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“I’ve been adding cover-up all day. How awful does it look?”
“You did a good job with the makeup, but I’d like you to wash it off when we get inside. Let me see how bad the bruising really is.”
She shook her head. “It’s not that bad. And you should know that bruises always look worse when they’re getting better. Besides, I’m afraid we can’t stay long. I still have a few errands to run before—” She stopped herself from saying the word “shelter” because of the scowl that word provoked whenever she uttered it. “Before bedtime,” she amended.
Rhys nodded. “Come on.”
He opened the door, and Jess was immediately assaulted by the smell of pizza. Her stomach growled loudly.
“Hungry?” Rhys asked.
She shook her head but stopped when Rhys tilted his head impatiently. Instead, she kept her mouth shut. If she said she was starving—which she was—they’d invite her to eat, and she really didn’t have time for that. She’d learned her lesson the hard way Friday night about not queuing up in time, and she would move heaven and earth to make sure she and Jasper never had to spend another night outside.
“Mommy!” Jasper yelled, darting out of the kitchen to greet her.
She smiled as he jumped into her arms, giving her a hug before squirming to get down.
“Aunt Berta got me from school.”
“I know,” she said. Rhys reached for her coat, helping her take it off. She started to tell him not to bother, but Jasper kept talking, preventing that opportunity.
“We went to Terminal Market and got a pretzel and lemonade and looked at all the food,” he said excitedly.
“That sounds great.”
Jasper barely took a breath as he continued recounting his afternoon. “Then we bought stuff to make pizza for dinner. And a cheesecake that’s this big.” He held his arms out wide, clearly exaggerating about what he considered the greatest dessert he’d ever seen. “And then Aunt Berta helped me with my homework and readCurious George Goes Campingto me because she’d never heard the story, and then she let me watchSpongeBob.”
Aunt Berta walked out of the kitchen, grinning as widely as Jasper. “The boy is easy to entertain,” she said. “He loves everything.”
Jess nodded, though she had to clear her throat before responding. She knew Jasper was a bright, inquisitive kid. His teachers—both in kindergarten and this year in first grade—had told her the same, claiming he was always the first to finish his work and always looking to learn more. She’d tried to expose him to new experiences and places as much as she could, but that wasn’t always easy, given the fact she worked long hours, seven days a week. Too often, she was too tired to explore the city with him. Something she vowed to rectify after seeing his excitement right now.
“It sounds like you had an amazing day, Jasper. I can’t thank you enough, Berta.”
“Aunt Berta,” Tony’s aunt corrected.
Jess smiled. “Aunt Berta.”
“Am I late to the party?” Tony asked as he entered the apartment.
“Nope,” Rhys replied. “We just got home too. Jasper was regaling us with tales of his adventures with Aunt Berta this afternoon.”
Jasper darted over to Tony and leapt into his arms. Tony tossed him in the air playfully a couple of times, much to Jasper’s delight.
Growing up with just women, Jasper had very little experience with adult males, and absolutely none with guys willing to roughhouse and play with him. It was a huge turn-on for Jess, her ovaries practically doing flip-flops at the sight.
Tony dramatically sniffed the air. “Damn, Aunt Berta. Is that your homemade pizza? Smells like heaven in here.”
“It is. Made an extra one tonight since you and Rhys barely leave enough for me to have a single slice, and I want to make sure there’s plenty for Jasper and Jess.”
“Oh,” Jess said. “You didn’t need to do that. Jasper and I can’t stay for dinner.”
“We can’t have pizza?” Jasper asked, his demeanor going from elated to dejected in two seconds flat.
“Of course you’re having pizza,” Tony said.
Jess narrowed her eyes, aware that somewhere along the line, she must have given Tony Moretti the impression she was a pushover. “No, we’re not,” she said insistently.
Tony set Jasper down. “Why don’t you go into the kitchen with Aunt Berta, little man? Help her finish dinner while Rhys and I have a chat with your mom.”
