beat.

“Not at all. Lead the way, Annabelle.”

“Okay!” Annabelle chirped before turning around and heading in the direction of the playground area.

“She’s really proud of how high she can swing”, James said to Susannah. “She swears she can see our house when she swings high.”

Susannah laughed. “That must be pretty high!”

“Let’s just hope she doesn’t launch herself over to our house”, James joked; hoping to make Susannah laugh again.

Susannah couldn’t help but laugh as her mind conjured a mental image of Annabelle happily flying through the air yelling “I can see my house from here.”

“Yes, I can imagine that would be bad unless of course, you’ve got a big landing pad cushion set up,”

James chuckled and shook his head. “We’re still on the waiting list for our landing pad.”

“Maybe we should teach her how to fly like the Greatest American Hero, just in case.” Having mentioned the show, Susannah immediately got the theme song stuck in her head. Living alone for so long she was used to just bursting into song whenever she wanted, and she had to make a conscious effort at that moment to not start singing.

“He didn’t always have the best of luck,” James replied. His smile was so brilliant that it made Susannah feel all funny inside. She really had not changed much since being a teenager it seemed.

“Perhaps you’ll need to safeguard the property for her, remove any rose bushes and shrubs and plant a lot of soft ground covers and flowers.” Susannah almost listed a bunch of options for him. She had been fascinated with flora of all kinds growing up.

They had reached the swings and Annabelle was launching herself high into the air. Each time she reached the top of her swing she came out of the seat slightly and Susannah found her insides nervously constricting each time she did. “That’s very high,” Susannah murmured, nearly taking James’s hand to squeeze it and calm herself down. Which would have been foolish, they weren’t together, and Annabelle was not her child to fret over. Though she was one of her troop girls, so maybe the nerves weren’t completely unjustified.

Matchmaking & Other GS Badges

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James had barely gotten his seat belt secure when Annabelle started speaking.

“Daddy?”

“Yes, Belle?”

“You think Sannah is pretty, right?”

James regarded his daughter through the rear view mirror before pulling out of his parking spot, and starting the short trip to the park.

“I think she’s very pretty, Belle. So are you.”

Annabelle giggled from the backseat.

“You have to say that, Daddy. I’m your daughter.” She paused for a moment before speaking again. “Do you think you would ever date Sannah?”

James was not surprised at all by the question, seeing as Annabelle seemed quite keen on setting him up with her girl scout leader. He was rather curious as to why she seemed so determined to do so. Plus, he sort of expected the question after Susannah had left them for the day.

“I don’t know”, James said honestly.

“Why not?”

James bit his lip. He hadn’t been involved with anyone since Monica; Annbelle’s mother. He had just been far too focused on taking care of Annabelle and his career to even try to find a date.

Susannah, though…

She was breathtaking, charming, and quite smart.

“Well, you know daddy is very busy right?”

James glanced into the rear view mirror to catch Annabelle nodding just as he pulled into the parking lot near the park.

“Well, Susannah might be as well. Besides, she might just see me as a friend. And there’s nothing wrong with that.”

Parking the car, James undid his seat belt and turned to look at Annabelle.

“Being friends is always nice.”

Annabelle beamed at her dad.

“Okay, Daddy.”

James knew better than to think that was the end of it. Annabelle had dropped that far too easily. At least the questions had ceased for the moment.

Susannah arrived shortly after they did. The way she looked at him made James feel like a teenager all over again. Her smile was shy, cheeks rosy, and her brilliant green eyes bright with happiness.

He could definitely see himself falling for her.

Whoa… Cart, horse, James.

Annabelle grinned at Susannah. “Thanks, Sannah. Daddy takes me here a lot.”

Susannah smiled wider at James. “Is that so?”

Was he blushing? James’ cheeks were warm enough to make him believe he was.

“I do. It’s a lovely walk, and there is some pretty new playground equipment not too far from here. Shall we?”

Susannah nodded. “We shall.”

