Page 31 of Smitten with the Single Dad

Burke jerked his strong chin at Wyatt as a goodbye. Then Wyatt finally left via the back door.

By the time he got home, the kids were no longer on the hillside. His boys were wild, but they knew what they could and couldn’t do. They were probably over playing with one of their cousins, or playing nicely in the house. He had a walkie-talkie with him at all times, so it wasn’t like he wasn’t within reach.

The house was quiet when he arrived. He stashed the gelato in the freezer in the kitchen, then headed upstairs. No sounds radiated from the boys’ rooms. But that didn’t mean anything.

Well, that’s not true. Jake was probably reading, but the fact that Griffon wassilent wasn’t necessarily a good sign. Wyatt’s youngest could have easily covered the entire bathroom with shaving cream, or duct-taped himself to the ceiling. The kid was a constant crapshoot.

He reached the landing at the top of the stairs to find both boys sitting outside of Vica’s bedroom door, whispering.

“Guys,” he said with impatience, “what are you doing? Leave her alone.”

He was about to raise his voice when a piece of paper shot out from beneath the door and into the hallway in front of them.

“But we’re passing notes,” Griffon said. “Vica said it was okay.”

“You’re what?”

“We’re passing notes,” Griffon said. “With Vica. See?” He held up the piece of paper where, sure enough, there were little messages and doodles. Half were in Jake’s barely legible eight-year-old boy chicken scratch, and the other half were terrible stickmen with also equally bad, barely legible printing.

But it wasn’t the printing that stunned him. It was what was written.

Hi, Vica. How are you? How is your lip? Do you like flowers? We picked you some.

Hi, Griffon and Jake. I am sad. I am scared. My lip really hurts. I love flowers. Thank you so much. They’re beautiful. How was your day? What did you do? What is your favorite movie?

We had a good day. Played on the hillside. But now we’re itchy from the grass. Griffon likes the Cars movies, and I like Jurassic Park. What is your favorite movie?

Oh, I get so itchy from grass too. A cold shower or bath helps. Or a cold, wet washcloth with some peppermint oil is nice too. My favorite movie is Mary Poppins. Have you seen it?

In addition to all their little notes, there were also doodles. Jake drew a few dinosaurs, Griffon drew the pig he loved to draw everywhere and anywhere, and it looked like Vica was trying to draw two little boys who were stickmen carrying flowers.

He chuckled, and the door opened.

“Ooh, are we done passing notes?” Griffon asked, his tone whiny.

“For now,” Vica said, a bouquet of wildflowers behind her on the nightstand and in a drinking glass of water. Her gaze met Wyatt’s. “I hope you do not mind. They are very helpful distractions.”

“As long as you didn’t mind.”

She shook her head. “Not at all.”

He glanced down at the paper again. “I’ve got to say, I think I like you a bit more seeing this. It means you’re not perfect.”

Her mouth opened.

His split into a big smile. “Your printing is nearly as bad as Griffon’s and you’re definitely not an artist.”

Her shock made him laugh, but that just brought out her laugh.

“Are you a vegetarian? Any dietary restrictions?”

She shook her head. “No. I’m not picky. No allergies.”

“Cool. I was going to make a salad, grill up some veggies, and do some marinated prawn skewers on the barbecue.”

Griffon groaned.

“I’ll cook up some wieners for you.” Wyatt rolled his eyes.

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