"Audrey, what is wrong?" Josh was flummoxed. Totally and completely flummoxed.
His normally well behaved daughter had chosen tonight, of all nights, to throw her manners out the window and have a fit.
Things with Amy had been going, in his opinion, unexpectedly well. So, after she'd dropped hints for two days about having dinner with him, he'd relented. And Josh invited her over for an evening meal.
It wasn't a problem, however, until Amy showed up at Josh's door in a little black dress with more than dinner on her mind.
"Hi," Josh threw open the door in a well worn pair of jeans and a tshirt, as Audrey scowled on his hip.
"Hello," Amy tried not to show her surprise at the scene before her. "Hi there, Audrey. I'm Amy."
"I know." Audrey studied her closely.
"I like your bunny," Amy offered, attempting to make conversation as she entered the apartment and Josh shut the door behind her.
Audrey clammed up and pulled the bunny closer as though she was afraid to lose it. "His name is Walter," she told Amy seriously, leaning farther into Josh, who carried her into the kitchen.
"So," Amy glanced around the apartment, which was even messier than usual after Audrey had spread her toys out and then started to work on a half finished craft project. "You were expecting me, right?" She halfway joked.
"Uh, yeah?" Her attempt at humor at his expense was lost on Josh, who had been up since 4am and had barely been able to be more than a foot away away from Audrey without her teetering on the edge of a meltdown after he'd come home for the evening.
"Okay…" She slowed her speech, still not clicking with Josh was saying. "What's the plan for tonight?"
"Well," Josh rummaged around for a juice box in the fridge and managed to undo the wrapper and poke the straw in with one hand before giving it to Audrey, still on his hip. "I thought you said you wanted to have dinner."
"Yeah," Amy leaned against the counter. "How about sushi?"
Josh laughed good naturedly, starting Audrey a bit, who squeezed the apple juice just a little too aggressively, causing it to squirt out onto Josh's shirt.
"Sorry, Daddy," she whispered.
"It's okay, Shortcake," he assured her, grabbing a towel and swiping at the stain.
"Seriously, Amy," he asked as he sat Audrey down to return to her coloring at the kitchen table. "What did you have in mind?"
"I'm sure you could get your table at Morton's," she continued.
Josh stared at her like she'd grown a third head before it dawned on him. "I- Oh." He scrubbed a hand over his face. "See, when you said you wanted to do dinner and have a normal night together, I thought you meant- you know- my normal."
Amy tried not to make a face at the thought. "I really just meant see each other outside of a political fundraiser or late night bo-"
"Ahem," Josh cleared his throat to stop her from continuing, motioning towards Audrey, who was listening intently just a few feet away.
"Right," Amy drummed her fingers on the counter. "So, no sitter?"
"No." Josh was uneasy about this entire situation to begin with, and now he was certainly having doubts.
Amy glanced over to Audrey. "Well, we could… all go out…?" It was easy to see that she wasn't exactly sold on the idea herself.
"Well, I have a lasagna in the freezer that I was planning to have ready but the evening got away from me," he began, immediately noticing her reaction to that suggestion, "we can find something else or we can just order takeout?"
"Ahkay." Amy, though less than thrilled with the situation, understood that Josh was trying to be as accommodating as possible.
"I'll just get something started for her," he gestured towards Audrey, noticing the time was quickly approaching dinner.
He fumbled around in the freezer for a minute before pulling out a box of chicken nuggets and preheating his oven. He attempted to chat with Amy, who he thought was becoming more comfortable at the situation after the initial change of plans, until the phone rang.
"It's not on the hook," she remarked.
Josh leaned over to glance at the cradle. "Audrey, where did you put the phone after you said goodnight to Bubbe?"
"I don't know," she shrugged her shoulders and continued coloring.
Josh just shook his head. It wasn't worth getting into at that exact moment. He'd find it later. "If the White House needs me, they'll call my other number," he told Amy, pointing to the cell phone laying on the counter.
But the message machine clicked on and Donna's familiar voice came across the machine. "Hey, its me- Hi Sweet Pea!- I left an envelope on the counter this morning and my tickets for tonight are in it so I'm swinging by to get it. See you in a minute."
