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“Hey.” I fight for her attention. “Rainey’s here. She’s safe with you—with us. Your brother’s in jail, which I hate for you and for Rainey, but he’s not on the streets doing things you don’t want to know about.”
The smell of the bubbling soup pulls my attention from Noah. “Do you feel up to getting the girls down for dinner? I have a strong suspicion they’re either playing with the cat or Rainey’s dollhouse.” The left side of her lips tilt up, just barely, but I feel victorious to have made her smile.
Minutes later, the three of them appear in pajamas. “Ladies, if you don’t mind taking a seat, I’ll be your server tonight. Maggie and Rainey, I’ve got Noah’s throw blanket spread out on the floor for you. You’re having a picnic while we watch the movie.”
Rainey throws me a suspicious look. “You can’t have a picnic inside. Those are for the park,” she states.
“Oh, yes you can. You’ve just never tried it before. Go on, have a seat next to Maggie.”
I carry over four piping hot soup bowls on a makeshift tray I made from a pizza pan. “Welcome to Logan’s,” I joke, “Tonight you’ll be dining onzefinest chicken noodle soup. I hope you also enjoyzesliced up fresh-from-Walmart baguettes I’ve prepared for your dipping pleasure.”
Maggie and Rainey look at each other and burst into laughter. I sneak a glance at Noah, and she’s laughing, too, at my terrible French accent. My work here is done, and I press play on the movieIselected for us to watch together.
The sounds and colors of Disney’sEncantofill the screen and three sets of eyes turn to me. “Everything okay, ladies? Your food satisfactory?”
Rainey giggles. “I’ve never seen this movie.”
“Me either,” Maggie chimes in.
“What about you?” I tip my head at Noah.
“Nope.”
“Well, that makes four of us.”
Noah sleepily makes her way into the kitchen the next morning, only thirty minutes before we need to leave to get Maggie and Rainey to school on time. She appears to feel at least a little better than last night.
I’ve been up for hours, and I hand her a cup of coffee, pointing out her breakfast waiting to be eaten. I’m an early riser, but Noah’s the exact opposite. She suggested we take turns feeding the kids before school, but I insisted I’d take care of it. With all the kindness she’s showing us, the least I can do is allow her a few extra minutes to sleep in.
“Hey,” she mumbles, climbing onto the barstool next to Rainey.
“Feeling any better?”
“A little. Still tired, but the cough seems better.”
“Hannah’s elderberry,” I muse.
“Mom?” Maggie looks at me. My heart sinks into the pit of my stomach, but I keep my reply upbeat. “Yep. Remember the purple stuff Mom gave you when you didn’t feel good?”
She nods and returns to eating the cereal she helped me pour.
“I don’t know what helped, but I’m glad for it. That will make today’s project presentation less painful. Thanks for everything last night.”
“Of course.”
“Except the songs I’m going to have stuck in my head all day,” she clarifies.
“Hey—we don’t talk about Bruno,” I remind her.
Chapter 23
Noah
BetweenthecoldI’mstill nursing and the emotional hangover I’ve carried since Georgia’s call, I can’t remember the last time I’ve been this happy to see a Friday evening. A savory combination of onions and garlic, muddled with something tomatoey, pulls me into the kitchen where Logan stands in an apron with this back to me. The sight puts a smile on my face, which I’m grateful he doesn’t notice.
Logan’s sweetness last night caught me off guard. His insistence on picking up sick supplies for me, even taking the girls with him and giving me time to rest, was incredibly kind. No one’s ever done anything like that for me, not even one of the few boyfriends I’ve had. I tried hard to hide my tears and pull myself together before they made it back home, but Logan sensed my sadness as soon as he stepped in the door.
I’ve not decided if my inability to hide things from Logan is an asset or a liability. Lowering my emotional inhibitions last night left me feeling anxious and unsteady today. Logan’s been nothing but considerate, but my guard’s still up from years of being hurt by those I should have been able to trust the most.
