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Tristan nodded. “I like that.”
“I know.” Ria leaned back again, tilting her face to the sun and flicking her eyelids closed. “Like I said, all my ideas are good.”
Tristan chuckled. “And you’re so humble.”
“I know. That’s myrealsuperpower.”
“What are your siblings like?” Tristan asked. He didn’t want to stop talking to Ria, not yet.
“Let’s see. There’s Ryan. He’s twenty-seven now, and he got married this year to his college sweetheart. He works in an auto-repair shop. Then there’s Thomas, who’s twenty-four. He graduated college a few years ago, and he’s working as an engineer. Then there’s Ellie, who’s twenty-two. She’s just graduated and got her first job as a nurse in an emergency room. And finally, we have Nora, the baby. She’s just nineteen and in her sophomore year of college. She’s studying to become a lawyer.”
“Wow. Everyone’s so accomplished.” Tristan hesitated. “I hope I’m not putting my foot in my mouth, but you said you wanted to help all your siblings through college. Did you never want to go to college yourself? The résumé Oh Pear! sent said you weren’t a graduate.”
Ria smiled, her eyes still closed. “I went to college, actually, for two years. I was studying education. But Thomas broke his leg playing football, and the medical bills were too high for our mom to pay on her own. So, I dropped out and got my first nannying job.”
Tristan’s heart went out to her. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I was studying education because I love kids. Now, I get to be around kids every day.” Her eyes opened as she gestured to the triplets on the playground.
“Let me guess — having to leave college was just part of the hand you were dealt.” Tristan was starting to understand that Ria was the kind of person who didn’t just make lemonade out of lemons — she would happily bite into a lemon and try to appreciate the sourness.
“You got it.” Ria winked.
They chatted for a few more minutes, mostly about Ria’s siblings, before the kids started to get tired. Ria led the way home, where she handed out carrot sticks and juice to each of the kids.
“No wike cawots,” Jasmine said darkly when Ria set the plate in front of her.
“Honey, I saw you eat carrots yesterday.” Ria smiled at the little girl. “How about you try one? If you still don’t like it, I’ll get you something else.”
Jasmine pushed the plate away as tears filled her eyes. “No wike cawots! Want owange.”
“How about we make a deal? I’ll peel you an orange if you also try a bite of carrot.”
Jasmine began to cry. Moments later, Jamie and Jacob joined in. Apparently, all three triplets were on strike from carrots. Ria turned and gave Tristan a wry smile.
“It looks like we need an alternate snack choice. Do you want to help me calm everyone down?”
But Tristan found himself backing away. Ria was the expert when it came to the kids. Why should he try to help, when he’d probably just make everything worse?
“I have a little work to do,” he muttered — and he fled. He knew he should have stayed and tried to help, but he worried he’d just make the kids cry more. Ria could calm them down in a few minutes. He knew that.
Tristan spent the rest of the afternoon working. He half-hoped Ria might knock on the door and invite him to join her and the triplets for something else, but she never came. Instead, hours blurred together as he focused on the thing he was really good at — his work.
CHAPTER11
RIA
Ria couldn’t help being a little disappointed by Tristan’s abrupt departure. She felt like they’d really connected at the park, but as soon as things got a little tricky with the triplets, he was gone. It didn’t feel like a good sign.
Oh, well. There was no time to dwell now. Ria turned back to the kids, hands on hips. She calmed them down, offered a few orange slices, then told a long and involved story about magic carrots that had all the triplets trying their original snack.
The rest of the afternoon was spent playing at home. Ria kept hoping Tristan might emerge from his office to join in with a game, sit with them for story time, or at least come to the table for dinner or tuck the kids in at bedtime, but he was nowhere to be seen. She played with the triplets, fed them dinner, gave them baths, and tucked them into bed with no sign of Tristan. It was the same pattern she’d followed her first few days, but she’d really felt like something had changed today.
Once the kids were sleeping, Ria tiptoed back downstairs and into the kitchen to get a little dinner for herself. She’d had a few bites of the triplets’ dinner, but she hadn’t gotten enough to eat. The last few nights, she’d met Tristan in the kitchen, but he was nowhere to be seen tonight.
Ria’s heart pinched. Perhaps their conversation at the park had made him hesitant. Maybe Ria shouldn’t have encouraged — or forced? — him to come with them in the first place. And very likely, she should have kept things professional between them instead of opening up about her siblings and letting him open up about his sister.
Ria ate her dinner while reading. The whole time, she had one ear open, just in case she’d hear Tristan’s footsteps, but there was no sign of him. Once she finished, she slipped back upstairs to read a little more in bed before sleeping. Hopefully, Tristan would eat at some point.