Page 39 of Primal God

I notice a few others with the same invitation in their hands as they leave.

“That’s really exciting, Clara.”

She shoves the envelope in my hand and asks, “Can I go?”

“We’ll have to talk to your father, but I don’t think it should be a problem.”

Clara turns to Diego. “You can come, too, Diego. Jessica is a twin, and her brother said you’re invited.”

Diego nods, but doesn’t look so sure. I’ll have to do some digging before I press the issue. It will be good for him to get out, but only if he’s comfortable.

“Okay, kiddos. Let’s go.”

We make our way to the SUV and, nearly an hour later, we’re back at the house. Clara runs in first, kicking off her shoes. Diego follows me into the kitchen, where I grab Isadora a little snack.

Chef says, “I can keep an eye on her if you need to unload the SUV.”

“You’re a lifesaver.”

He winks at me as I carry Isadora to her highchair. I think he has a small crush on me, but, sadly, he’s not my type.

His boss on the other hand…

Turning to Diego, I say, “Let’s build that rack!”

He follows me back to the SUV, where I unload the shoe rack and take it to the foyer. Luckily, it’s easy to set up and we have it snapped together within ten minutes.

“Want to try it out?”

He nods, kicking off his shoes and placing them neatly on the top shelf.

Clara comes out of the living room at that moment and stops.

“What’s that?”

“It’s for our shoes. That way we always know where they are.” I give her a pointed look. “And so people don’t trip over them in the middle of the night.”

She gives me an ornery grin. “Sorry, Nanny W.”

“Why don’t you grab your shoes and set them next to Diego’s?”

She does, tossing them next to her brother’s. I guess it’s better than nothing. And maybe she’ll get better, even though I doubt it. Like I said, Whirlwind Clara.

“Diego and I are going to make some cookies. Do you want to help?”

“No, I want to go play.”

“Okay. We’ll call you when the cookies are ready.”

She dips her head and disappears back to the living room.

In the kitchen, I pull out my phone and turn on a kid-appropriate play list as Diego and I get to work. We make chocolate chip cookies because Diego likes them best.

We’re just finishing up when Dr. Santos enters through the garage.

“Something smells good in here,” he says as he grabs one of the gooey cookies, popping it into his mouth. “Chef, you’re outdoing yourself.”

Chef says, “Thank you, sir.”

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