He nodded enthusiastically. “I want Livie to stay with us.”
“I do too, Bubs. We’re going to work really hard to make that happen. Now, go change. Maw Maw will be here soon.”
He skipped out of the kitchen.
Abby sighed and stood. Her cell phone pinged. She glanced at the screen and smiled when she saw Tinker’s name.
Morning beautiful. How’s your day going so far?
Should she be honest or gloss over Olivia’s mini meltdown? What the hell? He already knew how crazy her life was, and it wasn’t like any of it had run him off yet. Plus, he might have some advice.
Great. Until it wasn’t.
Her phone rang almost immediately. She clicked the green dot.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey. What’s going on?”
She laid out the events of the short morning. “She just needs time.”
“And therapy. Have you been able to get her an appointment? We have a psychologist we use frequently. She may be able to help until you can get her in somewhere.”
“We have an appointment on Thursday. I hope we’ll be okay until then.”
“You’ve got this.”
She appreciated the vote of confidence. “Thanks for calling.”
“You’re welcome.” His deep voice rumbled through her head, soothing the rough edges of the morning. “Let me know if you need anything today.”
“I will,” she said. Olivia appeared in the kitchen and hovered as if afraid to come closer. “I need to go.”
“Later,” he said.
“Bye.” She ended the call and lowered the phone. “You okay?”
“I’m sorry,” Olivia said. “For how I reacted and for letting Will eat in the living room. I should have known better.”
Abby set her phone on the counter. “Olivia, I’m not angry—not even at Will. I’m annoyed because he took advantage of you, but I’m not angry. You’ve only been here a few days, and I don’t expect you to know all the rules. We’ll sit down tonight and have a family meeting. We can go over my expectations, your expectations, and the schedule for next week when school starts back and I’m at work. Okay?”
Olivia nodded. “Okay.”
“Okay. My mom should be here in a little bit. Do you have any questions before she gets here?”
“What should I call her?”
“Will calls her Maw Maw, but let’s start with Ms. Sue for now. That’s what all her kids called her.”
“Her kids?” Olivia asked.
“She was an elementary teacher. First through third.”
“Is that why you became a teacher?”
“Partly. Mostly it was because no one was paying for private art lessons or hiring docents. As an art teacher, I still get to create things, but I also get kids excited about art and help them realize it’s more than just portraits of fruit bowls.”
Olivia smiled. “Will I go to the school where you teach?”
