Page 63 of The Write Off

“No, it’ll be ready in a few minutes.” I’m making baked chicken fingers and homemade potato wedges today. None of us have been able to stomach macaroni and cheese since the day they were sick. “But if you’d like to set the kitchen table, I won’t stop you.”

“Pfft. I’d like to see you try to stop us. Right, Anna?”

“Right!”

As I watch Rilla raid the cupboards for plates and glasses I realize how comfortable she seems in my home. She’s been spending more time here in the past few weeks and it’s clear that she knows her way around. After grabbing cutlery, she closes the drawer with her hip as if she’s done it a hundred times before.

I’d run downstairs to grab the kids to save Shannon the hassle of parking and walking them up. She was grateful and eager to get to work to see exactly how much of a catastrophe she was in for.

Travis talked without stopping on the way up to my apartment. He was speculating how many emergency vehicles would be at the hospital and whether or not there would be helicopters brought in.

Anna seemed much quieter, clinging to Rumplebunkins and squeezing my hand.

I brought myself down to her eye level and assured her that even though her mom was called in for an emergency, she wasn’t going to be in any danger.

They experienced a complete demeanor swap the moment I opened the apartment door and they spotted Rilla. Anna became the animated little chatterbox I know and love, while Travis regarded her with thinly veiled suspicion.

But even he couldn’t hold out for long. Twenty minutes later, they were all playing video games and talking about their favorite Marvel characters.

I grab the food from the oven and proceed to plate it.

“Anna, could you please go tell your brother that lunch is ready.”

“On it!” She skips out of the kitchen and I watch Rilla smiling after her. Abandoning the food, I cross the room and grab a quick kiss before the kids are back.

“What was that for?”

“For being so great with them.” And for not running away when I told you I loved you. “They adore you.”

“I’m not doing anything other than treating them like people. Just because kids are shorter than us doesn’t mean you need to talk down to them.”

“Anna might be mildly obsessed with you.” Not that I blame her.

“What do you think she’ll do when she finds out my middle name is Anne?”

“Handcuff herself to you and refuse to ever leave your side.”

The kids arrive and we all sit down at the table to eat. Anna pulls her chair so close to Rilla’s, she’s practically sitting in her lap.

“Do you live here now?” Travis asks her as he dunks a potato wedge in ketchup.

“No, I do not. Just…passing through. I’ve got my own apartment.”

“But you’re Uncle Logan’s girlfriend, right?” Anna’s blue eyes look up at her with pure adoration.

Rilla glances at me, but I choose that moment to take a long drink of water. She looks back at my niece. “Yes.”

“Are you going to marry him?”

My drinking plan backfires as I choke on the water, coughing it up violently.

“Are you okay, Uncle Logan?” Anna asks as I continue to cough, my eyes watering.

“Yeah, are you okay?” Rilla asks, a “serves you right” look on her face.

“I’m fine.” I wheeze. “Water just went down the wrong pipe. Anna, after lunch, do you want to show Rilla the stories you’ve been working on?”

This suggestion motivates her to eat as quickly as possible. This also means that it has halted her investigative reporting on our relationship. Rilla and Anna finish their lunches first and head to the living room to talk fairytales while Travis and I remain in the kitchen.

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