Will she stay?

Isadora POV

Cherry sniffed at the door, but she kept running over the paper and through the paint pots, spreading colorful pawprints everywhere, so she wasn’t allowed inside anymore.

Daniele dragged the brush over the sheet, creating blue lines as if he, too, were painting the ocean.

I put down my brush and walked over to him. He didn’t look up as I sank down beside him. Simona hit the floor with her own paintbrush over and over again, splattering paint everywhere. My overalls and bare feet were already covered in a myriad of colors. Daniele had returned to his quiet self after our conversation this morning, pondering what I said. I wished I could glimpse into his head.

“Your dad would love a painting of the ocean for Christmas. Why don’t you give it to him?”

Daniele dipped the brush into the blue paint and continued drawing jerky lines. “Okay” was his soft reply.

“Nothing would make your dad happier than spending time with you and hearing your voice again.”

Kissing Daniele’s temple,