I fought the urge to roll my eyes.“If we must.”
Keely waved at the girls, then gave me a disapproving look.“Oh, we definitely must.”
Linny smiled at everyone and blew kisses at us before they left again.
I think that was the first time I was worried about going to work.
Chapter twenty-three
Turnedout,workwasn’twhat I should have been anxious about but rather what it would mean to bring Addy and Elana to Vance’s house.
Work had been as expected, but after a tense conversation with Keely and Malena, I felt much better.Malena reached out to Addy’s birth mom, and we were meeting her the next day at a diner off the interstate.I didn’t have time to get nervous, because the real problems started when we loaded the girls into Vance’s car and they got their first look at the house as we drove up the long driveway.
Elana had her face pressed so tightly to the window her nose was squished.“Is that a castle?”
Addy took it all in with big eyes.“You have a pool?”
The awe in her voice was hard to miss.She loved swimming.Something else she hadn’t been able to do since we’d moved.Because neither did we have access to a pool nor could I afford swimming lessons.I’d taken them to the public pool twice in the time we’d lived at the apartment, but it wasn’t enough.
The pool was a little off to the left behind the house, the edge visible from the driveway.It had a slide, and it was not only heated, but also long enough to swim laps.
Vance chuckled.“You can use it any time.”
Addy looked dejected and glanced at her bag.“I forgot my swimsuit.”
Elana peeled her face from the window.“I have mine.”
I turned in my seat.“You brought your swimsuit?”
“Of course.”
Taking off my seat belt, I turned to face Addy.“I can go back and get it so you can both jump in today.”The weather had been holding up, and since the water was warm anyway, I didn’t mind them going for a swim.“But how about we have a look at your rooms first?”
Vance turned the car off.“There are swimsuits in your rooms.”
Addy cheered, and the girls rushed to get out of the car.I followed, watching them race up to the front door.I helped Orange out of the back, and Vance took Winston’s cat carrier.My little demon hissed at him and tried to take a bite out of his hand but thankfully couldn’t reach.
Once we’d made it to the front door, Vance typed in a code to open it.
He put Winston down on the kitchen counter, and Orange walked off to explore.I knew he wouldn’t chew anything or pee anywhere.That required too much effort.Instead, he’d find the softest surface and go to sleep.
Vance called out to the girls as they were racing inside.“Addy, your room is the one with the panda on the door.Elana, yours is the one with the cat.Both are on the second floor.”
That hadn’t been on the doors when I was here last.I whipped my head around, almost giving me whiplash.“You know their favorite animals?”
It wasn’t easy to do since they changed weekly.But he’d picked this week’s favorites.
“I do.”He tugged me along with him, and we followed the girls upstairs at a more sedate pace.
“Is that a princess bed?”Elana screeched, then raced out of the room, nearly taking us out.
Addy came out of her doorway, holding three stuffies in her arms.“Are these for me?”
Vance brushed his hand over her head.“They sure are.Everything that’s in the room is yours.If you don’t want anything, let me know and we’ll change it.”
She raced back to her room.“I love it all.”Her voice had a slightly manic quality to it.
Knocking on the door, I peeked inside Addy’s room.“You good, ladybug?”