The three of them began walking, Annabelle chattering on about school and the girl scouts as they walked. More than a few times James felt his hand graze Susannah’s as they both swung their arms as they walked. He felt that funny feeling in his stomach; that feeling he always used to get when a pretty girl noticed him. It was funny how the more things changed, the more they stayed the same.

“So, um… are we keeping you from anything exciting?” James asked when Annabelle seemed to run out of things to chatter about.

“Well,” Susannah replied, “I had the most exciting plans to look through a new brochure of fabrics from one of my superiors, but I think it might be okay for it to sit and wait for me.”

“Are you sure?” James asked. “I know how demanding brochures can be.”

“It’s a tough call, but I think you and Annabelle just win out.” Susannah smiled at James and tried to pretend that casual touch of James’s hand against hers did not make her think about him taking her hand. Susannah had clearly been indulging in one too many romance stories on her Kindle at bedtime with the way her imagination could so easily provide ideas for what comes next.

Susannah glanced at James and could not help but imagine what it would be like for James to take their hand, for there to be romance in the air and kisses stolen in the copse of redwoods by the playground.

Matchmaking & Other GS Badges

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James arched an eyebrow and watched Annabelle, amusement clear in his expression. Not only was his daughter playing matchmaker, but she had taken the time to come up with a quasi date.

Knowing Annabelle as James did, he knew he shouldn’t have taken a sip of his coffee as she spoke. Yet he did, and when she mentioned Susannah sleeping over, he choked on it.

Clever one, James.

“We don’t want Susannah to get tired of us, Belle”, he said gently to his daughter. “Spending the whole day together will be plenty. We’re not going anywhere.”

Susannah smiled softly at James before glancing over at Annabelle.

“We’ll have plenty more times to spend together.”

Annabelle pouted for a moment before beaming.

“Promise?”

Susannah nodded and held her pinkie out to Annabelle.

“Pinkie promise!”

Annabelle giggled and linked her pinkie with Susannah’s to complete the pinkie promise.

“That’s pretty much a binding contract”, James said seriously before grinning. “You two ladies ready to hit the road?”

James insisted on paying for brunch and Susannah could not think of a good enough reason to make him desist.

“You can follow us to the park if you like?” James suggested and Susannah nodded getting into her car.

She waited for James and Annabelle to get into theirs and reverse out of their parking spot before she did so and followed after them. Annabelle seemed to be talking quite enthusiastically from the backseat and Susannah wondered what they were talking about.

It was a little crazy to Susannah that this was going on and she was having a sneaking suspicion that Annabelle wasn’t simply after her company. There was a look Annabelle had given her when they had been leaving the café.

Was Susannah being matched up? And was she upset about that?

Susannah gently bit her bottom lip as she thought about it, a soft blush rising in her cheeks. James was incredibly good looking and seemed like a wonderful person so far. Susannah couldn’t deny she felt some attraction to him, but she had no idea if it could be remotely mutual. She was out of practice with flirtations and romance. She had been working so hard on her business that it left little time or space for romance. It was only recently that she had hit that point where she had enough business that she was not spending so much time and energy on advertising and building a social media presence and making things she could use to get her product out there without much financial return.

Susannah nearly missed the next turn, too focused on her thoughts. She quickly followed after the others and soon they were at the park. There were a playground and picnic area surrounded by lovely gardens. Susannah had been here most recently when a woman had used one of her dresses for a wedding. Susannah had been asked to attend in case anything went wrong and she could use her magic to fix the dress again.

Susannah parked two spaces down from the others in the carpark in the first free spot. She got out, locked the car before sliding her phone and keys into her pocket. She was glad she hadn’t worn fancy shoes this morning, it might have made going for a walk, even following the paths, more difficult.

“A lovely spot for a walk you’ve chosen, Annabelle,” Susannah said to Annabelle giving her smile before she looked up at James. She was quite sure her look was ridiculously shy, but she felt a bit shyer now thanks to her thoughts on the way over.

