Page 86

Their whoops and cheers made me feel ten feet tall, I swear.
The car ride to the middle school to collect Ariel was a whirl of cheerful chatter and laughter. When Ariel spotted me through the crowd of students, her face lit up, and she hurried over, a wide smile on her lips. “Hey, Wolfe! This is a nice surprise,” she said as she climbed into the car.
A quick dash back to Esme’s to grab Florian’s forgotten guitar, and we were on our way to the teacher’s house. Florian talked the whole way, telling me all about what he was learning, his fingers drumming a rhythm on his knees as we navigated the familiar streets.
Once I dropped Florian off, the girls and I found ourselves with half an hour to spare. Their eyes went wide when I pulled up in front of Poppy’s Cake Shoppe.
“Are we really getting cake?” Tiana asked, her voice tinged with disbelief.
I chuckled, glancing at her in the rearview mirror. “Why not? Consider it a treat for being such brilliant company.”
Their squeals of delight filled the car as we parked, and the warmth in my chest grew. There was something profoundly satisfying about being able to bring joy to these kids, about being woven into the fabric of their lives.
As we entered the cake shop, the intoxicating scent of vanilla and buttercream wafted around us, drawing us toward the gleaming glass cases filled with treats. The girls started discussing what they wanted, but the mood shifted when Ariel pointed to a beautifully decorated chocolate cupcake. “I think we should get this one,” she suggested, her voice carrying a hint of excitement.
“But I want the éclair!” Tiana protested, her finger pressed against the glass directly above the pastry in question.
Belle, siding with Ariel, chimed in, “I want the cake, coz we always get an eclair.”
Tiana’s face turned a shade redder. “Just because you two always gang up on me doesn’t mean I always have to give in!”
Ariel looked taken aback, her earlier excitement fading. “Tee, it’s not about ganging up. We just thought—”
Holy fuck, where had this come from and what should I do? I thought of all the times I’d seen Esme step in to settle an argument or guide the kids’ behavior. “Enough,” I interrupted, my voice firm but even. All eyes turned to me, and there was no denying the shock in them. I continued, “It’s not very nice to ruin a special afternoon bickering about something dumb, is it?”
They all shook their heads, and I waited. Ariel got the hint first. “Sorry, Tiana.”
“Yeah, sorry Tee.”
Although her face was still mutinous and her arms were folded across her chest, Tiana said, “That’s okay, I’m sorry too.”
“And sorry, Wolfe,” Ariel added.
“Thank you,” I said when the younger girls also apologized. “Now, I never said you couldn’t have a cake each, did I?”
“Can we?” Belle asked tentatively.
“Yes.”
“You’re not cross with us for fighting?”
Jesus, this kid was the cutest. She well and truly had me wrapped around her little finger. Smiling gently, I said, “Not even a little bit, so get whatever you want. And a milkshake each. And don’t forget to get something for Florian, too.”
The mood lightened almost immediately, and I huffed out a breath of relief. The intensity of their argument seemed to come out of nowhere, but I was surprised at how easily I’d been able to step in and head it off. It felt like a raw, real moment. Even a test of the relationship I was trying to build here, and I was glad to think we’d all passed with flying colors.
The half hour flew by and it was time to get Florian and head home. Esme ran a pretty tight ship so there wasn’t much for me to do with the kids, beyond reminding Belle to put her lunch box on the sink. Then, they scampered off to their rooms for some downtime. It felt a little weird sitting in Esme’s house on my own and I wasn’t really sure what to do.
There were lots of things Esme would allow me to help with, like the meals I cooked and the occasional running around, but she drew the line at cleaning of any sort. Well, Esme wasn’t here to stop me, was she, I thought, a wicked smile curving my lips. I’d got in the habit of doing my own laundry, much to my housekeeper’s confusion, so I was pretty good at it now. I knew all about sorting the whites and colors and which materials needed to be put on a delicate cycle. I headed to the laundry and, just as I expected, the basket was full. Four kids generated an enormous amount of washing, I knew, since I’d heard Esme refer to it as Mount Washmore more than once.
I put a load on and as I came back out to the kitchen, I heard little footsteps coming down the hallway. Belle stepped into the dining room, her arms overflowing with coloring books and pencils. “Need a hand?”
“Yes,” she giggled, almost dropping one of the books. I helped her set up on the dining table and headed back into the kitchen to sort out the lunch boxes. “Wolfe, will you help me color in?”
“Sure, sweetheart. Let me just finish up here.”
Within five minutes of me sitting down, Tiana came out, saw what we were up to and promptly asked to join in. Belle handed over one of her books and Tiana was soon deep in concentration, coloring in a jungle scene.
“Hey, Tee!” Florian’s feet pounded down the hall and he stopped short at the end. “You wanna play outside?”