"Donna!" Audrey exclaimed at the message. "Donna's coming over!"
"Just for a minute, though," Josh warned her. "She has plans and she's in a hurry," he tried to let Audrey know that there wouldn't be an endless amount of time for Donna to play that evening. He glanced over to the breakfast table and saw the envelope in question, picking it up and placing it neatly on the counter before it too was decorated in crayon drawings. "Finish up what you're doing so you can get ready for dinner," Josh told Audrey. "Your chicken nuggets will be ready in twenty minutes."
Audrey's head whipped up at Josh's words. "Chicken nuggets?"
"Yeah." Josh continued what he was doing in the kitchen. Frozen nuggets and fish sticks were his dinnertime safety net, although he had become a much better cook over the last few years, thanks largely to Donna's instruction.
"No, Daddy," she told him with a sniffle. "I don't want that."
"What?" Josh turned around to look at her, noticing that her eyes were welling with tears. "Audrey what are you talking about? You love nuggets."
Audrey burst into tears at the table, letting out a loud wail and catching Josh completely off guard, to say nothing of Amy.
"Hey," he scooped her up. "What's your issue today?"
"I don't want nuggets! I want lasagna," she cried, giant tears streaming down her face.
"Audrey, this is not how we act, is it?" He crouched down to her level but she continued to cry.
It was then that Donna knocked on Josh's door and began to dig for her keys after hearing Audrey's cries. Amy, however, was grateful to have a chance to step away from the scene in front of her and opened the door to Donna.
"Hi Amy. I love your dress." Donna could find something to be nice about at any moment. "What's wrong?" She asked, sitting her purse on the entry bench and making her way quickly to Audrey.
Donna took her place next to Josh while Amy remained awkwardly in the entryway, trying not to be obvious as she looked onto the scene before her.
"Why are you upset," Donna asked softly, wiping Audrey's tears.
Audrey just continued to cry, so Donna looked at Josh, who was clearly heartbroken by the distraught state of his little girl.
Josh reached out and felt Audrey's forehead, trying to see if she was running a temperature.
"Nuggets," Audrey eventually sobbed. "They make them with real chickens, Daddy!"
"Oh, baby," Donna opened her arms, "did your class' chicks hatch today?"
Audrey nodded in affirmation as she lunged into Donna's arms.
Josh rubbed her back until her cries slowed. "I'm sorry, Audrey. Why didn't you say anything?"
"I forgot," Audrey told him as she rubbed her eyes.
"What did you name your chicken," Donna asked, trying to get her to talk about something.
"Fred," Audrey responded with a sniffle.
"Fred?" Donna mouthed the question to Josh who shrugged. He had no idea where that had come from.
"Well, Fred is a good name for a chicken," Donna assured her as best as she could while Josh tucked her auburn curls behind her ear. "Let's go wash your face, okay?" Donna made her way to the kitchen sink, as Josh grabbed a lavender washcloth from the hall closet and a Kleenex from the bathroom.
Donna wordlessly took the tissue from Josh as he turned the water to the proper temperature and wet the washcloth.
"Blow," Donna instructed Audrey as she wiped her nose, handing the dirty tissue to Josh, who exchanged it for a washcloth as Donna washed away Audrey's tear stains.
Amy looked on, mouth somewhat agape and eyebrows raised. She could hardly believe what she was seeing. She couldn't hear what Donna was saying, but she didn't need to know as Josh watched on with the most gentle smile Amy had ever seen. It would occur to her only later that Josh had all but forgotten than she was even in the room.
Donna hoisted Audrey onto her hip and walked towards the kitchen cabinets, reviewing some dinner options. "'Mac and Cheese?" Donna offered.
"With peas," Josh offered, trying to sweeten the deal. Typically he wouldn't cave to Audrey's every whim, especially when she threw a fit, but he knew his daughter had such a soft heart when it came to animals that he was sure that she was devastated by the thought of chicken nuggets. He just hoped she didn't figure out where hamburgers and fish sticks came from any time soon.
"Donna," Josh glanced at the clock, moving his hand to barely touch the small of her back, "you're going to be late."
