ere swirling around my head. I dropped my briefcase at my feet and hung my coat on the rack, then loosened up my tie as I walked through the house.
“Kids? You home?” I asked.
“Doing homework, dad. Sheesh,” Nathaniel said.
I walked around with a furrowed brow and found my kids sitting on the couch. They had their books in their laps with the television going silently in the background. Nathaniel was working on his times tables and Joshua was getting in his required daily reading. Carla was sitting at the coffee table tracing the letters of her name, and all of them were immersed in their activities.
Homework was a nightmare with them.
And yet, there they were. Doing it without a fight.
“How was work?”
I whipped around at the sound of Natasha’s voice. She was in the kitchen wearing an apron as she pulled something out of the oven. The smell was heavenly and I closed my eyes to take it all in. There were warm buns on the table and place settings for all of us. There were glasses full of ice and the blinds were rolled up so we could see out into the backyard.
“I helped with table, Daddy.”
I looked down at Clara and gathered her in my arms. I threw her up in the air and she started giggling. She kissed my cheek and I held her close, burying my face into the crook of her neck.
“Did you have a good day at school?” I asked.
“Yeah. But only half.”
“You only had a half day today?” I asked.
“Uh huh. I nap, and had snack, and Nattie read to me,” she said.
“What did you guys read?”
“The Tree.”
“The Giving Tree,” Natasha said. “But we’re working on her ‘g’’s.”
I looked over at her as she held a pan in her hands. There was a duck in the pan, slathered in a honey lemon and basil sauce. She walked it over to the table and set it down, then plucked the green beans from off the kitchen counter. My mouth was watering as I took in the smells, but I couldn't take my eyes off her.
This woman who had somehow come into my house and flipped it on it’s head within a day.
“How’s the homework coming, boys?”
“Just got done,” Nathaniel said.
“I still have to read five pages,” Joshua said.
“Well, how about this? If you come and eat some green beans along with your sweet rolls, I’ll read the last five pages to you,” Natasha said.
“Really?” Joshua asked.
“But you have to eat your green beans. No green beans, you read it yourself.”
“Yeah!”
The boys rushed to the table before she plucked Clara from my arms. How the hell had I lucked up with this woman? I needed to give Logan a raise. Or send him a gift basket. Or get him an all-expenses paid vacation to The Maldives in some private hut somewhere. My family wasn’t recognizable. My children were well-behaved. They were listening. They were doing their homework. Joshua was already picking at the green beans and Clara was actually wanting to try the duck.
How the hell had she done all of this?
“Ready to eat?” she asked.
“It smells wonderful,” I said.