Page 69 of Her Big Bad Wolf
Mentally, I counted the seats in my truck. As long as we didn’t buy much that needed to be in the cab, then we would be fine with all five of us.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. I’d like that. I sort of cleared my weekend just in case you needed help.”
Even if I didn’t, I would have told her I did just to spend some more time with her.”
*****
Our outing Saturday turned out to be fun. The boys each got two new pairs of shoes: work boots and new sneakers for school. None of them could remember ever having brand new shoes and they went on and on about it until Vanessa made them go to bed.
She’d stuck around a bit longer as we sat in the living room and talked until it was almost too late for her to drive home. She looked exhausted, but stubbornly insisted, claiming it would set a bad example for the boys if she stayed.
I whole-heartedly disagreed, but I was learning a thing or two about my mate, and I knew she was every bit as stubborn as me.
But true to her word, she was back bright and early the next morning despite the torrential downpour we were getting.
“But Isaac, it’s raining,” Mason argued.
“Do you not eat because of some rain?”
“What? Of course we eat when it’s raining.”
“So why do you think those animals are any different? Learn the ways of the farm, kid. Doesn’t matter the weather, you still have to tend to the animals.”
They nodded solemnly, put on their new boots, and followed me out in the rain.
Vanessa had wanted to protest. I could see it clearly on her face. I felt like I knew her quite well now after spendingthe whole day with her yesterday. There was still plenty more I wanted to learn about my mate, though.
While we were feeding everyone, Vanessa was in the kitchen preparing to feed all of us.
I certainly wasn’t used to anyone taking care of me like that. It was nice though.
She once again spent the day with us. This time we sat around the living room playing games with the kids. I didn’t exactly have much in the way of games, but I did like to play Solitaire, so I had several packs of cards. Vanessa used those cards to teach us all how to play Poker.
I hadn’t played Poker in ages, but it was a numbers game and I was good with numbers. By the time she was done explaining the rules, I was refreshed and ready to go.
One lesson I learned quickly was that my mate did not like to lose.
*****
Since Vanessa had cooked us both breakfast and lunch, I insisted the boys and I fixed her dinner. They didn’t argue or try to get out of it. In no time at all we whipped up some burgers and fries with fresh baked buns.
There was no arguments or backtalking. When I first found them, they’d been a bit unruly and had smart mouths. Vanessa harped on them about respect and I could already see the difference.
She was great with them and in some ways, it had felt like I was living in some sort of alternate universe this weekend. If I wasn’t careful, I could get used to this, used to them hanging around, too.
We had a peaceful dinner followed by baths. It was becoming a normal routine for all of us. But I knew once the boys went downstairs, Vanessa would leave.
But this time, it was a little different.
She stood in the doorway as I finished up the dishes. I stared at her and she stared back at me. It felt as if she could see right through me. I wasn’t used to feeling vulnerable. It got my hackles up in defense.
But she was there, so close.
I took a step towards her, feeling like a pair of magnets being pulled together. It wasn’t even a conscious movement, but suddenly there she was, standing just inches away.