"Hmm? Oh. Well, it's not the end of the world," Donna stated nonchalantly. "But I should get going. Daddy's going to make you dinner," Donna told Audrey. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
Reluctantly, Audrey gave Donna a kiss goodbye and Josh took her from Donna's arms.
"Make her some celery and peanut butter, please, so she gets a little protein tonight," she asked Josh in an aside.
He nodded that he would. "Be careful tonight," he reminded her. "Call me if you need anything."
"Kay, I will. Goodnight ," shegavr him a soft smile knowing that his offer was genuine, grabbed her tickets and said goodnight to Amy, who's mood had soured considerably after watching the evening's interaction.
There was a silent moment in the apartment after the door closed, broke quickly by Audrey. "Macaronis?" She asked, not wanting anyone to be distracted and change their mind about her mac and cheese dinner.
"Well, let's see what Miss Amy wants for dinner," he suggested.
"Macaronis?" Audrey asked Amy.
Amy had to admit- she was a cute kid. "Sure. That sounds… fine."
"How about we order delivery from Tony's," Josh offered, trying to find a compromise and assuming that Amy hadn't exactly been looking for a night of blue box and singing with a three year old when she'd slipped into that dress.
Everyone seemed to agree with that idea, and Josh grabbed the phone to call in the order. Audrey was still only content when Josh was holding her. He placed an order for baked ziti for him, macaroni with peas for Audrey, and turned to Amy, waiting expectantly for her order.
Chicken Pomodoro was her go to dish and it sounded pretty good to her know.
"Chick-" she began, stopping her words when Josh's eyes went wide and he shot her a look that reminded her why he was Bartlet's Bulldog.
"Really?" he almost snarled.
"Sorry," Amy muttered, adding an eyeroll that Josh didn't see. "Fettuccini Alfredo."
Josh placed the order, glad they were over that hurdle without another meltdown. He was remembering why he had compartmentalized his life like this. His casual relationship with Amy worked best when it was just that- casual. She truly was an independent woman with no desire to play the wife and mother. It was what it was, and Josh decided that he was fine with that. After all, he received most of the emotional fulfilment he craved from the other people in his life.
"Can we watch Peter Pan," Audrey asked hopefully.
"We can turn it on," Josh informed her, walking her over to click on the TV. "You and Walter can sit on the couch and color while you watch. Miss Amy and I will be watching from the kitchen, okay?"
Audrey scrunched her nose up in uncertainty. "You can't see from the kitchen."
Josh sighed. "We can see just fine from the kitchen table," he assured her, sitting her on the couch and returning to Amy when she was absorbed in her movie.
"Quite the interesting night you're having around here," Amy began.
"Yeah, look, I'm sorry. I thought that when you said you wanted to have dinner you meant that you wanted to have dinner with us," he spoke softly. "She's just tired and I've been working a lot this week, she's not usually like this."
"It's fine, J. We'll make up for it some other time when it's just the two of us. But you could offer me a glass of wine or something."
"Sure," he gave her a smirk and pulled out two wine glasses before opening a bottle that had been sitting in the back of the cupboard. They quietly made smalltalk for the next thirty minutes, bickering about a wide variety of proposed legislation while Audrey watched her movie.
Dinner arrived twenty minutes after it was ordered and Josh situated Audrey at the table with a small portion of macaroni and a few tiny bites of celery and peanut butter per Donna's request.
"Daddy, can I have a bite?" Audrey asked, eyeing the bread that accompanied Amy's dish. Donna's standard order also included garlic bread, and Audrey loved the first bite.
"Ah," Josh quickly took the temperature at the table, "No, baby. Just have your macaroni and cheese right now. You don't need garlic bread. You can have some of my breadstick," he offered, handing her a chunk off of his. She seemed content with the compromise and went on with her life, swinging her little legs and humming happily as she ate her meal.
Conversation was forced between Josh and Amy, with Amy struggling to find appropriate topics. Josh was more than a little surprised by this. Didn't she say that she had nephews?
"So, Audrey," Amy began, "You like Peter Pan?"
"Mhmmm," Audrey nodded eagerly. "I like Wendy. She's my favorite. And Nana. And Mr. Smee," she giggled.
"Oh yeah?" Amy gave her a smile. "I like the crocodile who eats the clock."
