While it was definitely more than she was used to dealing with, Veronica was learning to accept that she would be a major fixture in the girls’ lives. She was not having to hard a time keeping up with them, and the more she interacted with them the more she seemed to like them. In general, they were very smart and well-rounded girls.
Veronica caught herself smiling as she thought of the opportunities they would have, and how their father had created them. Having grown up under such rough conditions, it would have been easy for him to go down a horrible road for the rest of his life. Instead, he had made a name for himself and paved the way for an excellent future for his children, as well as providing for the countless members of his staff.
Veronica tried to keep her mind off Frank, but it was hard when she was so clearly surrounded by all that he had made of himself. Even as she took care of his children, she was reminded of him in their smiles and their deep, dark skin. Veronica found herself vaguely wondering what their mother looked like.
The rest of the afternoon was occupied with trying to put together a large puzzle. It was only when a much larger pair of hands joined in that Veronica looked up and saw Frank kneeling down and helping them. Veronica hastily looked back down at the puzzle.
Soon, the whole work was completed, and the girls cheered excitedly for themselves.
“We’ll have to get a frame and hang it up,” Frank said to the girls, and they giggled their approval. Frank glanced over at Veronica and have her a smirk. Veronica offered him an easy smile.
“Why don’t you run downstairs and get a snack,” Frank leaned over and suggested to the girls. “Miss Lawrence will be right down.”
The girls immediately raced down the stairs, and Veronica felt her stomach clench in a way that was becoming all too familiar. Frank looked over at her and seemed to consider her for a moment before he spoke.
“How were they?” he asked her, his voice seeming more tentative than usual.
“They were great,” Veronica answered, trying to keep her voice light.
“Good,” Frank nodded. There was a long silence then
“I’m going to change out of my clothes,” he said softly.
“Right,” Veronica nodded. “I’ll be in the kitchen with the girls.”
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“Of course,” Frank nodded to her. “I’ll be down in a bit.”
Veronica offered him a tight smile and then headed down the staircase to see the girls. She supervised them as they had their snack of a banana and some grapes, and then made sure they cleaned themselves up. About the time they had finished, Frank had made it downstairs.
The girls, of course, immediately rushed to them and Frank chuckled, stroking each of their heads.
“How about a board game?” Frank suggested, and the girls immediately began discussing which one they wanted to play. It seemed to go back and forth between Guess Who and Sorry! Eventually, Guess Who won out.
“Alright then,” Frank said when it was settled. “Miss Lawrence, would you like to play?”
Veronica was a little taken aback. She looked into Frank’s eyes, and she immediately felt the urge to flee.
“Actually,” Veronica countered. “I have been meaning to make a phone call.”
“Oh,” Frank said, seeming a little surprised. “By all means.”
“Maybe I can join in on a later round?” Veronica suggested, mostly speaking to the girls, who encouraged her to do so eagerly.
Veronica looked up at Frank, who gave her a smile and a short shrug. Veronica smiled back, and then turned to head across the kitchen and out onto the pool area. Once outside, she collapsed into a pool chair and ran a hand over her face.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. For a moment, she merely held it in her hand and looked down at it. Finally, she was able to find Calvin’s contact information and hit the call button.
The phone only rang once before he answered.
“Hey!” his voice sounded eager, and Veronica was more than a little surprised by his tone.
“Hey,” she said back, her own voice not quite matching his enthusiasm.
“I didn’t ever hear from you yesterday,” Calvin pointed out. “I figured you were probably just busy taking care of things over there.”
“Yeah it was a pretty wild day,” Veronica said, feeling a cold pang of guilt as she remembered just what had transpired the previous day.