“Laurel said so.She said he had been acting weird all last night when we were playing games.Kept looking at Mabel and playing with his hair.She also said he put deodorant on like three times.”
I smirked as I filled the soup pot with water.“Well, she is very cute.And so is Damon.But it’s probably best if we don’t gossip.”
“Are you dating my principal?”
Thank goodness I wasn’t using a knife because I surely would have chopped off the tip of my crooked pinky finger.Instead, I just spilled a bunch of water on the floor as I carried the filled pot to the stove.“What made you ask that?”
“Because you invited him and his daughter over for dinner and games last night.You’ve never done anything like that before.”
“Well, Lennox and Mabel are new to the island.They don’t know anyone.And with Mabel being homeschooled, she needs opportunities to meet children her own age.And there happen to be several of them right here on the property.”
“It’s fine if you are.”
I turned on the gas stove until a blue flame ignited beneath my soup pot.“It’s fine if I’m what?”
“Dating Mr.Paul.I mean, he’s nice.Better than Principal Pickford.He was gross and mean.”
“Has Mabel said anything about her dad and me?”
“No.Why?”
“Just curious.”
“But Laurel and Sam think you’re dating him.Especially since their moms did the same thing.Started spending extra time with a guy.Laurel described it as ‘curiously out of character.’”
Of course Laurel would say something like that.While she wasn’t considered gifted the way Mabel was, Gabrielle’s daughter was incredibly smart.The child read nonstop and had an unmatchable love for the English language.
“They think you two like each other.”She lifted her head and stopped her knife.“Do you?”
Grabbing a tea towel, I crouched down to mop up the water I had spilled.This was not at all how I wanted to have this conversation with my kids.Firstly, I thought Austin would be here too.So now I was going to have to have the conversation twice.Secondly, I thought thatIwould be the one to bring it up.But my nine-year-old, curly-haired angel decided to ambush me instead.
“I’m going to take your silence as a yes.That you do like him and that you are dating.You’ve said enough times before that when we’re guilty, we go quiet, because we know not to lie.And you’ve gone quiet, so that means you’re guilty.”
Now whose child was gifted?
Fuck my life.
I stood up and leaned against the counter.“We are, and yes, I do.It’s very new.Very early.But I like your principal, and we have decided that we’d like to try dating each other.”
Honor nodded, but I could tell she had something else on her mind.
“You have questions?”
More nodding.“If you break up, what happens?”
“What do you mean ‘what happens’?”
“Like how awkward would it be for you to be at the school around your ex-boyfriend?”
“We’re adults, honey.We’d deal with it.”
“As long as he doesn’t turn mean toward us if you do break up.Try not to break his heart, okay?”
“I’ll do my very best, angel.”
We went back to dinner prep and eventually the shower shut off.Austin joined us a few minutes later, wearing his flannel pajama pants and a long-sleeve, black Henley.He was gently bumping the Hacky Sack around on his knees in the living room as Honor and I finished making dinner.
“Not in the house,” I told him.“You know better.This space is too small for that.”
