Julia groaned. “At this point, I need to take everything one hour at a time. I can’t believe Hazel has to deal with that already—how is she doing? Do you remember when Samantha was hoping to take a boy to the school dance? Hazel was freaking out. Samantha’s a little older now, but she’s still barely a teenager. I can’t believe she has a boyfriend!”
“I don’t know how Hazel is doing, but I’m sure it helps that she’s got Jacob by her side now. Samantha has two people to guide her and watch over her.”
“Very true. I feel so grateful to have Cooper helping with everything, especially because he’s such a good dad. Single parents must be truly superhuman.”
Alexis nodded. “Seriously.” She swirled another cracker through the cheese spread. “And I’m also so grateful for our family. Life is too hard to have to do it all by yourself. It’s so good to have people who can help with all the little things.”
Julia smiled, agreeing wholeheartedly. As they continued to sip their tea and munch on their crackers, Julia thought to herself how grateful she was that she had her sister to look up to.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Vivian pulled the lid off the pot that was simmering on the stove and took a long sniff of the clam chowder that was bubbling deliciously just under her nose.
Oh, that’s going to be delicious,she thought.I haven’t made this recipe in too long.
She returned the lid to the pot and turned off the burner. She glanced at the clock, noting that the soup should have the perfect amount of time to cool down a little before her children arrived for dinner.
She went over to the oven and tugged it open, observing that the loaves of focaccia and the cheesy garlic bread that she’d made all seemed to be perfectly done. She donned her favorite oven mitts, which had sunflowers printed on them, and pulled the loaves of bread from the oven.
There was a soft knock on the back door. “Come in!” Vivian called, wondering who it was who had arrived first for family dinner night. Her face brightened into a look of joy a moment later when she saw Terrence walk in.
“Hey, sweetheart,” she said, hurrying over to hug him. “Thank you so much for being here.”
“Of course.” He kissed the top of her head. “I promised you I would be. Besides –” He sniffed the air eagerly. “I’d never pass up the opportunity to be fed by you even if you didn’t care at all about me being here. That smells incredible. What is it? Clam chowder?”
“You guessed it. Clam chowder, cheesy garlic bread, and garlic and tomato focaccia.”
“Mm. Incredible.” Terrence shared a warm smile with her and then went to the cupboard where the bowls were stored. “Shall I go ahead and start setting the table?”
“Yes, please. I’ll help you.”
They worked together in sync, both sensing each other’s needs and intentions so smoothly it felt as though they were reading each other’s minds. Soon the table was all set with bowls and plates and glasses for sparkling water and cider. Vivian had already placed a bouquet of fresh flowers in the center of the table, and when they were finished, the effect was very charming.
The doorbell rang, and Vivian hurried to answer it. It was Cooper and Julia, with Quinn and Macey in their arms. Vivian ushered them into the house eagerly, and she and Julia caught up while she held Quinn.
“Everything’s been going fine?” Vivian asked, checking Julia’s face for signs of fatigue. There were circles under her eyes, that was without question, but her cheeks were rosy and she looked generally healthy and alert.
“It has, it’s been tough—but we’re figuring everything out.” Julia glanced at her husband with a grateful smile, watching as he spun a gleefully giggling Macey around the room. “I think Quinn’s settling down a little too—she’s not as fitful as she was when we first brought her home.”
“It will all get easier over time.” Vivian nodded. “Even if more problems arise, after a while you feel better equipped to handleeverything, and that makes it all easier. Right now, you feel like you don’t know what you’re doing—once you feel more like you do, even the hiccups you’re bound to face won’t rattle you as much.”
“Are you talking about literal hiccups?” Julia teased.
“Unfortunately, no.” Vivian chuckled. “But remember that whatever happens, we’re all here for you, okay? You call me whenever you need me. Even if you just want to take a nap.”
Julia groaned. “Oh, I might take you up on that.”
Vivian chuckled and kissed Julia’s cheek. The doorbell rang again, and Terrence opened the door. This time it was Hazel, Jacob, and Samantha, followed closely by Dean and Noelle. After them, Alexis, Grayson, and Cash arrived, all looking cheerful and energetic and bearing an Oreo pie for dessert. Once Faith and Ryan arrived a few moments later, their gathering was complete.
“Come and sit down everyone,” Vivian said, beginning to usher them toward the dining room table. Now that everyone had arrived, she felt a slight knot in her stomach. She’d been able to push aside her nervousness about telling her children about Frank’s hidden money, but now that they were there, it was getting difficult to not think about what she had to do.
Grayson and Dean brought in the dish of clam chowder and the platter of bread, and they all passed bowls and plates around the table until everyone had been served. The meal was delicious, and even Vivian was distracted by the splendid taste as she listened to the cheerful conversations that were happening around the table. Noelle and Dean’s florist had surprised them with a special new design for their flowers which they both liked much better than their original choice. Samantha was eager to tell about how she and her new boyfriend had gone on a trip to a nearby museum with his parents. Hazel announced that she’d created a recipe for a mint chocolate pie and she was going tobring one to the next dinner night, and Julia was full of stories about all of the cute things that Quinn kept doing.
By the time the meal was nearly done, however, Vivian knew that she needed to broach the subject that she’d gathered them all there to share. She glanced at Terrence and saw that he was giving her a reassuring look, which she appreciated.
She cleared her throat, watching as the heads around the table turned in her direction expectantly. “I have something that I need to tell you all,” she said slowly, taking a deep breath to steady herself.
She watched as their expressions turned from cheerful smiles to looks of surprise and concern. It was clear that they were sensing that what she had to tell them was serious, and they looked more and more worried the longer she paused.
