Read Remember When for Free Online Page B

“What do you say we go home and make dinner? Then after dinner you can have your ice cream?” I suggested, hoping to take her mind off the argument I had just had with her grandparents.
    She raised her eyebrows at me and sniffled once more. “Double ice cream, renember?”
    “Right, double.”
    With Charlie feeling a little better, I closed her door and slid behind the wheel. Charlie was quiet the entire trip, which was incredibly out of character for her. She was usually exuberant while she spoke about her day with her grandmother. Not today, however. I looked back at her through my rearview mirror and saw her looking sadly out her window. She took a deep breath and sighed, and my heart broke a little inside.
    I pulled the car to a stop in our driveway and turned to look at her. “Charlie, baby? Are you all right?”
    She turned her head to face me slowly and nodded. “Mmm hmm.”
    “Okay, as long as you're sure,” I said, a hint of worry in my voice.
    It upset me that she was affected so deeply by my disagreement with her grandparents, and I had no one to be angry with but myself. I had always tried to shield her from this sort of thing, only I failed miserably this time around.
    Sighing, I grabbed my briefcase and exited the car before going around to help her out. We walked side by side up the front steps, and she waited patiently as I unlocked and opened the door for her. Once inside, she slipped out of her jacket and shoes and put them away before padding slowly toward the kitchen.
    Always one step behind her, I watched as she pulled her chair at the table out and sat down. She placed her palms flat on the table and rested her chin on the tops of her hands. I was silent for a moment as I waited for…something. Anything.
    “So, what would you like for dinner tonight?” I asked, hoping that involving her would rouse her a little.
    She turned her head to me, keeping her chin firmly on the tops of her hands, and shrugged. “I don't know. Sgabetti?”
    I chuckled at the cute way she always mispronounced the word. “Sounds delicious,” I told her as I headed for the fridge to start preparing it. “Would you like to watch some television before dinner?”
    “No, thank you. Can I color pictures instead?” Her voice was so quiet, withdrawn.
    I offered her a big smile. “Of course you can. I'll go get your stuff,” I offered before exiting the kitchen for Cassie's home office. Charlie's pad of art paper and her crayons were on the corner of the desk, so I scooped them up and took them back out to the kitchen table.
    “Thank you, Daddy,” she said as she opened up her box of crayons and leafed to a fresh piece of paper.
    I kissed the top of her head and smiled. “You're welcome, bug.” I headed back to the kitchen and continued to prepare dinner, every once in a while looking up at Charlie as she colored. I couldn't help but smile every time I witnessed her tongue occasionally peek out from her lips and her forehead furrow with deep concentration. She was truly something else, and I couldn't imagine my life without her. She brightened up every day.
    I just wished that Cassie saw it that way.
    As dinner cooked, I kept glancing up at the clock, always wondering if Cassie would actually make it on time tonight. Seven o'clock arrived and dinner was ready; sadly, Cassie was still absent. With an aggravated sigh, I plated the pasta and sauce and carried it over to the table. Charlie pushed her artwork away from her place to make room for her plate, and she dug right in.
    “So, you had a good day today?” I asked, hoping for details.
    With her little mouth full from the bite she had just taken, she simply nodded in response. “Mmm hmm.”
    “And you got a lot of pictures?” I inquired before I took a bite.
    She swallowed her spaghetti quickly. “Oh, yes. I took a billion pictures today. Can we look right now?” she asked excitedly. Her eyes seemed to brighten as her mood shifted significantly back to my