Page 21 of Sew Matcha in Love
CHAPTER 7
Arwyn
Zaki got his hat trick, and Xavier scored as well. The Edge won 5-3, and it was cool to watch the plastic and stuffed birds rain down on the ice. Hockey was definitely more exciting than I anticipated. And whew—the lingo! At times it felt like the announcers were speaking another language. The next time I streamed a game, I’d have to ask Isla and Amelie what all those words meant. We could make a game of it: I could say what I think it meant and they could correct me. Giggles all around. Like, why is it called a hat trick? I smiled, thinking of all the hats that rained down after Zaki’s third goal. I never would have guessed it meant three goals in the same game.
For the first time since Tasha suggested this harebrained idea, I felt like it was going to work. Isla and Amelie loved their rooms, and as Zaki and I stood in the playroom watching them put away their things Tuesday afternoon, the pups looking on from their cozy spot in the recliner, the tension in my shoulders lifted.
“Digging the outfit,” Zaki praised me. “You look very … governess.”
“Daddy, she’s dressed like Young Elsa!” Isla popped her head up from the bin of dolls she was setting on a shelf. “Long bluewool skirt with black ribbon trim. Matching short jacket and a white shirt with a fluffy collar. Black boots. You remember. From the movie?”
“Ah, right. How could I forget?”
I held back the urge to reveal I’d had this outfit for years, wore it often, anddidn’tmake it as an inspirational piece from the movie.
“Do you think they’ll be okay alone up here?” I asked. “I could sleep on the sofa on the nights you’re not here.”
“They’ll be fine, Wynna-bun. And they’ve got Laffy and Vennie to look after them.” The dogs yipped at the mention of their names, and Zaki grinned. “See?” He draped his arm over my shoulders. I shivered in response and looked up at him, surprised by the ease of the gesture.
And the fact that I wasn’t hating it.
“How, um, do they like school so far?” The twins had started kindergarten at Palmer City Academy yesterday.
“They loved it. Thanks for the recommendation. Did you know Trask’s stepdaughter Ryleigh goes there? They saw her getting dropped off and ran up to her. She had them under her wing and introduced to all the fifth graders before I could catch up.”
“That’s wonderful,” I replied. I turned my gaze to the very large hand resting atop my right shoulder.
I’d never seen hands that big. I’d made the mittens for his costume, and they nearly reached my elbow when I tried them on.
Hands were funny things. Useful, yet also designed to comfort others.
Zaki Marsch’s hand on my shoulder was comforting indeed.
“So,” I said, very muchuncomfortablewith the pauses in our conversation. “Your schedule this week. Here tonight,tomorrow, and Friday, game Thursday, con Saturday, flying out Sunday?”
“You forgot skating Sunday,” he teased.
“Right. Okay. Um, I guess I’ll go start dinner, then?”
“I can help.”
I looked at him skeptically. “Your personal chef has already been by to drop off all your prepped meals for the rest of the week. I can handle ziti and meatballs for the girls and I.”
He grinned down at me. “Okay, then. I guess I’ll play moose with the girls.”
“Moose!” Amelie called. “Yay!”
I twisted out from under his arm and backed away as he dropped down to his hands and knees. Amelie set a reindeer headband on his head and climbed onto his back as he made a deep yet squeaky moosey call.
It was the sweetest thing I ever saw in my life. I covered my smile with my hand as Isla found a strip of jingle bells and fastened them around his neck. Zaki looked back at me and winked.
My cheeks flamed for reasons I didn’t want to unpack, and I retreated down the stairs as fast as my much shorter legs could carry me.
Saturday morning came quick.We’d settled into a daily routine, with and without Zaki. He came and went as his schedule allowed.
The girls were surprisingly independent and capable for five and a half years old. They woke up to an alarm and got themselves dressed and ready for school. I helped with theirhair, and they ate the breakfast the chef left for them. I walked them to school, walked home, worked until three o’clock, walked back to the school, walked them home, and played with them for an hour or so before they did their homework or other such activity in the kitchen while I prepared dinner. Then they’d take showers and we’d watch a movie together before bedtime.
Laffy and Vennie were adjusting, too. Well, it was more like I was adjusting to them. Sweet little things. They were quiet but mostly under my feet when I was home alone. If I was reading on the couch, one was on my lap and the other was behind my head. They’d run into the kitchen when their food was automatically dispensed by Zaki’s app. They drank from a water fountain plugged into the wall, which I kept full. I disposed of their puppy pads as needed, laid out fresh ones, and gave them treats.
