Page 39 of The Widower's Nanny

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you. Frogs are…you know they jump and stuff.”

She laughs. “I’ve got this.” She goes to Lilly and kneels next to her. “So, where is this frog?”

Lilly points under a bush. “In there.”

Rachel moves the lower branches aside then cups her hand on the ground. “Got him.” She picks up the frog and shows it to Lilly.

Lilly laughs and looks at me. “She got it.”

“I see that.”

Rachel stands and brings the frog to me. “Do you want to petthe little guy?”

I take a step back. “No. Not really.”

She laughs then lets Lilly hold it for a minute before they let it go. It jumps off and disappears under another bush.

Rachel looks at me. “Frogs? Really?”

“They’re just kind of creepy.”

“Okay.”

I glance at Lilly, who is busy by the water, then take Rachel’s hand. “So, I’m a little out of practice with all of this stuff.”

“That’s okay. We’ll figure it out together.”

I glance at Lilly again to make sure she is busy then lean toward Rachel.

“Mr. Michaelson?” A voice calls from behind us.

Once more, I step back. “Seriously?”

Rachel laughs and pats my chest. “It’s okay.”

“Is it really?”

Benjy comes down the path and walks over to us. “I was worried when you didn’t come home. Thought I’d hike out here and make sure you were okay.”

“Thank you, Benjy. We got caught in the rain.”

“Yeah, that was a doozy. Lightning, thunder. I see the pond’s high.”

I nod. “Yeah. It rained all night.”

“Were you comfortable in the cabin?”

“It was great. Warm and dry. We dug into your food supply a bit, though.”

“No worries. That’s why it’s there.”

Lilly runs over to him. “Benjy, did you come to join us on our adventure?”

“I just came to make sure you were okay, little miss.”

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