Page 60 of A Summer Mismatch
They stared at one another for a beat, and she felt the weight of all her secrets closing in on her. She grabbed the back of the chair, and Horace’s suspicion was replaced immediately with concern.
“I’m okay,” she said before he could ask. “I had a small lunch and need to eat something.”
Horace swept the dress from her and ushered her into her seat. “Sit down. I’ll put this away in the closet and get you something to eat.”
“Thank you,” she said, relieved. “Zip it into the gray dress bag, please.”
He came back a moment later and bustled about the kitchen to make her a small snack. Her heart warmed as she watched him cut an apple and scoop some peanut butter on a plate. One of her favorite snacks. He placed it in front of her. “Eat this, first. Then do you feel up for the dining hall tonight, or should I pull something together here?”
“Something simple here sounds nice. I think I’ll go to bed early.” All this sewing and stress was making her feel ill. She needed a break from it, for just one night.
Another text came through on her phone and she turned it face down on the table to try to ease the tenseness in her shoulder that told her they were celebrating too soon.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Logan
AmeliaandLeoracedstraight into their house and into Willow’s waiting arms.
“Oh, I’ve missed you!” she said, holding both of her kids close and kissing their heads. Logan hauled the kids’ suitcases into the house, Gatsby jumping high in the air at being home.
Willow’s normally curled hair was pulled back into a bun, she had on baggy leggings, and her collarbone jutted out from the neck of an old, stretched out painting T-shirt. How much weight had she lost?
Gatsby followed on the heels of the kids, barking for joy, his tail wagging wildly. He’d been a little better behaved this round… he’d only peed on the floor a couple of times. And after Logan bought child-proof door handles, Gatsby couldn’t sneak into his bedroom once they’d left.
Logan hugged his sister next, rocking her back and forth. “Hey. Any word?”
“A letter from his lawyer,” she said with grimace.
“I’m sorry. Do you need to get a lawyer?”
“Nonna took care of finding one for me. And cleaning my house. And making my dinners. And making sure I didn’t descend into a pit of my own filth.”
Gratitude swelled through Logan at the thought of Nonna taking care of Willow all week. “Is this too soon to bring the kids back?”
“No. I want to get back into our regular routine as soon as possible. Nonna helped me find someone to babysit while I’m at class and clinicals.”
“Does Jordan want to see them at all?”
She shrugged. “He hasn’t contacted me, and his lawyer didn’t mention it.” Her eyes started to well with tears, and he wished he hadn’t brought it up. They had plenty of time to talk through all the logistics of her divorce; they didn’t need to start the moment he walked in the door.
Nonna pulled into the driveway in Willow’s car, and walked up the steps, a carry-out bag in each hand. Logan rushed forward to get them from her and bring them into the house. Italian. A favorite for all of them.
Nonna refused the chain restaurants, and somehow managed to find the very best mom-and-pop Italian restaurant in any city they were in. Nonna critiqued the food, as usual—nothing measuring up to her own Nonna’s cooking—and Willow and Logan shared a secret, amused smile. His heart warmed that she could smile at all, even if it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
After dinner, Logan helped get the kids ready for bed while Willow took a phone call. Logan read one of Julia’s books to them, making exaggerated voices for each of the characters, until he had the kids giggling uncontrollably. He started to tickle them, and when he looked up, Willow was standing in the doorway of their bedroom with a smile.
“Are you waiting for your turn with the tickle monster?” Logan said in a low voice and held out his hand like a claw.
The kids shrieked with delight.
“Logan,” Willow said warningly as he came toward her, but her eyes were alight with suppressed amusement. He swooped low and hauled her over his shoulder, to her squealing laughter. He gently dropped her on one of the beds, where the kids descended on her, tickling her until she turned on them and tickled them back. They all laughed so hard, even Nonna ascended the stairs to “see what all this ruckus was about.”
By then, Willow and the kids were laying side-by-side on the bed, out of breath from laughing and tickling.
Willow turned her head toward Logan. “I haven’t seen this playful side of you in a while.”
”Is it too soon?” he asked. Perhaps he shouldn’t be silly in a house where some serious grieving was going on.
