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“Done!” Kane came running back, showed off his empty hand and then settled behind the couch which he had recently designated the Batcave.
“Proud of you,” I grinned down at him, then glanced at the clock. All three fathers were caught up in some meeting about the upcoming Helix celebration, something they were loath to take part in, but it was why I was here; to keep the children happy and cared for in their absence. I enjoyed having them on my mind, especially as Jax had been particularly loving before we parted ways yesterday, and this morning both Luke and Theo had winked at me.
I yearned, briefly, for someone to talk this over with, but my life was quiet. My past had restricted my social circle to nothing, and I was very much alone.
Suddenly the house phone blared into life, and I flinched, eyeing the device where it hung on the wall next to a jolly stocking. It was an internal line and usually meant someone from the resort was calling up to the chalet. I patted Ava’s leg and then rose to answer it.
“Hello?”
“Put John on,” demanded a sharp female voice. I soured immediately.
“Excuse me?”
“Hello?” the voice barked. “Put John on the phone.”
“I’m sorry but—”
“I don’t have time for this. John! Now!”
“Pardon me, but there’s no one staying here by that name,” I replied sharply. How awfully rude this person was.
“What? What do you mean?”
“I mean exactly that,” I said. “There’s no one called John here. You have the wrong number.” I promptly hung up before anything else could be said and returned to the sofa.
“Summer?” On cue, Tabitha came scurrying down the stairs. “Who was that?”
“Granny!” Bonnie, suddenly animated, slid from the couch and darted towards her with her arms outstretched.
“Wrong number,” I smiled across at her, already putting it out of my mind. “Everything okay?”
“The boys are still busy,” Tabitha groaned as she hunched over slightly to try and give Bonnie a cuddle. “Would you mind popping down to the resort and picking up the groceries? I’d call down for some help but this late in the afternoon I won’t get what I need for dinner.”
“Oh, sure!” I patted the top of Ava’s head and stood. “Will you be alright with these three?”
“Oh, of course,” Tabitha chuckled. “I’m an old soldier.”
That she was, but in the past couple of days, the ice had melted around her a little. I no longer got the impression that I should walk on eggshells around her. Her family was precious to her, and hopefully my actions had soothed her beliefs that I wasn’t here to be a problem.
“Whose name will it be under?” I asked as I headed for the coat rack.
“Ellis. It shouldn’t be too much.”
“Can I come?”
My hand paused on my coat, and I glanced around to see that Bonnie had taken a few steps toward me, her eyes wide. I glanced at Tabitha, who looked as surprised as I felt.
“Well…” I started to say, watching Tabitha’s face for whether this was a good idea or not.
“I think the walk would be fun for you, Bonnie,” Tabitha decided. Permission granted. I smiled and reached for Bonnie’s coat.
“Sure you can, sweetie; we just have to make sure we bundle you up nice and warm, okay?”
Thankfully neither Kane nor Ava expressed interest in coming with me. I didn’t have the confidence to wrestle three children and groceries up and down a mountain, but Bonnie, I could manage.
Bundled up in her coat, complete with gloves and scarf, we headed out into the snow and took a cable car down to the resort.
Inside, the resort was almost as fancy as the chalets dotted all over the mountain. Like a gigantic shopping mall, the resort had everything from restaurants to shops as well as dance halls and a scattering of buildings to be used for parties and functions. It reminded me briefly of an airport as Bonnie and I wandered through the winding hallways and admired the Christmas displays in all the shop windows on our way to the grocery pick-up kiosk.
