Page 83 of All That She Needs

Would he still see me the same way he did before? Twelve weeks was a long time—long enough for feelings to change, or even fade.

But I missed him. So much so that lately, I would sleep early, hoping tomorrow would come quickly so we could be back home, and I could go to work and see him again.

Kayden was the first to pop into the kitchen, and he immediately sat at the long dining table, looking expectantly at Sandy. She planted her hands on her hips and gave him a pointed look—a silent reminder of her rule that the kids had to help out in some way. Whether it was cooking, setting the table, or rinsing dishes, everyone had to pitch in. The boy begrudgingly got up, grabbed the big platter of quesadillas in one hand and the plate of pancakes in the other from the counter, and brought them to the table before finally settling down to eat. I took a seat across from him, and Sandy sat beside me, and we all began our breakfast together.

When he almost finished eating his breakfast, Kayden asked me the most surprising question. "Mom, did Dad call you these past few days?"

I looked at him and shook my head. "No. But he called you or Chloe every morning, right?" As far as I knew, Aiden never missed calling the kids. But Kayden had once said his dad didn't look too well when they last had the video call. He probably missed his kids. I wondered how he felt that he was all alone now.

"No," Kayden replied, and my heart broke at the disappointment on his face. "He hasn't called yesterday and the day before."

"Why don't you call him instead?" I suggested.

"Chloe already tried," Kayden said. "But his phone was off."

His worried expression made me ask, "What is it, Kay? What are you thinking?"

Kayden seemed to weigh his words carefully before speaking. "I kept thinking that something happened to him, Mom. Because every time we had our video calls, I could see that he was really happy, like this was what he looked forward to everyday. And now he missed calling us and didn't give us notice."

"I'm sure it's nothing, Kay." I said gently, hoping to reassure him. "He's probably busy at work."

He didn't seem convinced, but he nodded anyway.

Not long after, Max appeared, followed by Chloe, and as usual, Mason came last. The kitchen quickly filled with the sounds of their chatter and laughter, momentarily distracting Kayden from his worries, but he still couldn't shake the concern lingering in his eyes.

A few hours later, the kids and my brothers set off for their activities. Before they left, Chloe issued one last warning to her uncles with a hard glare that she knew how to ski now and that they shouldn't try to stop her again like the last time they were here when we first arrived. Max and Mason didn't look too pleased about it. If it were up to them, they would be carrying Chloe on their backs to ski down the slope, convinced it was the only way to keep her safe.

Sandy and I set off for our trip too. The sun was shining brightly today, and it wasn't cold, so I wore a white long dress and a light blue cardigan, paired with a pair of white sneakers.

As we strolled through the charming village, the streets buzzed with life. Tourists mingled with locals, and the aroma offresh pastries wafted from nearby cafes. We admired the inviting window displays showcasing handmade crafts and souvenirs that we intended to check out later, but then Sandy caught sight of a shop that made her gasp loudly.

"Let's check out that chocolate shop first," Sandy suggested, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She was practically sprinting towards the shop, and I chuckled, looking at her so energized. As I followed her, I heard someone calling my name, and I turned around, finding a familiar face.

"David," I smiled at the man walking over to me.

I ran into David Sandberg by chance during my third week here. He had been a client of my company a few years back, before he sold his business for a gargantuan sum—enough that he could retire comfortably and live wherever he wanted. An avid skier, he decided to split his time between here and back home. David was about Aiden's age—three years older than me—and had married and divorced when he was younger. No kids.

Sandy was all too eager to play matchmaker between us.

Hearing me call David's name, Sandy practically screeched to a halt mid-run to the shop and turned around with a grin. I frowned at her. She wiggled her eyebrows in response. David was an attractive man—not particularly tall, just a bit taller than me—but lean and athletic, with a face that could, without a doubt, charm his way into many women's panties.

At Sandy's insistence, I had dinner with him once. I managed to get through about an hour of it. It wasn't that he wasn't a nice guy—he was actually quite charming. But there was a nagging feeling in me that something about this was wrong, and every time I looked at him, a dimpled smile from someone else kept lingering in my mind.

"Morning," I replied, and then I paused, suddenly at a loss. I honestly didn't know how to start a conversation with him.

David didn't seem to notice my hesitation. "This is your last week, isn't it? How do you feel? Zermatt has its way of growing on you, doesn't it?"

I nodded, glancing around as if the scenery might offer something else to talk about. "It's beautiful here. I can see why you'd want to spend half the year."

He chuckled. "Yeah, like I said to you before, I got hooked on the views, and the skiing... honestly, it's hard to leave once you get used to it."

I gave him another nod.

Oh, dear. This conversation felt awkward.

There was a brief silence before he spoke again, his tone a bit lighter. "Are you planning to have lunch in the village?"

Oh, no. I hoped this wasn't going in the direction I thought. "I actually promised Sandy we'd go shopping and have lunch today. Just the two of us." I tried to make it clear.

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