Page 32 of Numbers Boy
“Sounds great.” And with another kiss to my cheek, Noah leads us that way. As soon as the girls see the trays, they help grab the drinks and set them on the coffee table, and we all find a spot on the floor around it. We dig into our snacks, and Lilly asks if we can do the puzzle. I send a quick mental thanks to Greg for the activity suggestion. Conversation flows rapidly as we look for edge pieces, Noah helping keep up a steady stream of things thegirls have going on in their lives. After they do school updates though, he sets his sights on me.
“Hey, I heard Stu call you Stevie the other day, and it got me thinking. Are you actually a Steven?”
My crinkled nose must be answer enough, the girls and Noah laughing at my reaction.
“Absolutely not, and thank goodness for that,” I say. “Steve is stuffy enough – can you imagine if I was a Steven?” I try to soften my dislike by sending a wink to the girls, making Lilly giggle. “Stu and my dad have called me Stevie for as long as I can remember.”
I also answer to beautiful and, more recently, Princess, I add in my head but keep those thoughts to myself in front of the kids.
A familiar chime comes from across the table, and Noah takes out his phone to check whatever notification just came through the UnLeash Your Dreams app. I try not to be nosy, but I can’t help sneaking a glance when I hear him mutter “shoot” under his breath.
“Everything okay?” I ask, pretending to keep searching for where this piece goes.
“Not really,” he replies, looking at the girls and then back at his phone. “One of my clients needs an emergency walk and dinner time because her car broke down, so she can’t get back home tonight like she planned. Normally, I would take the girls with, but…”
He trails off as we both look out the window at the steadily pouring rain. I bite my lip as a crazy idea starts to form in my head. When I look at the girls, Lilly is happily working away at the puzzle, but Isabella has gotten tense, like she’s waiting to see what fate has in store for her tonight. Stacy perks her head up from where it was resting on the older girl’s leg, clearly sensing her distress as well. I can’t ask her to go get drenched.
“This is just a suggestion, but the girls could stay here while you go.” As soon as I say the word “stay,” Isabella’s shoulders relax, so I must be on the right track.
“Really?” she asks, not meeting my eye and fidgeting with the puzzle piece in her hand. “You would let us do that?”
“Of course,” I hurry to reassure her. “I would love to keep hanging out with you. Besides, Stacy looks really comfy where she is. But only if all three of you and your mom are comfortable with it. I know you haven’t known me for very long, so I would totally understand if this isn’t the best solution.”
Noah beams at me, a wave of relief and appreciation flooding his face. “I’ll text Amy to check and also send you her number in case you need to get in touch for some reason. You girls both okay with this plan?”
The girls nod, and Isabella finally looks up to give me a small smile, making me feel like I just won a prize. Maybe I’m making some progress with her after all.
“Amy said it’s fine,” Noah says, pulling my attention back to him. He types another message, and a second later, I feel my phone buzz in my pocket. “I sent you her number, Stevie. You’re all sure you’re okay with this?”
All three of us nod, and Noah stands, but not before pressing a kiss to my cheek. I bite my bottom lip to stop the smile from taking over my face. My heart flips in my chest at just how easy the casual, open affection comes from him.
“We’ll be fine,” I promise him. “Now, go save the day. Try not to get too wet.”
“I’ll do my best to run between the raindrops,” he teases, causing Lilly to giggle again. Then he’s out the door, leaving me with his nieces. Fortunately, they both seem content to keep puzzling. I want to find a way to start up a conversation, but I also don’t want to push if they’re okay like this. We’ve gotthe entire outline and a good chunk of the next few layers put together before anyone says anything.
“Can I ask you a question?” Isabella asks softly, not quite meeting my eye again.
“Always,” I reply. “What’s up?”
She exchanges a look with her sister, and all of a sudden, I’m wondering if I should’ve been more cautious in my agreement.
“What are the dresses in your spare bedroom closet?”
Oh.
If you had asked me to come up with fifty things I thought she might say, I doubt that would have made the list.
“Uh, those are my drag outfits. I wear them when I perform,” I say, deciding there’s no reason not to be truthful about it. But I am curious. “When did you see those?”
“When we had to come here because Mom had a work emergency when you were gone for the weekend. Stacy ran in there because the door was cracked open, so Lil and I went in after her. Sorry if we weren’t supposed to.” Isabella’s voice starts strong, but by the end, she’s speaking in a rush.
I try to decide how I feel about this. If the girls saw them, chances are Noah did, too. Surprisingly, I’m not worried about it like I thought I would be. Besides, I never said that room was off-limits, to either Stacy or anyone else. But no matter how I feel about Noah knowing, I don’t want Isabella to think I’m mad at her.
“That’s okay, honey. It’s just a few dresses.”
“They’re really pretty,” Lilly says, her face split in a grin. “Just like you.”
My cheeks heat from the compliment, and I playfully nudge her with my shoulder. “Thanks, baby girl. I think you’re really pretty, too.” I look over at Isabella and smile softly. “Isabella, too.”