Matchmaking & Other GS Badges

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If James hadn’t already been thinking that Annabelle was trying to set him up with Susannah, he was pretty well sure of it now. Something about the way she smiled at Susannah gave it all away. He noticed the way Susannah’s cheeks turned red, probably a similar shade as his were if the heat in his face was any indication.

“You’re more than welcome to. We’re due a burrito night anyway.”

Annabelle nearly bounced up and down in her seat, her excitement seemingly too great to hold in.

“What about tonight?!” Annabelle asked, turning the full force of her puppy dog eyes on James.

“Susannah may have plans, Belle. We can’t monopolize her whole Saturday.”

James swore his heart skipped a beat when Susannah smiled at him.

“You truly are welcome whenever you would like to come over…”

Susannah looked down into the last of her coffee as she thought about it. She should do some working, but she knew she wanted to say yes.

“Pleeeeeeeaaaase, Sannah?” Annabelle begged.

Susannah looked up to see she was being given the best Puss-In-Boots impression she’d ever seen outside of the movie. Annabelle was delightfully adorable and completely irresistible. Susannah shook her head and let out a light laugh. “Oh, very well, how could I ever say no to that look?”

“Nobody has ever been able to, but I’m working on it.” James replied. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” Susannah nodded to James. “It would be nice to spend some time with real people and not fabric rolls.”

“Yay!” Annabelle clapped her hands together excitedly. “You can drive home and we’ll follow and take you in our car and we can have a walk at the park and then go home.”

“You’ve got it all planned out,” Susannah replied. “But shouldn’t I have my car so I can get home again?”

“We can take you home or you can just stay the night.”

Susannah turned bright red, though she knew the girl was most likely implying her staying over like girls having a sleep-over, Susannah’s mind went to a different place.

Matchmaking & Other GS Badges

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James blushed as Susannah cleaned his face off. It was a sweet gesture that touched his heart. He was a bit embarrassed though as he had gotten himself a bit messy while paying more attention to both Annabelle and Susannah as they ate. He had to admit that he really enjoyed the way Susannah and his daughter got along.

“I think it might be a tie”, James sheepishly admitted.

Annabelle giggled. “Daddy is way messier with burritos!”

James gasped dramatically, pretending to clutch his chest.

“I can’t believe you gave up my dirty little secret like that.”

Annabelle giggled more before turning her head so she could address Susannah.

“Do you like burritos, Sannah? My dad makes the best burritos ever!”

James felt his face flush again, the tell tale warmth in his cheeks making him wonder just how red he had turned. Annabelle was really working overtime to play matchmaker. Not that James minded, though it was a bit awkward having his eight year old daughter play Cupid.

“They’re okay”, James said modestly.

Susannah nodded to Annabelle. “I do like burritos. I make a mean guac that I love on my burritos.”

“You do?” Annabelle’s smile grew. “I think you need to make your guacamole, so I can try it on Dad’s ones. We don’t usually have it.”

It seemed Annabelle was keen for Susannah to spend more time with her and her dad. Susannah was not sure how much Annabelle’s mother was in the picture. Was she lacking for some motherly attention, or was she trying to… No, that couldn’t be the case, could it? Children didn’t try to matchmake their parents, did they? Weren’t they always hoping their parents could get back together?

“Oh,” Susannah said aloud, glancing up at James to see his reaction to his daughter. Was he blushing? He looked adorable.

“Will you come around and make burritos with us for dinner?” Annabelle asked. “I can show you my room.”

“I wouldn’t want to intrude…” Susannah said, and she looked at James. “I mean, I wouldn’t mind if I was welcome…”

It was Susannah’s turn to blush now. She really did not want to intrude, and she did not want James to feel any pressure. She was enjoying spending time with them both, and if she was honest, she was enjoying getting to know James.

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A huge smile bloomed across James’ face; his heart full of paternal pride.

“I am extremely proud of her”, James admitted. “She’s my world really, and such an amazing human being so far. I don’t always feel like I’m the best parent I can be, but the way she loves me makes me think I must be doing something right.”

Susannah’s answering smile was just as bright.

