"Listen to them," I told her. "When they want to yell, let them. Don't try to tell them they're wrong, but try to show them a way to find a solution."
"Gran always said," Cessily broke in, "that we needed to identify the real problem so we could find the solution. It was when I said that everyone hated me and it wasn't fair. She asked me why they hated me and what wasn't fair. Then kept going until I realized that the real problem was how I kept trying to push things in people's faces. I wanted to argue, but I didn't know how to do it without coming across like I was too angry to make sense."
"Is that how you ended up in law?" Ash asked.
Cessily nodded. "She told me that how I said something mattered just as much as what I said. Later, she pointed out that I was good at arguing a point. Bea joked that I would make a great attorney, and it became my dream. I realized that lawyers do all the things from changing what's on the books to making sure that a kid ends up with the right parents. I became obsessed with the power of the law, and here I am now."
"Carrying out my pots and pans," Emily joked.
"I prefer to think of it as upgrading a new friend's life," Cessily said a little too casually.
Emily just chuckled. "Call it what you want. I just honestly appreciate the help. Thank you. All of you."
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Zeke took his duty as the coordinator seriously. We had to put the couches just right so his mom could see out the windows when she was relaxing. He made sure we knew that his room was the little one, because his mom got the master bedroom. As we carried the heavy crap from the bed of the truck into the cottage, the kids were more than happy to point, showing us where things belonged.
No, we didn't really need them to. Yes, we all let them get away with it. Those two honestly thought they were helping, and it seemed none of us wanted to break it to them that we adults really could figure out which space was the living room and which was a bedroom. And when all of that was done, we headed back to the old place and started again.
It took a total of three trips with four vehicles to get everything. We made sure to pause for lunch. The time between loads kept getting a little longer as we grew more and more tired. Then, just as the sun was going down, we headed back to offload the last of it. Once again, we had the full caravan moving. Emily had locked up the old place and was thrilled to be able to turn in her keys on Monday.
But when I pulled into the drive at Southwind, there was a car parked up by the house. Alarm bells started going off in my mind, and then I realized that I'd seen it before. Turning to head down the hill towards the cottage, I had a feeling that Violet and Blaze would deal with it. Instead, her little Audi followed the rest of the train this way.
And a lone man began to walk down the hill from the front porch of the house. From the suit, that had to be Cobalt. The moment I stepped out of the truck, I lifted a hand in greeting.
He waved back. "Moving day, huh?"
"Cobalt!" Faith squealed, running over to meet him halfway with a hug.
The man chuckled as he hugged her back. "Nice to see you too, Lilac."
Everyone paused to say hi to one more of the colors, and then Violet decided to do introductions. "Roberto Caruzo, I'd like to introduce you to Emily and Zeke Harding. He's the state legislator for this area and a member of the Southwind Board of Directors. Emily is our new chaperone."
"Berto," Cobalt said as he offered Emily his hand. The smile on his face looked a little awestruck. Then he turned to Zeke. "Pleasure to meet you both."
"What's a legislator?" Zeke asked.
"You know what a congressman is in Washington, D.C.?" Berto asked. "Same thing, but I work in Austin. State job, not federal."
"So you get elected?"
"I do," Berto agreed. "Twice now, in fact. I'm actually thinking about trying for federal office next time."
Zeke just nodded, and then a little smile took over. "So you lie a lot, huh?"
"I prefer to think of it as selectively answering the questions," Berto said.
"He tells pretty lies," Billy teased, making his way over to give Berto a hard hug. "You're overdressed, but you can still help carry the lady's things."
"Definitely," Berto assured him. "Have to prove that I'm not useless."
And then we all got to work. Cy and Darnell tried to get the heaviest stuff. That was not a competition I wanted to have. Emily's furniture wasn't exactly light! Instead, I worked with Ash, taking our time about it. Billy and Berto made it all move a lot faster than I expected.
But it was hard to miss how Berto went out of his way to talk to Emily. The third time I heard Billy call his name, Violet laughed. I wasn't quite sure why, and then I realized that Berto had lost his suit jacket, rolled up his sleeves, and was double-checking to make sure Emily approved of where he put each and every thing. He was also smiling at her a little too much.
When I headed back out to my truck for another load of stuff, Zeke was there waiting. The boy had his back leaned against the bed and his arms crossed. When he saw me, he jerked his chin like he wanted my attention.
"Problem?" I asked.