"Tick-Tock," Audrey moved her head back and forth with a smile.
"I'll be right back," Josh quietly excused himself to use the restroom. It seemed like the two were getting along well enough.
"And why is Wendy your favorite character," Amy continued.
"Because she's nice," Audrey explained, "Like Donna."
"Oh," Amy wasn't sure what to say.
"Miss Amy? Why did Donna leave before we had dinner?"
"Well," Amy began, trying to figure out what to say. "Tonight is Donna's night off. She had plans."
"Her night off?" Audrey questioned tilting her head in concentration as she listened to Amy's words.
"Well, yes. Since she works for your Dad. Tonight was her night off."
"Donna works for Daddy?" Audrey was slowly processing something she'd never really thought of before.
"Yes. She gets paid to help your Dad." Amy tried to phrase it as plainly as possible.
Audrey's mind went to work, trying to reconcile what she'd just learned. This was Donna's job? Her eyes widened and her shoulders slumped as Amy went back to her dinner, still talking to Audrey about Peter Pan, a movie that her nephews enjoyed.
When Josh returned only a few moments later, however, he saw the sadness in Audrey's face immediately. "What happened," he asked Amy, as he smoothed Audrey's curls, his eyes examining her closely.
"We were just talking about Peter Pan," Amy was genuinely at a loss, realizing for the first time just how downtrodden Audrey suddenly looked. "I have no idea…" She was borderline horrified. She honestly hadn't meant to upset Audrey.
Josh couldn't figure out what the issue was. Audrey must have just been having an off night. "Do you not feel good," he asked her softly. Audrey shook her head, "no," speaking of the newfound sadness inside of her.
"I think you're just tired, baby," Josh hoisted her up. "Let's get you to bed."
Audrey wrapped her arms around Josh and rest her head on his shoulder.
"I'll be right back," he began speaking to Amy, "I'm just going to-"
"You know what?" She cut him off, "It's okay. I should probably go."
"Oh." Josh had to admit, he was disappointed. He'd wanted this evening to go well. He'd tried not to compare every move Amy had made to Donna, but he was struggling not to. But Josh didn't want to be alone forever. The fact that Donna wasn't interested in him had never been more clear than the last weeks, so Josh wanted to put some work into his relationship with Amy.
"It's fine, J," she continued, gathering her things. "I'll call you tomorrow. I hope you feel better, Audrey," she added with sincerity.
"Can you say bye," Josh asked Audrey.
"Bye, Miss Amy." It came out as barely a whisper.
Not at all wanting to kiss Amy in front of Audrey, Josh bid her a goodnight and saw her out. That certainly had not gone as planned.
OoOoOoO
"You're heading out?" Donna leaned in his doorway.
"Yeah." Josh grabbed his bag and powered down his computer. It had been a hellaciously long few days but it looked like he'd through with another victory. Though somehow, this one seemed considerably less sweet. "You can go home."
"Are you going home?" She wore a look of worry as she approached him.
"I'm, uh…" he stopped and sighed. "Ya know."
"Yeah." And she did. She knew what he'd had to do to get this thing passed and how unsettling it was to him. "I'm sure everything will be fine," she tried for optimism, though she knew that probably wasn't the case.
"Mmm," he mumbled a non response. Everyone who knew him well at all had been attempting to console him, having an idea of just how hard he was on himself when things like this happened.
She watched him move, noticing how utterly exhausted he seemed. Josh rounded the corner of his desk to head out but she stopped him, gently cupping his face. "Try and get some sleep tonight, okay? And eat a decent dinner."
He gave her a sad smile. God, he misses her. This exchanged has been the most they've connected in weeks. And he's incredibly grateful that she'd cared enough to notice how the Amy thing is affecting him but he's actually more heavy hearted at how strained his relationship with Donna has become.
He walked Donna out, putting her into a cab before hailing one for himself and heading to Amy's. Audrey was out of town for the weekend with his mother, visiting his father's second cousin New Jersey and on top of everything, he'd had to deal with at work over the last few days, he'd missed her terribly. He'd give anything just to be able to read her a story that evening and feel the simple peacefulness of a few quiet moments with his daughter. She's the center of his universe, and he just feels off without her.
