Surprised by his statement, I look at him. “It’s okay. I don’t mind. It’s the least I can do since you’ve taken us in.”
“You cooked, I’ll wash,” he repeats.
Instead of giving in to him, I counter, “How about we do it together? I’ll wash and you dry and put away.”
I don’t wait for him to answer before I’m putting the stopper in the sink and filling it with warm soapy water. As the sink fills, I go to the bar to grab the kids’ plates, and see them both in the living room.
I’m handing Alexander a washed plate when he says quietly, “I train horses.”
Surprised by him answering my earlier question, but not wanting to show it, I only pause for a second before I continue washing a frying pan. I hand it over to him.
“The most I’ve been around horses are the ones they have at fairs.” I laugh lightly. “I used to beg my mom when I was little to get me a pony. We lived in a neighborhood where the houses were practically on top of each other. Definitely not a place to bring a pony.” I push the sponge in a cup and swirl it around. “Will, my husband, grew up on a farm in Nebraska. We always said that one day we would buy a lot of land somewhere. He wanted to get horses and have the kids learn to ride them.”
I stop washing and just stare at the suds rolling off the side of the cup. We had started a savings account specifically for our move one day. As a sheet metal technician who worked on private jets, Will’s income was good. Our savings account was substantial, and we’d only had a few more years to go before we could make our dream come true.
Until….
I push the thought away, not wanting the sadness that came with it. I finish with the cup and hand it over.
“Do you enjoy working with them?” I ask.
“I do. My grandfather raised horses, and I knew from a kid I wanted to work with them.”
“That’s nice,” I remark and pass him a plate. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do until I was in college. It was a toss-up between a guidance counselor or a teacher.”
“What did you choose?”
“Teacher.”
“What made you choose that one?”
I smile. “I like knowing I’ll be part of shaping children’s futures, that I played a big role in who they’ll become.”
He nods and turns quiet. We finish the rest of the dishes in silence, except this time it doesn’t feel awkward. It’s peaceful. After, I wipe down the stove and counters while Alexander feeds an excited Gigi.
I check on the kids. Daniel’s still on the floor with the puppies, he’ll probably be there all day if I let him, and Kelsey’s on the couch. When she spots me, she gets up and walks over, holding the crossword puzzle book. The pages are curled and creased. Even knowing what she’s trying to say, I flip through the pages. They’re all done.
“You finished already?” I ask, and of course get nothing in return. “I’m sorry, Kelsey, we don’t have another one with us. We’ll get one when we make it back to town.” Her frown is barely noticeable. “Come on, let’s go to the living room and see what’s on TV.”
I grab her hand and lead her back to the couch. Alexander walks by and disappears down the hallway. Ten minutes later, he comes back out with a drawing pad and holds it out to Kelsey. “Maybe you could draw something,” he says, sounding unsure.
She just stares at it for a moment, then looks up at him and hesitantly reaches her hand out. I watch the exchange, my heart jumping in my chest at the slight tilt of his lips.
Chapter 6
Alexander
“Where ya going?”
The question comes from behind me. I turn around as I’m zipping up my jacket and face Daniel. He’s holding a black puppy to his chest as he looks up at me.
“Gotta go check on the horses,” I reply.
His eyes get big and his mouth drops open. The surprise doesn’t last long before he’s practically bouncing on his feet. I’ve noticed since they’ve been here that the kid is hyper. The complete opposite of his sister.
“I didn’t know you had horses!” he says excitedly. “I wanna see them! Can I come with you?”
I glance over to the door in the kitchen that leads to a small laundry room where Gwen’s doing her and the kids’ laundry, then look back down at Daniel. With the eager way he’s watching me, there’s no way I can deny this kid, even if I wanted to. And to my surprise, I find that I don’t want to. His exuberant demeanor and honesty is refreshing.