Page 52 of The Santa Swap

Sylvie sounded out of breath when she answered the phone, and Olivia was pretty sure she knew the reason. “Are the boys causing trouble again?” Olivia asked.

“You have no idea. There was a party today at school to celebrate a reading record, and the teacher thought it would be a good idea to send the boys home hopped up on sugar. They have been running in circles around my kitchen for the past half hour.”

In the background, Olivia could hear the thundering of small feet. “I guess maybe they’ll be worn out by bedtime.”

Sylvie laughed. “One can hope.” There was a muffled sound and then Sylvie was back on the line. “Sorry. I dropped the phone. What’s going on with you?”

Olivia’s throat clenched. Where would she even begin? “I was just missing my favorite sister-in-law. Is now a good time to catch up?”

The thud of feet raced past again, and then they faded. “I can always make time for you. I give us about three minutes before the boys find me though.”

“Where did you go?”

“The laundry room.”

Olivia could picture Sylvie sitting on the washing machine, kicking her heels back and forth. If her time was limited, she’d better get to the point.

“Okay. I may have called for advice.”

“I figured as much. Are you doing okay?”

That was the million-dollar question. “Yes and no. Not surprisingly, there’s a guy involved.”

Sylvie let out a quiet cheer. “Yay! Did the dating app finally pair you with a decent guy?”

“I wish. I did not know how many creepy guys were out there until I started using that app.”

“So where did you meet this guy then?”

Olivia’s cheeks were burning. Thankfully, Sylvie couldn’t see them through the phone. “I told you about Luke before, right?”

“Your gorgeous boss that you drool over every time you see him?”

“Hey. He doesn’t make me drool!”

“Fine. Your gorgeous boss that you want to wrap your arms around and plant a big kiss on? That boss?”

If Olivia’s cheeks burned any hotter, she was going to have to get the fire extinguisher. Sylvie was exaggerating, but not by much. “That’s the one.”

“So, what’s the problem?”

Olivia told Sylvie about her conversation with Luke. Then she waited for the wisdom her sister-in-law would give. Sylvie was so quiet, Olivia wondered if the boys had found her. Finally, she spoke.

“I can totally see where you are coming from. I know you have trust issues from your past, and a guy that lies puts up all sorts of red flags. I also wonder if you are being too hard on the guy.”

“What is that supposed to mean? It’s not like there is an acceptable amount of dishonesty a person should expect from a relationship.” Olivia flopped on her bed. Talking to Sylvie was supposed to cheer her up. Not make the day worse.

“I’m saying that you guys aren't exactly dealing with a normal situation here. I mean, how many guys do you know who are stalked by the paparazzi?”

“Luke’s the only one.”

“Right.” There was a loud thud and a shriek, followed by happy yells. Sylvie had been found. “Hold on a moment.”

Olivia listened as Sylvie distracted her boys with a project. She hoped that when it was her time to have kids, she’d be able to be at least half as good a mom as Sylvie was. Most people struggled to raise their own kids, but Sylvie had added two extra boys to her plate without complaining. She was admirable to watch, which is why Olivia wanted her advice.

After a few more scuffles, Sylvie was back. “Sorry about that. I’ve got the boys racing to build the tallest tower they can make out of blocks. That should keep them entertained for at least a few minutes.”

“I don’t know how you do it,” Olivia said. “I thought helping Paul with the twins was difficult. You are amazing.”

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