“Don’t sell yourself short. From what I see of Annabelle, and seeing you two together, I would say you’re a pretty darn good father.”

James felt himself blush. He had always had a terrible time accepting compliments, and that was doubly true for compliments about his parenting skills.

“I bet you’re just saying that so I’ll buy more of those Girl Scout Cookies”, James teased.

Susannah laughed hard at that, apparently having not expected him to make a joke.

“Well, that might be part of it”, she teased back.

“I knew it! The Girl Scouts and the Illuminati are in cahoots, planning world domination with the help of their oh so tasty thin mints.”

Snorting, Susannah shook her head.

“Well, now that you know the truth, I have to kill you.”

“I always knew those cookies would kill me.”

James and Susannah joked for a bit more before the food came. James could not recall the last time that he had bonded so easily with another adult. There was something about Susannah that had put him at ease.

Once the food was set down, Annabelle raced back and plopped down on her chair.

“I’m back!” She declared, her eyes going wide when she saw her breakfast.

“These look just as good as you said, Sannah!”

Susannah smiled at Annabelle. “And they taste even better.”

Annabelle tucked into the waffles and from the happy noises the girl was making and the amount of ice cream on her face, she enjoyed her food.

Susannah realised she’d been watching Annabelle and not eating her own food. She quickly focused on her own plate. The banana was perfectly cooked, and the bacon was not too crunchy. Some people thought that it was best super cooked and crunchy, but Susannah was not one of them and her own brother looked down at her for her soft soggy bacon as he called it.

When Susannah looked up she giggled. James had milk froth on his nose and cheek, and he clearly hadn’t noticed.

“I’m not sure which of you two is messier,” Susannah said as she leaned over to wipe James’s face with her napkin. He was adorable.

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Annabelle’s laugh filled James’ heart with joy. He had honestly forgotten the last time his daughter had laughed like that for someone that wasn’t him or one of her favorite cartoons.

When the waitress approached, Annabelle waited politely as Susannah ordered before getting the waffles with blueberry ice cream like she had been telling James she would order ever since Susannah had mentioned them. James quickly ordered waffles with extra bacon and thanked the waitress as she left. Once she was gone, he winked at his Susannah, feeling a bit cheeky.

“I’ll have you know, in my day I rocked a tiara and long hair.”

Both Susannah and Annabelle laughed.

“You’re silly”, Annabelle squealed.

“No, I’m not. I’m dad.”

Both Susannah and Annabelle groaned at his dad joke, a reaction James was very much used to by now.

“Surely you must be joking”, Susannah quipped.

“I’m not, and don’t call me Shirley.”

Annabelle’s groan made Susannah smile. She leaned over towards her. “You think the Dad jokes are bad now, just wait, you’ll want to disown him by the time you’re thirteen.”

“Hey,” James interrupted waving his fork at Susannah. “No giving her any ideas.”

“Sorry,” Susannah replied but it was very obvious that she was not even remotely sorry. It was so strange, Susannah was not usually this cheeky and outspoken with people who were basically strangers like James was. She spent a lot of time alone at her home except for the people who needed to come to her for her skills. But for some reason, Susannah felt as comfortable as if she had known James for a long time.

“Can I go play at the back until the food arrives?” Annabelle asked her father. There was a corner set aside for the kids to play and Susannah knew what had taken Annabelle’s eye. There was a whiteboard built into the corner wall and more coloured markers than Susannah knew existed. Annabelle was a budding artist, it was something Susannah had first noticed about her, drawing pretty dresses in her notebook before Girl Scouts started.

“Sure, just keep an eye out for when the food comes,” James said to his daughter. Annabelle ran off immediately.

Susannah smiled at James. “She’s an amazing girl. You should be proud of her. I’ve only known her a few weeks but she’s really impressed me.”

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James grinned back at Susannah. He was glad that she could be silly. that put him at ease around her.

“Sleeping Beauty”, James quipped.

Annabelle giggled and Susannah looked adorably confused.

“Why Aurora?”

“I like to sleep!”

