Rowyn kept her voice light, hoping that with the children around they could at least get through any awkward evening unscathed before clearing the air.
“Thanks. I’m going to take them out for pizza instead. Feel free to order your own and add it to my account, or I can bring it back for you later. I have work to catch up on once they are in bed, so I’ll be in my home office. The living room will be free for you.”
Rowyn’s stomach dropped. The implication was clear—she was not invited. How far could she push? It didn’t seem wise to aggravate the situation more before they had even had time to talk, which they couldn’t do with both kids hanging around.
“Can’t Rowyn come with us for pizza?” Elliot asked, almost hesitantly.
Rowyn hated to think that he was picking up on some of the tension, but he was a perceptive kid. She needed to be the one to make this easier, pave that path as she kept reminding herself.
“I’m going to sit this one out, kiddo. I have to give my sister a call and tell her all about Amelia’s wonderful win. She’s been waiting to hear. Have fun with your mom, and I’ll see you all when you get back.”
She looked at Eliza for that last part, wanting to be clear that although she wasn’t pushing to come, she wasn’t hiding out either.
“Can Daddy come? He’s gonna be finished working by now,” Amelia asked Eliza excitedly.
Rowyn ignored the twinge that Amelia wasn’t disappointed at her absence from the celebration. It was silly, wanting a childto be sad about something they had no control over, but feelings weren’t always logical.
“Sure, I’ll give him a call and see if he wants to meet us there. Maybe your nan will be around too.”
Eliza picked up her phone as the kids began to grab their stuff to head to the car. Rowyn stood awkwardly, unsure of what to do now. Walking past them all and up to her room was childish, like she was sulking. Standing and listening to their plans while feeling like an outsider hurt like hell, though.
“Yeah, I saw. Amelia wants to know if you and your mom will meet us for pizza. She wants to have a family celebration.”
Eliza spoke the words into her phone as she walked toward the door. They weren’t directed at Rowyn, and Rowyn wasn’t even sure Eliza was still aware of her presence or that she could hear. Nonetheless, they cut her like a knife.
Family celebration.
Once again, the implication was clear. Rowyn was not included.
Chapter Twenty-One
Eliza closed the playroom door softly behind her after finally getting Amelia to calm down enough to attempt sleep. She was more excited than Eliza had ever seen her before, and it was a bittersweet experience. Eliza tiptoed down the stairs to get her laptop bag. She did have work to do, having flown home early to make it back in time for dinner. She had to write up the agreed proposal after securing the account this morning by the skin of her teeth, a feat she hadn’t even been able to enjoy.
“Can we talk?”
Eliza startled as Rowyn spoke quietly from where she perched on the countertop.
“I have work to do,” Eliza said.
She spoke the words with as much neutrality as possible. The simmering anger needed to stay inside tonight, she did not have the time or energy to address it appropriately. The children would be going to their father’s on Saturday evening, and she would speak to Rowyn properly while they were gone. All she needed to do was get through the next three evenings with her feelings in check and her boundaries in place.
“I’m sorry that I reacted badly on the phone. I know you wouldn’t have missed it if it wasn’t important, and I shouldn’t have acted otherwise.”
The simmering turned up a notch as Rowyn spoke.
“I wouldn’t have missed it at all if I had known what I was missing. If you hadn’t decided to keep relevant information about my children from me,” Eliza said through clenched teeth.
“I was trying to tell you when your phone was dead. By the time you called, it was too late anyway, and I didn’t want to make matters worse,” Rowyn said.
“First of all, that is not your decision to make. Second of all, I meant the fact that according to Amelia, you’ve known about this for weeks and neglected to tell me.”
“Amelia asked me to—”
Eliza held up a hand as Rowyn began to speak.
“I am aware that Amelia asked you to keep it a secret. She is eight years old. You are the adult. Your job is to take care of my children when I am not here, and to keep me updated on their lives and activities and everything in between. Your job is not to decide what information you feel I should know, and it is certainly not to keep secrets from me with my children. How am I supposed to trust you if I don’t know what you are or are not telling me?”
Eliza stopped as her anger rose and took some deep breaths.
