“Yes, I am,” Sasha declared. “I am a fire-breathing dragon who understands you have no right to remove Noel from Max’s care. Noel is safe with me, and we enjoy each other’s company. I suggest you finish your tea, have a brief visit with Noel. Read him a story before you continue with your day. Noel and I have a routine. Noel likes his schedule, and you’re upsetting him.”
Frank stood. “Sasha speaks sense. It is time for us to leave and let Noel and Sasha resume their activities.”
“This isn’t finished,” Julia said, bounding to her feet with such violence her chair toppled backward and crashed to the floor. “She’s filling his head with rubbish. Telling him she’s a dragon.”
“I’m sure he doesn’t mean a literal dragon, Julia.” Frank sighed and offered Sasha an apologetic smile before facing his wife again. “It was wrong for us to come here and create this scene. I knew it before we left home but let you browbeat me into driving here. Julia, it’s time for us to go. You might disagree with John’s and Hazel’s wishes, but it’s clear to me Noel is in expert hands with Max’s fiancée. Further, he likes Sasha, and you can’t tell me he liked Sheryl. I swear I smelled alcohol on her breath the last time we met her for lunch. Goodbye, Noel.” He winked at his grandson. “You be good for Sasha.”
“Yes, Grandpa,” Noel said.
“Sheryl looked after Noel perfectly,” Julia argued, but she let her husband usher her from the kitchen.
“She lacks manners,”her dragon said with an audible sniff. It was loud enough to draw Noel’s attention. He frowned.
“It’s okay.” Sasha sought to reassure him. “My dragon is grumpy.”
“Max says I get grumpy when I’m tired,” Noel offered.
“I’m not a child,”her dragon snapped.“I don’t require a nap.”
Sasha giggled without volition and hurriedly backpedaled when her dragon huffed. A signal for Sasha to step warily. “Shall we go outside again? You can finish drawing your butterflies. If you draw big ones, we can cut them out and pin them on the wall in your room. How does that sound?”
“I need my crayons,” Noel said, wrinkling his nose.
“A suggestion,” Sasha said. “Draw the outlines and color them when we come inside again. That won’t take you long, but I can show you how to draw flowers or something else in the garden.”
“Yes,” Noel said. “Dragons.”
“I thought we were keeping dragons secret,”her dragon said.
“We are, but these humans assume Noel was telling lies and making up storybook characters. Note I didn’t lie to them. I told them I was a dragon,”Sasha said.
Noel scrambled off his chair, sprinkling crumbs everywhere.
“Next time, we’ll get you a napkin,” Sasha said, staring at the mess. “Never mind. We’ll do our housework when we come inside. You can help me sweep the floor, okay?”
“Boys don’t do sweeping,” Noel said.
“Who said?”
“Grandma.”
“Your grandma is wrong. Everyone should have a turn at sweeping and doing other jobs. It’s how we learn.” Sasha led Noel to the nearest bathroom and washed his face. “I can tell you about my family when we go outside. Would you like to hear?” She plopped a yellow hat on his head.
“Yes,” Noel said, and his eyes sparkled in a way she’d already learned denoted interest.
Outside, Sasha settled Noel with his drawing book and pencils. To start him off, she drew a giant butterfly. “This is how I draw my butterflies,” she said. “If you draw them that big, we can cut them out and make it look as if they’re flying through your room.”
“Yes.” Noel poked his tongue between his lips, his concentration total as he worked on drawing his next butterfly.
While Noel drew, she continued to weed, finding satisfaction in the manual labor. “I have three older brothers,” Sasha said. “Their names are Blaze, Rafael, and Griffith. I am the baby of the family.”
Noel glanced up at that. “You’re not a baby.”
“Parents always think of their youngest child as a baby, or so I’ve discovered,” Sasha said. “My older brothers always tell me what to do, but they are still the best big brothers. Max is an excellent big brother,” she added.
“I love Max.”
Sasha plucked the final weed from the garden on the right of the front door and resettled herself to start on the left. “Max does seem nice.”