“Daddy!” Annabelle said before giggling. “You’re so silly!”

“I am, but to be fair, you never let me pick Bucky Barnes for that question.”

“Just cause Disney owns Marvel, that doesn’t make Bucky a princess, daddy.”

“Darn. I thought he would look good in a tiara. What do you think, Susannah?”

James took a sip of his coffee and watched Susannah. She was every bit as pretty today as she was yesterday. She seemed more relaxed, and James guessed that was because she didn’t have to rush out to a work commitment.

Susannah giggled. “I’m with Annabelle, he’s a Disney prince. He just needs a horse to go with that luxurious hair.”

She’d always had a crush on Bucky, and had to admit, James exuded the same kind of appeal as the actor who played the comic book character.

“But the long hair works well with a tiara,” James countered.

“Know from experience, do you have a secret long hair tiara wearing past?” Susannah teased. The laughter that Annabelle broke into was infectious and when the server came to take their order a moment later, Susannah hadn’t even looked at the menu. It didn’t matter, she knew what she was having. Definitely the waffles. Though she’d forgo the blueberry ice cream in place of bacon, cooked banana and maple flavoured syrup.

Matchmaking & Other GS Badges

epicfaeisepic:

Annabelle had always been a morning person. Even on school days, she would hum as she at breakfast. Sure, James was sure she was also procrastinating while she did that, but she was still quite happy.

Today she was even more so.

“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!”

James had to laugh. Annabelle was beaming like it was Christmas morning, and not just Saturday breakfast.

“Relax, kiddo. We’ve got plenty of time.”

Annabelle stopped bouncing up and down where she stood, and scrunched her nose up.

“You’re not wearing that, are you?”

James looked down at his Winter Soldier shirt.

“Yeah, why?”

Annabelle shrugged. “Thought you might want to look better…”

James snorted.

“I see. So I’ll go change. Gotta look through all of my clothes though. It might take a while.”

Annabelle shook her head so fast, James was surprised she didn’t give herself whiplash.

“No, no, no! That’s fine! Now let’s go!”

James chuckled and grabbed his car keys. The ride to the restaurant didn’t take long at all. He and Annabelle arrived before Susannah, snagging a table near the door so she would be able to spot them easily.

Once they were seated, and the waitress left three menus, James looked at his daughter.

“Belle, do you know if Susannah likes coffee?”

Annabelle nodded.

“She always has some when she arrives for Girl Scout meetings.”

James smiled. “Thanks, Belle.”

When the the waitress came back, he ordered to coffees and an orange juice for Annabelle. Once the coffee arrived, James put the small plate the mug had been placed on over Susannah’s coffee so it wouldn’t get cold before she arrived. No one liked coffee that was supposed to be hot once it had gone cold.

It didn’t take long at all before Susannah rushed in. James felt ridiculous at his reaction; a swarm of butterflies seeming to take flight in his stomach. Standing up, James pulled a chair out for Susannah.

“Sorry I’m late. Hey, Annabelle”, Susannah said quickly before smiling at James. “Hi.”

James smiled at her, sure he was blushing a bit too.

“You’re not late. We haven’t been here long at all. Someone was very eager to get here”, he said, glancing quickly at Annabelle before looking at Susannah again. “I ordered you some coffee. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Coffee is great, coffee is wonderful. It’s a magical potion that gives me life,” Susannah replied. She smiled at James and then looked at the coffee with longing as she slipped the saucer off the top of the cup.

Susannah added sugar and sipped it, looking at James over the top of her coffee cup, admiring his T-shirt.

“Can I have some coffee?” Annabelle asked.

James laughed. “The last thing you need is more energy, Belle.”

Annabelle pouted and Susannah smiled at her. “Is that your preferred name? Belle?”

“Dad calls me it. I like it,” Annabelle replied.

“Maybe one day you’ll like me enough to let me call you Belle too. She’s one of my favourite Disney princesses. I like to think I’m like her.”

“Me too,”

Susannah looked at James and grinned. “Which Disney princess are you most like?”

