Page 34 of Suddenly Entwined

“Will you watch this with us?”

“Sure,” I say, settling down cross-legged on the floor next to the bed.

“Not there.”

I glance around the room and there’s not a chair I can reposition to where I’ll have a good line of sight of the television. Lou’s little hand pats the comforter beside her.

“Daddy has the comfiest bed. Try it!”

I shake my head. “Oh, that’s okay. The floor is really fine, girls.”

Natalie lifts the covers between her and her sister invitingly. “Get in, it’s starting,” she whispers.

My throat aches, my neck is stiff and sore, and it’s impossible to ignore the fact that I have a cold, too. I don’t know if Lou passed this on to me when she was pressed up against me at her birthday party or if it’s something else entirely, but I’m not going to miss an opportunity to lie down. Pretty sure climbing into your landlord's bed is not professional, but neither was him letting himself into my apartment last night. Or taking mydoor off the hinges. I shrug, reassuring myself that he’s not even home. Everything hurts and those pillows look like clouds. It’s not like it’s nighttime or I’m naked or any of the things that make lying in a bed seem far more intimate than it is.

“Shove over.”

Despite having a good foot of mattress on either side of them, the girls both snuggle right up to me, and I give up on the idea of personal space. So, this is why parents have King-sized beds. I try to fight how comfortable this bed is, but I’m sinking into some type of luxurious pillow top and I can actually smell the light scent of feathers in the pillows and hints of Berg.

Louisa reaches for her cup and fumbles it, spilling half of the lukewarm liquid down the front of me.

“Sorry, Caro!”

“That’s okay, it’s only tea. I don’t think any got on the bed.”

I climb back out, patting myself off with a hand towel I find beneath the bathroom sink, but my shirt is soaked. The tea cooled immediately and my cotton t-shirt is damp and sticky from the honey.

“I’m gonna run downstairs and change–”

“No! Don’t go!” Louisa croaks.

“Oh, Lou. I’ll only be a minute. Right downstairs.”

Her pout turns into a quivering lip and the last thing any of us need is tears.

“Okay.” I hold a hand up. “I’ll stay.”

I peel off my top and leave it in the bathroom sink and approach Berg’s dresser. Deliberately skipping the top drawer,because I figure there’s a high chance of seeing his underwear if I look in that one. Believe me, I’ve already debated at length whether the man wears boxers or briefs and knowing for certain won’t help me one bit in getting those thoughts out of my mind. The second drawer down holds all manner of shirts, and I snag one at random, slipping it over my head before I can overthink it. There’s an unspoken rule that if someone’s sick kids spill things on you that the least they can do is owe you a t-shirt.

I’ve checked everyone’s temperatures so many times they’re rolling their eyes when they hear the thermometer beep. The curtains are drawn and being the filling in a little girl sandwich isn’t half bad, even if they are little germ carriers. Could I do this? Pick kids up from school, check their temperature when they’re under the weather, watch movies, and walk to the park? It beats bartending. Right now I’d be washing dishes and having a man triple my age ask me, ‘what’s a sweet thing like you doin’ in a place like this?’. I know Chris really cares about these little girls, he’s practically an uncle to them. This might be my opportunity to fix my mistakes.

“Hey, Caro?”

I shift my head towards Lou’s voice. “Mmm?” I ask, my eyes feeling droopy.

“Do you know how to make wedding chicken?” Her voice sounds raw and tired.

“Hmm?”

I frown, having no clue what she’s talking about. Her eyes flicker shut before she can repeat her question. Poor thing. Her nose is already pink from all the tissues.

“Lou fell asleep? I don’t take naps anymore,” says Natalie, with an air of big kid superiority.

“Oh, ya? Even when you’re sick?”

She stifles a yawn. “Nope.”

I draw the duvet up to her chin and tuck her in the best I can with one of my arms stuck around Louisa.

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