Page 29 of Under One Roof

Grace shrugs. “I didn’t blowherup. I blew up her drink in her face. Like a volcano.”

Gobsmacked, I wait for her to continue. All she does is wave me off like her dad.

“I’m good at science. I like blowing stuff up.”

I shake my head at them. “Truly, you are on a whole other level.”

Logan’s proud, and he nods. “Right?”

“But why?” I pick up their backpacks from the ground. Neither of the twins says anything when I hand them brooms and wet wipes. They know we need to clean this mess up.

After a few seconds of sweeping, Grace confesses, “We hate having nannies.”

“Obviously.” I grab a roll of paper towels and start wiping down the wall where most of the powder ended up. “But making my life miserable isn’t going to change that. Your dad still has to go to work.”

Logan pauses in sweeping. “Yeah, but whenever we run off a nanny, he has to take time off to interview new ones. So we get him home—for a little while, at least.”

I toss the soiled towel in the garbage and tear off a clean one. “You’re really doing all this for his attention?”

They nod, not meeting my eyes.

“Have you tried telling him that?”

Grace scoffs. “He’s too busy. He’s always at work or doing stuff around the house. He doesn’t have time to play with us.”

“We’re not little kids, you know,” Logan says defensively. “We just want to hang out with him sometimes. But he’s so…”

“Captain Stone,” I fill in, and they both nod again.

Griffin runs his house like I assume he commands his fire squad or how the military worked. It makes sense that the kids would act out for attention and connection.

“I get that,” I say gently. “But maybe there’s a better way than tormenting me. I’m sure your dad would make time if he knew how you felt.”

The twins exchange a skeptical look.

“It’s worth a try, right?” When they frown at me, unconvinced, I continue, “Besides, I’m not going anywhere. So you might as well figure out a different way to get your dad’s attention.”

At this, Logan smiles. “I kinda like you, Miss Andrea.”

“Andi,” I say, holding up my hand for a high five. “Call me Andi.”

He hits my palm, and then I offer the same to Grace.

“I’m on your side with all of this, all right?” I tell them, and they both seem pleased with this new truce.

We finish cleaning the garage in thoughtful silence. I can tell the twins are processing, realizing their tricks have been misguided. I feel for them. Griffin, too. He’s a good dad, just busy and overwhelmed at times. He’s parenting the best way he knows how, and no one can blame him for that.

Later, when I call the kids for dinner, the energy in the house feels different. Calm and happy. I trust that I won’t wake up to any more glitter, and I hope they know they can rely on me. I’m here to help.

I set down their plates of spaghetti, along with the small salad I made, and both of them dig through the noodles as if searching for something. I laugh. “I wouldn’t be cruel enough to put something in your food. I’m not like you.”

“Sorry about that,” Logan says.

“Me too,” Grace adds.

I accept their apologies. “It’s okay. I mean, it’s not okay, but I understand now what you were trying to do and why. Although, I think we can move on and get to know each other. What do you think?”

They agree, and they actually answer my questions about what they enjoy. Grace loves school and wants to be a scientist like someone named Emily, who makes YouTube videos, and I mentally file that away so I can find out more about this person. Logan tells me he loves playing sports, and his favorite is basketball. I inform him that I used to play, up until high school.

---