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“Oh, I don’t know.”
“Lamb wraps and seasoned potatoes,” Wolfe answered, grinning when all the kids cheered.
Then they started to head off to their rooms, but stopped dead when I said, “Hey, have you forgotten something?”
Tiana looked at me blankly for a moment, then realized. “Oh, yeah! Thanks for taking us to our lessons, Wolfe.”
Florian grinned. “Yeah, thanks.”
Belle dashed forward and threw her arms around Wolfe’s legs in a quick, tight hug. “Thanks, Wolfe.”
“You’re welcome,” he replied, rubbing her back affectionately. Then, with a flash of her chestnut hair, she was off to join the others. Wolfe’s eyes met mine, his smile soft and genuine. And there were those heart palpitations again. “How are you feeling?”
“Much better, thanks.”
“Good.”
He leaned against the door frame, holding my gaze steadily, and I almost squirmed under the scrutiny. “Can I ask you something?”
“I suppose.”
“How do you know to do all this?”
“What do you mean?”
“All of it. The routines, the cooking, the manners, the discipline, the emotional support. They are such great kids, Esme. Such a credit to you. I don’t know how you do it.”
I bit my bottom lip in thought, then released it when I saw Wolfe’s eyes drop to the movement. That was the last thing I needed right now. Toying with the diamond necklace I never took off, I tried to think back on those times, when I was first on my own with Ariel. “It’s weird to think about it, because I’ve been doing it for so long. Mrs. Thompson taught me a lot when Mom left me alone the first time, when Ariel was around one. Obviously, that was easier because there was only one kid, so I guess I learned it as I went along. After that, I like to read, so parenting books were a lifeline.” I shrugged, more than a little self-conscious.
“Well, I think it’s amazing.”
“Thanks. Um, did you have anything to do with Ariel’s drastic mood change, by any chance?”
“We had a talk, yeah.”
Well, this just took a very interesting turn. “I see. Anything I should know?”
“She asked me some stuff. I answered as best I could. But I told her she should fill you in if she’s still bothered by it.”
“Thank you. She’s been off all week, but wouldn’t tell me why, so if you’ve made her feel better, I really appreciate it.”
It was Wolfe’s turn to shrug. “I tried my best. Anyway, I better get going.”
“Okay. Thanks again.”
“No problem. Bye.” And then he was gone, looking gorgeous as he sauntered down my drive, like he was on some fucking catwalk.
It was a few hours before I finally got the chance to sit down with Ariel. With the kids in their rooms reading before bedtime, Ariel and I settled down with cups of tea on the squishy sofa in the living room. My mind still buzzed with Wolfe’s words about her, and I glanced at her, trying to gauge her mood, a lighthearted question on the tip of my tongue.
“All right, missy,” I said, smiling gently and stirring my tea. “Anything you want to chat about?”
She smiled in reply, and I felt relieved to see her looking so relaxed and happy. Her smile turned into a thoughtful expression as she sipped her tea. “Did Wolfe tell you about our chat?” she asked, her eyes searching mine.
I shook my head, putting my cup down. “No, he just mentioned that you’d talked to him and suggested you let me know about it.”
Ariel blushed and looked down at her cup. “It was about a boy,” she confessed, her voice almost a whisper.
Isn’t it always,I thought, but kept it to myself. “What happened?”