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“He’s right here sleeping,” Katrina said. “Don’t you want to give Yogi Bear a chance? Davina will be so sad if you go.”
“Prissy wants to go home, too. We miss home!”
He cried again.Oh crap.“Okay, calm down. As soon as your daddy wakes up, we’ll come to get you. You let Auntie Calista get some sleep, and you go to sleep now, too. Promise?”
“Promise.”
Calista got back on the phone. “I’m so sorry. I just figured they’d be fine since I’m with them every day. I don’t get it.”
“It’s fine. Maybe if we just show up at the campground, they’ll calm down. It’ll be a nice way to spend the morning. Get some sleep.”
“Rumor’s already passed out. How about if I call you when they wake up? They might be okay in the morning.”
“Okay. Sounds like a plan. Thank you, Calista.”
She ended the call and set her alarm for eight.
Alphé woke up at six and looked around the strange room. The white and pale blue walls, expensive artwork, and unfamiliar bedding confused him until he moved the curtain aside and saw the landscape, a slow-moving creek sparkling in the morning sun. Lying next to him, Katrina slept, long eyelashes on her pale, redheaded skin. Smiling at how cute she was, he brushed a stray hair off her face.
Climbing out of the bed took effort not to disturb her. He grabbed his clothes and left the room, carefully closing the door after him. For being in a strange bed, he’d slept better than he could remember in a long time. Through the door straight ahead was the living room, a large, light-filled space with floor-to-ceiling bookcases along the outer wall. The shelves were full of neatly arranged books, evidence that she must have stayed up half the night. He wandered around, passing through a beautiful formal dining room, a smaller, cozy breakfast room, and a cavernous kitchen of white marble and stainless steel. The house didn’t look this size from the exterior.
The coffee pot was the same one Katrina had purchased for his house, so he knew how to operate it. Opening cupboards, he found cups; she’d purchased the same ones he had, and that made him smile. But behind them he saw clear glass coffee mugs. The clear glass ones made him feel like he was wealthy, so, laughing, he reached for one and put it in place under the spout.
Cream for his coffee was in the fridge, and when he opened the door, he was surprised that it was already full of food. During the day, she’d found the time to shop. Everything Alphé and his kids liked to eat was there, the same brands even, lined up like it was his personal grocery store.
He reached for the cream and poured a splash in the cup. A white cardboard pastry box, the string already cut, sat on the same shelf as the cream. A cream-filled pastry horn would be his breakfast, not exactly vitamin packed, but it was Saturday, and he was taking a well-deserved day off. Sugary pastry would be appropriate for a special day.
Since he never took time off, he didn’t know what to do with himself. If he was at home, he might tackle a project. After promising Katrina he’d help her with the renovations, she’d paid Luke Esprit, the local carpenter, to do it so she could get settled right away. And he had to admit, they’d done a beautiful job.
“I thought I smelled coffee. Did you find everything?”
“I did. You remembered it all.”
He got up from the barstool to make her coffee. They kissed while it brewed.
“Early this morning, Angela sent me a text. She said the kids were homesick and asked if we could drive to get them.”
“Ugh, no way.”
“Yeah, I know. Calista said she’d reevaluate this morning, and we can decide then. But now I wonder if Angela is feeling out of sorts, too. I talked to Rumor, and he said he missed his dad.”
They laughed, thinking about Rumor, who still, at age five, liked to be carried on the rare times his father was around.
“Yeah, I want to get them,” Alphé said. “Are you up for the ride? How far is it?”
“About two hours. Let’s do it. We can hang out at the campground or load them up and come back home.” She looked at her watch. “It’s only six thirty. We can have coffee and relax, and at eight I’ll send Calista a message.”
“What time did you come to bed?” Alphé asked.
“About three hours ago,” she answered, yawning.
“Go back to sleep!”
“No, I’m good. I want to be up with you. This is our first morning in my new house. It’s special. But I miss the kids.”
“Me too. Send Angela a message; see what’s going on.”
She did as he asked and didn’t hear back. “She’s probably still sleeping. We’ll just have to relax!”
