Page 9 of Stolen Kisses

“Yippee,” she responds sarcastically, twirling her pointer finger in the air.

He ignores her, turning to Sarah. “How’s work going?”

Sarah’s boss has been hinting he’s going to retire soon. She loves her boss, Eric. He’s such an old sweetheart and treats Sarah more like a granddaughter than an employee.

Her shoulders slump forward and the sparkle leaves her eyes. “Eric hasn’t come out with a date yet, but he’s getting everything in order for his grandson to take the reins.” She shrugs her shoulders. “I’ve never met his grandson and I’ve worked with Eric for the past nine years. I’m not sure he’ll be a good fit since he’s never shown his face in the building.”

“What makes you think Eric’s grandson is going to take over?” Mom asks.

“Eric’s always wantedAdamto take over. I’m pretty sure he’ll get his way.” She seems certain of the outcome.

“Mommy, can I have ice please?” Lachlan asks.

“Sure,Buddy.” I get up to fill a glass with ice chips and place it exactly at two o’clock in front of his plate.

“Thanks, Mommy.”

“Anytime.” I brush the top of his hair. “Anyone else want anything while I’m up?”

Mona holds her glass out to me. “I’ll have a refill.”

As usual, she doesn’t bother herself with manners; that would be too much to ask. “Sure thing.” I refill her glass and hand it back to her—still no thank you, but that’s not a surprise. Max frowns, but doesn’t say anything; he’s not one for confrontation if he can avoid it—especially not in front of other people. I’m sure if something was really important to him, he’d speak up. He certainly never lets Sarah and I get away with anything like that.

Dad pauses eating. “Yousaid you met your new neighbors. What are they like?”

Hmmm. Maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned anything. “I only met them briefly and I’m not really sure of the situation.” I go on to tell them all about Kenny and how she surprised me in the garden and then proceeded to break my heart by telling me her mom died. Then I tell them that I think she’s living with her uncle, but I’m not sure if there’s anyone else living with the two of them. Austin’s a social boy, so he’s excited at the prospect of making a new friend.

Sarah’s eyes light up. “Oh, what’shelike?” She wriggles her eyebrows up and down. “Will he be good for eye candy?”

“Sarah!” Mom admonishes.

“What? I’monlyasking.” She giggles. Looking at me, she mouths, “Is he hot?”

I press my lips together to prevent my smile and nod slightly, raising one eyebrow. Her eyes widen in response and she gives me a knowing smile, finishing off with what she thinks is a saucy wink. I’m sure when she gets a spare minute, she’ll be over to see if she can spot my new neighbor for herself. Wait until I tell her what he likes to do in the morning!I wonder if that’s a daily occurrence or just a weekend type of thing.

* * *

“What was your favorite thing from the weekend?” I quietly ask my boys as I massage them both with sleepy time magnesium cream, preparing for bedtime.

Austin is quick with his response, “Uncle Max played tag with me and Archie. It was so funny. He kept pretending to fall over.” He giggles as he retells the story.

“Uncle Max is always lots of fun.” I agree. “What about you, Lachlan?”

He looks to the side of my face. “Can you please look at me,Lachlan?”

His eyes move to my face, not quite meeting my eyes, but better than before. “Poppa let me help him sand the railing of the back deck.”

“Yeah? What did you like about sanding the railing?” Austin stops playing with his teddy to listen to Lachlan’s answer.

He shrugs his shoulders. “Idunno.”

I suspect it might be the repetitive nature of the task. He does like to do the same thing over and over. His focus on a task is second to none, especially when it’s something he likes to do.

“Okay, boys. Time to brush your teeth and head to the toilet.”

They do what they need to do, while I spray a few drops of lavender near their bedding. We settle down for a story or two. I make sure to use different voices for the characters, causing the boys to giggle. We talk about what’s happening in the story and how the characters are responding to different situations. I always find talking through these types of social situations with the boys, using characters from the story, helps prepare Lachlan for similar situations in real life. It was a technique one of his therapists recommended and regularly uses in Lachlan’s sessions.

I tuck Austin down for the night with a cuddle and kisses all over his face. “Kiss Teddy too, Mommy.”

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