Matchmaking & Other GS Badges

epicfaeisepic:

“You’re smiling a lot”, Annabelle said from the backseat.

James snorted softly as he put on his left turn signal.

“I always smile a lot.”

“Not like this”, Annabelle retorted in a sing song tone.

“Not like what?”

“Like you’re in loooove.”

James chuckled.

“I think I’ve let you watch one too many romantic comedies.”

Annabelle giggled.

“Don’t you like Sanah, Dad?”

“Susannah seems very nice. I’m glad she’s your troop leader.”

James parked in the strip mall’s parking lot, glad that he didn’t get a space too far from the pizza parlor.

“Me, too. She’s funny and really nice.”

James grinned as he and Annabelle walked from the car to the pizza place.

“Better than your last leader?”

Annabelle nodded so enthusiastically, she reminded James of a bobble head doll.

“Much better, and she doesn’t smell like pickles.”

James laughed.

“That does seem to be a big improvement. Now tell me about your day.”

Annabelle regaled her father with tales of her school day, including a killer game of dodge ball during lunch. As his daughter spoke animatedly, James couldn’t help but think about Susannah. Sure, he had just met her but there was something about her. More than her beauty. James was sure it was the way Annabelle had taken to her so quickly; a feat that was quite hard to pull off. There was also something about her eyes. Susannah’s green eyes held kindness, passion, and something James couldn’t quite put a name to.

After dinner James drove himself and Annabelle home. Annabelle did the homework she was assigned for the weekend and watched a bit of TV before bedtime.

“Are you excited about tomorrow?” Annabelle asked, yawning as James tucked her in.

“I do love Saturdays.”

“No, silly! About seeing your giiiirlfriend.”

James laughed. “Silly Belle. Get some sleep and I’ll see you in the morning.” Leaning down, James kissed his daughter’s forehead. “Love you.”

“Love you too, Daddy. Night, night!”

“Night, night.”

James turned the light over before leaving the room, making sure not to close the door all the way. He had to chuckle as he walked back into the living room. Annabelle had never really shown an interest in seeing James date. He wasn’t even sure if his daughter realized the implications of their being a special someone in his life.

Not that he was jumping the gun when it came to Susannah. She was a lovely woman who lead his daughters’s Girl Scout Troop. There was nothing saying he couldn’t get to know her.

The fitting with Rebecca had gone well, well, sort of. Mostly the dress was perfect, but Rebecca had misremembered her height, so the dress was an inch too long. It was not a big deal but did mean that Susannah was up late into the night unpicking the stitches, cutting the unneeded fabric away and then resewing the hem once more.

Susannah got to bed somewhere near two am but the dress was finished and looked amazing. Rebecca was going to turn heads at the fundraising gala. And if Rebecca did not have at least a dozen men lining up to be her prince charming, well, Susannah would eat the leftover fabric.

Going to bed late meant sleeping late. Too late. Susannah woke with half an hour to get ready and go. She threw herself through the shower, nearly forgetting to rinse out her conditioner. She hurriedly went through her wardrobe looking for the perfect outfit to wear.

It was crazy, she had nervous butterflies like this was a date, and a desire to look absolutely perfect. By the time she had selected an outfit that was cute, sexy and not overdressed, her wardrobe floor was nowhere to be seen and it really did look like there had been some kind of natural disaster.

Make-up and hair quickly followed, again, trying not to look like she was trying too hard.

This was silly, Susannah was just going to brunch with one of her troop girls and the girl’s dad. This was no date and completely of Annabelle’s making, nothing to do with her father. So why was Susannah acting like a fool? This wasn’t like Susannah at all. Sure, James was stunningly handsome, but it was something more making her all worked up.

She had two minutes to spare as she bounced along the hallway trying to do up her boots as she walked and grabbed her car keys. She checked her teeth for lipstick in the rear mirror of the car and then backed out onto the road. She wondered if James and Annabelle would already be there when she arrived. She hoped they wouldn’t be late, she’d give up her kingdom for a coffee right now.