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She waited for them in front of the building. The boys shouted their good mornings with happy voices that brought a relieved smile to her lips.
“I’m so glad you’re here, Ms. Madison. Can I hold your hand?” Michael asked.
“Of course, that’s why I came. I want to make sure you like the place and the kids.”
Rick introduced her as the family friend who was taking care of the children. Impressed by the boys’ good grades, Dr. Fernandez enrolled them without question. Immediately, Rick handed her a large check as a donation to the school and offered her his charming smile. As Madison had predicted, the good principal promised to take great care of her new students and led them to the courtyard for the 10:30 morning recess.
Madison followed Rick over to the shade of a tree, observing the children in recess.
“Things went well. Better than I expected,” she noticed. Ofcourse, Rick’s donation and smile could open many doors.
In the playground, Dr. Fernandez introduced Mark and Michael to various groups and lingered next to two boys in particular, before returning her charges to their father.
“They can start school tomorrow morning. How do you like the school, Mark?”
“I like it. The boys were nice.”
“Greg will be your play pal, especially during recess. He’ll be at your side helping you meet more classmates and adjust. In exchange, you’ll tutor him in math. Is that okay with you?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Brian will take care of you, Michael. He’s a cheerful kid who laughs a lot, but he’s not good in math. You’ll help him with his math assignments. Will that work for you?”
“Yes, ma’am, I can do that. I like Brian.” Michael released a relieved sigh. The poor boy had been so worried about the new school.
Reassured about her buddies’ future, Madison agreed to have lunch with the Lamberts and meet Douby, the newest member of the family.
At home, they found a desperate Douby barking in his crate and a furious Grandma shouting that she shouldn’t have to cope with a puppy’s bad manners. “Lock this dog in his crate until he learns to behave. He hasn’t stopped peeing and pooing all over my kitchen. I can’t spend my day cleaning up after him.”
“That’s because he’s still a baby, Grandma.” Holding the puppy in his arms, Mark defended him fiercely, stroking his furry baby.
“Mom, we’ll take him to training class soon.” Rick said, his tone soothing. “Just keep him in his pen when we’re not here.”
“He kept barking. I felt sorry for the poor thing and let him out. I couldn’t catch him for a while and finally locked him in his crate.”
Madison exchanged a glance with Rick and suppressed a smile. She could well imagine Arlene cleaning and cursing all morning.
With Douby tucked in Mark’s arms, the boys disappeared into the backyard. Rick promised things would improve soon.
Tugging Rick to the patio, Madison said, “I think that taking care of the boysanda dog is too much for your mother.”
“I realize that. When we first moved into this house, I offered to hire a maid. Mom refused. Now, I think she needs help. It’s a good thing Nanny Maria will arrive soon.”
“Ah.” Madison pursed her lips but didn’t express her concerns.
Would the grandmother who’d been deprived of her grandchildren for years get along well with the nanny who’d raised them?
When they sat around the patio table for lunch, Mark refused to put his puppy in his pen. “I promise, he’ll be quiet.”
His grandmother ignored him. “We’ll celebrate Thanksgiving next week. It’ll be just the five of us, but I promise you a delicious dinner.”
“Already Thanksgiving?” Startled, Madison bit her lip. “Wow, with all the commotion about the school and the puppy, I totally forgot about it. I’m sorry, Arlene, I won’t be able to attend.”
“What? Why?” the four Lamberts protested together.
“Will you be working that day?” Rick asked.
“No, but my parents will arrive the day before. I can’t leave them and come here.”
