“I already told you,” I said, my patience thinning. “She has to get her things ready because we’re traveling tomorrow.”
“But why isshetraveling? She could just stay with us.”
“You’re not staying with me. You’re staying with my mother… your grandmother.”
Aurora, who had been watching my lips intently, flinched at that. She took a quick step back, her eyes wide. Anna signed something to her, and she visibly relaxed.
“What was that about?” I asked, finally closing the door and dropping the bags. “What did you say to her?”
“I said it’sanothergrandmother. Notourgrandmother.”
“Well… she’s your grandmother, too.”
“We don’t want another one.”
“Why not? Grandparents are great.”
“Ours isn’t.”
“Well… you’ll like Grandma Trinity.” I decided to retreat. “I’m taking your suitcase to your room. You can eat whatever you want from these bags and turn on the TV. You… you know how to do that, right?”
“We’re almost six,” Anna said, with all the disdain a five-year-old could muster. “We’re not babies.”
“Right. Of course not.”
They descended on the grocery bags while I hauled the suitcases away. When I returned, they were seated on the rug, mesmerized by a cat documentary, surrounded by a sea of candy wrappers and happily eating chocolate.
“So… do you like the place?” I asked, trying to make conversation.
Anna just shrugged, not looking away from the screen. “It’s too big. Do you have a dog?”
“Why would I have a dog?”
“Mom says we can’t have one because our house is too small. Yours is big.”
“Yeah, well, no dog. My brother has one, though. You’ll meet him. He has a daughter, who’s your cousin… and his wife is pregnant with a boy, so you’ll have another cousin, and…”
I trailed off. They weren’t listening. They were too busy laughing at a cat on TV and stuffing their faces with candy.
I sighed, feeling a profound weariness. This was going to be so much harder than I’d imagined.
The doorbell rang. I answered it to find Michael.
“Glad you’re here. Did you bring Ares?”
“If I broughtwho?”
“Ares. Your German Shepherd.”
“I have a Siberian Husky, and his name is Apollo.”
“Whatever. Why didn’t you bring him?”
“Why would I bring my dog to your house?”
“Anna apparently likes dogs.”
I stepped aside to let him in. He walked in, his eyes immediately going to the girls. Then he looked back at me, his expression pure judgment.