He takes a moment to admit to himself that it's not just Audrey who centers him. Over the past few years, on some of the worst days of his career and a few of the worst days of his life, he'd always had Audrey and Donna. Two people who were always there for him. Two people who wouldn't let him fall into a hole. They, in very different ways, were the reasons he worked to make the world a better place. So why was he on his way to Amy's? Honestly, he's not sure. But for some reason he feels like he has to try to fix things.
From the moment he'd walked into Amy's apartment, the tension had been almost unbearable. And if he hadn't known if before, by the time they were halfway through their argument he'd known that coming here had been a bad idea. Still he made one more effort to salvage the evening.
"Let's not do this now." He'd just wanted to move on, eat dinner, blow off some steam and get a good night's sleep. But Amy couldn't read him the way Donna could. Amy just couldn't or wouldn't stop pressing his buttons.
She didn't want to back down, didn't want to move on, hell, she didn't even want to salvage the evening. She just kept going-
"Cash bonuses to moms on welfare who marry the child's father- canceling out child support debt if the parents…"
Finally, he lost it, raising his voice to be heard over hers. "You know what? Every single study, every one shows that kids do better in two-parent houses."
"Kids are better off if they're raised by parents who love them. Your solution is loveless."
"It's not my solution!" God! Why couldn't she see that? Was she really so completely clueless about how this process worked? Sometimes you have to take the bad with the good. Sometimes you just have to do what you need to do to get the bill passed. "I mean, it's CLEARLY not MY solution, Amy."
"Do you really think a tax credit will fix your life, Josh?" She practically hissed at him.
And he stopped and stood stock-still. It really was kind of like looking into the eyes of a poisonous snake. He gave her a pointed look. "I would choose your next words very carefully if I were you, Amy."
But she didn't heed his warning, still trying to win at any cost.
"I'm asking you a question, Josh. Because based on what you've negotiated today, that's exactly what it seems like you think. So tell me, would your life be better if Audrey's mother would have stayed for a tax incentive? Or how 'bout she comes back and the two of you play house, would that be the best thing for your daughter?"
"No! Of course it's not what I think! And you know what, Amy? I don't know the true struggle of a single mother on welfare, nor do I claim to. But for another billion dollars in childcare I was willing to take the deal. It's progress!"
"I'm only going to tell you once, Amy. Leave Audrey out of this."
"Right, leave YOUR family out of this. This is just another line in the budget. An insignificant bargaining tool that doesn't apply to YOUR family? Well, it should! You're a single parent, Josh. If there was anything that you should stand firm on I would think it might be this."
"Don't pretend like you have any idea about MY family or the arrangements or sacrifices I've made for my daughter."
"You mean the arrangement you have for your assistant to raise her?"
"Amy." If she's had been listening to his tone she would have heard the warning in the way he said her name. But she didn't, still spitting venom and taking aim at everything dear to him.
"There's no tax incentive if you marry the de facto mother, Josh."
Part of him couldn't believe she'd gone there, and part of him wasn't surprised at all. "You're so far across the line, Amy, that . . ."
But before he could finish that thought she picked up her phone and called her office, ready to head to war with him over this topic.
So much for sleep, Josh thought, as he gathered his belongings and head out the door, cursing himself for ever having trusted her at all. With any part of his life.
OoOoOoO
Donna took Audrey's hand, throwing her small bag over her shoulder and leading her up the stairs to the apartment. Her day had taken an odd turn at the last minute, that was for sure. She'd spent most of her evening at Josh's setting the scene so he could have a Tahitian evening with Amy. It was easy for Donna to see that the pair had been fighting for the better part of the last few weeks, but clearly Josh was trying to make some sort of amends. After all, he was a chronic fixer.
And though she may have been less than thrilled at the thought of Josh having a romantic night with Amy, but she had long ago promised Audrey a girl's sleepover night and she was going to make sure she pulled out all the stops.
She unlocked the door and Audrey ran straight over to pet Donna's roommate's cats, a piece of her personality she certainly didn't inherit from her father.
They'd already been to the video store where Audrey spent twenty minutes selecting the perfect movie. Donna had supplemented her animated selection with Mary Poppins, which she couldn't believe Audrey had never seen. Donna quickly changed into comfortable clothes and put her things down, prepping the kitchen while the little girl entertained herself with the cats.
