“What?”
“Maybe she just wants you—just as you are.”
“Well, then she’d be wrong, because she could do way better,” I said.
“Don’t be ridiculous. And if it’s the money thing—you know what to do about that. Get your old job back. Buy a house. Open college funds.”
I opened my mouth to respond when the front door burst open.
“Uncle Grady!”
A blur of blond hair and oversized backpack came barreling through the entryway. My nephew Jordan. Six years old and moving like he’d been launched from a cannon.
I caught him as he slammed into me, laughing. “Hey, buddy!”
“You’re here! You’re really here!” He pulled back, grinning up at me with a gap where his front tooth used to be.
“Did you lose another tooth?” I asked.
“Yeah, two weeks ago. Wanna see?” He opened his mouth wide, again showing me the gap.
“Nicely done.”
Luci came in behind him, eight years old and more composed but no less excited. “Hi, Uncle Grady.”
“Hey, Luci.” I opened my arms and she walked into the hug, careful and sweet. “Look how tall you are.”
“I grew two inches since the last time you saw me,” Luci said.
“No way. That’s a lot,” I said.
“Mom says it’s because I love vegetables,” Luci said.
“I don’t,” Jordan said, making a face. “How long are you staying, Uncle Grady?”
“Just tonight, buddy. I have to head back in a couple days.”
His face fell. “But you just got here.”
“I know. But I promise I’ll come back soon.”
“For Christmas?” Luci asked hopefully.
“Definitely for Christmas.”
“Can we show him our stuff now?” Jordan was already pulling me toward the stairs. “I got a whole new dinosaur set I can’t wait to show you. I know the names of every single one.”
“Jordan, breathe,” Mara said, laughing. “Uncle Grady just got here. Let him settle in first.”
“It’s fine,” I said. “I want to see everything.”
Mara gave me a grateful smile. “Okay. But homework first, then you can show Uncle Grady your rooms. Deal?”
“Deal!” they said in unison.
A woman appeared in the doorway—early thirties, calm energy, the kind of presence that said she’d been doing this job for a while. The nanny. I remembered her from last Christmas.
“Hi, Camila,” I said.
