"You were supposed to be here 30 minutes ago," Sesshoumaru said, balancing his phone between his shoulder and ear.
"The bus was late! I'm on my way now!" Most days, Shippou was trustworthy, but Sesshoumaru contemplated finding a babysitter closer to home. As soon as the thought formed, he sighed; Kanna would never allow it. She didn't trust people easily, but the boy's easy smile and knack for magic tricks had created a bond between them that Sesshoumaru wasn't about to sever.
He didn't go out that often, but he couldn't help but feel Kanna could use a female influence. The death of her parents had been a devastating loss, for both of them, and the child had barely smiled in the three years since he'd adopted her. She'd never been an emotional child before, and his personality didn't help, but there was still a subtle spark that she'd never regained.
He checked his watch. "You had better hope she does not arrive before you do."
"What's the big deal? I thought Sara liked kids."
"That only spoke to her want to having them in the future. She was most displeased when she found out I already had one."
"Wait," Shippou whispered, static sounding through the line as he adjusted the phone. "Is this a new one? How many has it been?"
"Too many." Sesshoumaru dragged a hand down his face. It was one thing to find someone stable enough to date. It was another to be a single parent attempting to enter the dating scene. All his matches had been fine on the first couple of dates, but as soon as he brought up Kanna, they were quick to turn tail.
He supposed it was a good thing—he would hate for their true personalities to show after their relationship had become serious—but Kanna came first. He wanted nothing to do with them if they were unwilling to accommodate his daughter.
He'd been wary about dating, but Kanna wanted to see him happy. Plus, she enjoyed the time spent with Shippou. If tonight's outing didn't work out, perhaps he'd try some dating apps. It would give him the chance to put single-parent in his profile, and then there would be no useless first dates—or flighty phone calls after the fact filled with excuses about why there'd been no second.
"The traffic isn't that bad," Shippou said, pulling him out of his musings. "I should be there in ten minutes."
"Hnn." He ended the call, then leaned against the kitchen counter. Another reason why he was inclined to use Shippou's services was he had a curfew, which meant Sesshoumaru had a curfew, and his date would not be remiss in thinking it would be anything more than dinner.
He checked the time again. She was not set to arrive for another twenty minutes, so Kanna would be off playing with Shippou when they left. It wasn't his intent to hide her, but bringing her up on the first date was always awkward, and he preferred to get a genuine idea of who his companion was before they spoke about anything long-term.
Sunshine streamed in through the kitchen window, reminding him that it would soon be summer break and Shippou would be available during the day. Perhaps he'd treat them both to ice cream the next time he came over.