"Audrey, come over here and hang your coat up and wash your hands so we can make dinner."
Audrey skipped right over, excited to cook with Donna.
Donna popped Audrey up onto the counter and stood next to her, helping her knead some pizza dough and spread it out on a greased pan, giving her free reign on the cheese and toppings. Audrey talked non stop while she carefully placed the black olives and turkey pepperoni, telling Donna all about her week. After Donna slid the pizza into the oven, they moved onto Audrey's requested dish: cookies.
Donna helped Audrey measure out the ingredients and stir them all together. "Chocolate chips or M&M's?" Donna held both of the mix ins up for Audrey to choose.
Audrey scrunched up her face in concentration. "Chocolate chips. Daddy likes chocolate chips."
Donna smiled softly at the sweet reasoning behind Audrey's choice. "Okay. We can do both if you want M&M's, too," she told her, Audrey's eyes widening in excitement.
They spooned drops onto a spare baking sheet, Audrey's cookies varying greatly in size, but Donna was pleased to see that their little cooking project kept her attention for as long as it had.
Audrey went suspiciously quiet for a moment, deep in concentration. Donna simply watched her, able to tell she was thinking something through.
"Donna? Is my Daddy with Miss Amy tonight?" Audrey finally asked timidly.
Donna couldn't lie to the little girl. She nodded her head in confirmation. "Yes, he is."
Audrey seemed to weigh that information in her mind for a moment. "Miss Amy doesn't like me," she stated in a near whisper.
"Oh, honey. Why do you think that?" Donna swore her heart practically broke in half. How could anyone give this sweet little girl the impression that they didn't like her?
Audrey bit her lip, clearly hesitant to continue. "Her voice sounds funny when she talks to me. And she doesn't smile at me the same way you do. She just talks to Daddy and ignores me."
Donna was fairly sure that if she came across Amy Gardner in the next five minutes she would read her the riot act. What in the hell was she thinking? Did Josh know about this and let Audrey go on thinking this way?
"Donna? Can I tell you a secret?"
"Yes. Of course."
"I really wish you were the person who loved me and Daddy instead of Miss Amy."
Donna felt like she'd been doused with a glass of cold water. What could she possibly say to that? She did love Josh and Audrey, there was no denying that. She let out a breath, tucking Audrey's loose curl behind her ear. She'd always told Audrey that honesty was the best policy, so she figured she had to practice what she preached. "I do love you," Donna assured her.
Audrey's attention snapped up to Donna at that moment. "You do?"
"Of course I do. "You know that, Sweet Pea. Don't you?"
Audrey studied Donna's face for a long time. "But Miss Amy said that it's your job to spend time with us."
Donna's blood was near boiling. There were most certainly going to be words the next time she bumped into Amy Gardner.
"Audrey Joan, listen to me," Donna sat her spoon down and bent over until she was eye level with Audrey. "It's my job to help Daddy and Papa Leo in the office, that's true. But it's not my job to love you, or to be Daddy's friend, okay? I do that because I want to. When I spend time with you, that's not because it's my job, okay?"
Audrey nodded her head in slow comprehension.
"Do you understand," Donna asked softly, wanting to leave no room for discrepancy.
"Yes," Audrey held her arms out to Donna, who quickly wrapped her in a hug. "Love you."
"Love you, too."
Donna sat Audrey down and placed the dirty bowl into the dishwasher. She cleaned Audrey up, changing her into her jammies so they could kick off their girls night with dinner and a movie. She was glad for a change of conversation, though their discussion wouldn't be far from her mind.
After two videos and a nail painting party Audrey was finally getting heavy eyelids.
"Okay, time for bed," Donna announced as the credits rolled on My Little Pony. "I'm just going to lock up."
"Donna?" Audrey sounded borderline panicked from the other room, causing Donna to bolt over to her.
"Donna, I forgot Walter." The little girl's brown eyes were blinking quickly as she tried not to cry over the realization that her favorite stuffed bunny wasn't in her little backpack.
