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I frown at her. “Okay, well, I could go.”
“You know what we need?” She raises an eyebrow and folds her arms, and Noah giggles behind his hand. My frown deepens.
“We can all go,” I say. “An outing.”
Sophie’s eyebrows get higher in disbelief, but she doesn’t argue against me. She knows better than to do that. “Okay,” she says softly, giving me an examining look I can’t quite understand. “An outing.”
CHAPTER 9
SOPHIE
As always, I managed to get the cart with the wonky wheels in the grocery store. It’s bad enough wrangling one of these on a normal day, let alone with three small children and a man-child in tow.
Lucas had his driver bring us all to an enormous superstore just outside the city. The kids sat in the back, wondrously pointing at all the buildings and dogs and graffiti, while Lucas and I sat in the second-row seats, not speaking or looking at each other. I wonder how rich you have to be to get a driver. I mean, obviously Lucas is a very wealthy man, but I wonder at what threshold of richness people think to themselves,Oh, I should get a driver.
The kids are tired by the time we arrive, but fortunately there's a cafe inside the store, so I use Lucas’s credit card to buy the kids little treats before we start. I know I always want something to eat before I go grocery shopping, so it seems like the best way to keep the kids settled for a while.
Lucas grumbles as I sort the kids out, and doesn’t say anything at all when I present him with a pastry. It only seemed fair to gethim one too. I don’t know why I’m surprised that it came with the classic Lucas Adler gratitude.
Over breakfast I had everyone write down three items that they would like us to get from a supermarket, no matter how big or small or silly or serious. It was, of course, annoying to get Lucas to join in, but finally he let me make a list. I also added on other essentials like diapers, silverware more appropriate for baby hands, and other little things that don’t come in an online grocery shop.
“Plushie!” squeals Ava, grinning as she points at an enormous stuffed cat.
“Really?” says Lucas. “But that's hideous.”
I glare at him. It’s growing increasingly and painfully obvious that this guy doesn’t know the first thing about kids. “Yes, but a new toy was on Ava’s list,” I say. “Are you sure this is the one you want?” I ask her. She nods with absolute certainty. “All right, then, but you’re only allowed one swap if you change your mind, okay?”
She blinks between me and the toy then snatches it up with both arms and hugs it to her chest. “Kitty,” she says, sealing the pact between her and it.
Much as I hate to admit it, Lucas is right. It is kind of hideous. But if it keeps her entertained and quiet, I’ll take it. Ava might be cute, but a two-year-old screaming at the top of their lungs because they’re unhappy is never a fun sound.
We trudge around the store, weaving up and down the aisles. I’m trying my best to make my way methodically through the list, but the kids keep getting distracted. And so does Lucas. He’s surprisingly easily taken in by deals. Especially deals for stuff wedon’t really need. It feels like every five paces someone’s adding something else that we didn’t need into the cart. I’m just glad he’s paying for all this.
We turn into the games aisle, and that’s when the fun really starts. Immediately, Chloe and Noah rush over to the board games and start fighting about them. I’ve told them that we’re allowed to pick three different games and no more than that, and, as I’m starting to see she always does, Chloe has started steamrolling her siblings so that she can get her own way.
“I want to pick one!” says Noah, doing his absolute best to sound grumpy about it. He’s almost convincing, but his timid nature and imposing older sister threaten to wash him out entirely.
“We get three,” says Chloe. “And anyway, you were saying you wanted to play this last week. You don’t need to get a pick. We already decided.”
“But that’s not fair,” protests Noah. “I didn’t have a chance to look at them all.”
“I’ve already picked these now. And this is what we’re getting. You can’t argue if you weren’t fast enough.”
“That’s not how it works!” says Noah, clenching his tiny fists in frustration.
I walk over to break them up. “Hey, now,” I say. “Why are we fighting over this?”
Noah opens his mouth to speak, but Chloe takes over before he can get a word in. “Noah says I’m not giving him a pick. Which is alie.” She shoots him an absolutely poisonous look as she emphasizes the wordlie. “He’s wanted to play this for ages.”
I look between them both, taking a deep breath as I decide how best to approach this situation. Noah looks like he’s about to cry. His lower lip wobbles at the injustice of his voice going unheard. “It looks like you’ve picked two there, Chloe. Why don’t we put one of them back and let Noah pick the last one?” I say, trying to make my tone as assertive and calm as I can. The last thing we need is a real scene in the supermarket.
At least Lucas and Ava are occupied. I glance over my shoulder to see them both comparing deals on dolls. It’s almost touching seeing the way he’s showing her how to figure out what the best deal is. I suppose it’s the only way he knows to show affection.
“Hedidpick!” huffs Chloe, gripping tightly onto the stacked boxes.
I take a long breath. “Did he really pick, or did you tell him what to pick?” I ask.
Chloe’s lips wobble as she realizes I’m seeing right through her manipulations. “He said last week he wanted it,” she mumbles, trailing off at the end.