Donna, who was well versed in the importance of Walter at bedtime, had to think fast. "Well, maybe Walter is having a night with all of his friends while we have our girls night," she tried. "Do you want to sleep with my bear?"
Audrey was momentarily distracted. "You have a bear?"
"I do," Donna nodded. "From when I was a little girl." She walked over to her closet and flipped on the light, pulling down a small box of things from her parents house and unearthing a well worn teddy bear.
Audrey eyed the bear skeptically. "What's his name."
"Patrick," she replied, pulling Audrey in close. "Do you think you can snuggle with Patrick for the night? Keep him company for me?"
Audrey's little lip quivered slightly. "I miss Walter," she whispered. Donna could tell Audrey was trying her hardest to be brave about this, but it was a losing battle.
"Go get your toothbrush, Sweet Pea," Donna told her, kissing the top of her head. "I'll see what I can do."
As Audrey dug through her backpack Donna pulled her phone out and called Josh, stepping into the other room for a bit of privacy. It went to his machine.
"Hi. I'm so sorry to interrupt your night…"
"Donna?" He picked up, obviously fumbling the phone in the process. "Is everything okay?"
"Um, Walter is at your place," she told him. "But yes, we're fine. I didn't mean to disturb…"
Josh laughed softly. "I forgot to pack Walter. I'd definitely say that constitutes an emergency."
"I shouldn't have called…"
"No," Josh interrupted quickly. "I'm glad you did. You can… you know, call me. I can have him over there in 30 minutes. Will that work?"
"What? Josh, you can't interrupt your evening to bring a bunny over here," she whispered.
"Can. And will," Josh told her defiantly. "See you in a bit."
And with that the call was disconnected.
Thirty minutes later Donna answered the knock at her door.
"Special delivery," Josh announced, holding Walter out to Audrey, who was elated to see her bunny. "Go get your bag, kiddo."
Audrey froze, looking at her father. "But… I'm staying with Donna. We're having a slumber party. We have plans tomorrow, Daddy!"
Donna was confused too. Wasn't Amy at his house for a night of wild sex or something? "It's really fine, Josh," Donna assured him.
"You have plans?" This caught Josh off guard.
Audrey nodded earnestly. "Yes. We're doing brunch. With CJ and Carol."
Josh laughed at his daughter's panache.
"Audrey," Donna interjected, "why don't you go pick up the puzzle you were playing with so I can talk to your Dad?"
Audrey ran to the far corner of Donna's living room and Donna refocused her attention. "What happened with Amy?"
Josh shrugged his shoulders, watching Audrey move around the room picking up with her bunny under one arm, singing a little bit. "It's over," he stated somewhat absently.
"Josh…"
He flicked his gaze over to meet Donna's. "It's just… it didn't work out," he told her. Amy hadn't really understood his need to pop out and deliver a stuffed bunny in the middle of their night together. And Josh, for his part, hadn't understood why, when he had a perfectly attractive woman in his apartment, his heart still skipped a beat when he heard Donna's voice on his machine.
"Wanna come in?" she nodded towards the couch, and Josh took his coat off. Donna whispered something to Audrey, who smiled brightly at her father and then took off towards the kitchen with Donna.
"I made you a cookie," Audrey proclaimed a moment later, offering the biggest one in the pile to Josh and standing watch while he tried it.
Donna looked on, listening to Josh praise his daughter over her baking, pulling her onto his lap. She knew she needed to talk to Josh about her conversation earlier with Audrey, but this wasn't the time or place. If she didn't know better, she would have thought her boss and friend was nursing a bit of a broken heart.
"You can stay here with Donna," she heard Josh tell Audrey, "if you promise to be on best behavior. Do you promise?"
Audrey nodded animatedly and Josh kissed her goodnight. "Go lay down, shortcake. I'll say goodbye before I leave."
"You're sure this is okay," he double checked with Donna.
"Of course," she confirmed. "And when was the last time you had a night off? You should call Sam and go out for a beer."
Josh shrugged his shoulders. "Nah."
"Oh. Well, in that case, there's beer in my fridge and I'll get the stuff to make up the couch. We're having a slumber party, you know," Donna quipped. "You're welcome to stay."
Josh smiled genuinely. "Sounds perfect."