All three kids started whining at the same time.
"Oh dear. It's naptime. I missed the window to get them down peacefully. Now it's going to be a battle."
Eden watched as Debbie quickly fixed a bottle for baby William and cleaned up all three kids.
When Debbie lifted the baby from his highchair, the girls bounced from their seats and wrapped themselves around her legs.
"I need to put William to bed. Do you girls want me to see if Grammy will read you a story?"
"I'll read to them." The words were out of Eden's mouth before she could stop them.
Surprising herself for the second time in less than fifteen minutes, she jumped from her seat and crouched in front of the twins.
"Can I read you a story before you go night-night?" she asked.
The whining momentarily stopped, and both girls looked up at their mom.
"I bet Eden is fantastic at reading stories!" Debbie infused excitement into her voice. "How about you let Eden read you a story, then I will come read you one after I get William down? That means you'll get two stories today." She gasped and covered her mouth in true dramatic Wheeler fashion.
"Can I please read to you?" Eden gave the girls her friendliest smile. She put her hand to the side of her mouth and whispered, "I'll read you two stories, if you don't tell your mom."
Finally, Lucia let go of Debbie's leg and took Eden's hand. After a lengthy hesitation, Mia took Eden's other hand.
An odd sense of anticipation and elation filled Eden's stomach and chest, taking her breath away as she walked down the hall with two small hands in hers. She felt like she was in someone else's body, or at the very least, a dream, as both girls snuggled into her with their favorite books.
Warmth, comfortable and pleasant, enveloped her when first Luci—then Mia—laid her head against Eden, and she decided she could be happy like this for the rest of her life. She didn't realize what she'd been missing until now, but suddenly she wanted this more than anything.
CHAPTER11
Both Rudy's and Bill's trucks sat in front of the Wheeler's house when Eden came home after another busy day of helping Hattie reorganize and follow up with vendors.
She gathered her purse and laptop from the passenger seat and hurried into the house.
"There you are," Alice said. "We just sat down, so hurry and wash up and come join us."
"I'm sorry I'm so late getting home." A twinge of guilt tightened Eden's chest. She'd promised Alice she'd help with dinner so the older woman could teach her how to make chicken Alfredo.
She'd texted Alice when she realized she was going to be late, but she still felt bad for letting her down. Even worse, she was disappointed she'd missed today's lesson. Eden doubted she'd ever make a great cook, but she enjoyed learning from a master like Alice more than she ever thought she would.
When she took a seat at the table across from Rudy—always across from Rudy—she couldn't keep her gaze from roaming over him. He looked amazing in an olive-green short sleeved Henley that made his eyes look more green than blue today.
She was constantly aware of his presence; whether it was across the table from her or sitting beside him at his computer, where she could smell his pleasant masculine scent. It made her mouth water. Or maybe that was the kiss that replayed all too frequently in her mind with shocking clarity.
"So, you had a busy day today?" Alice said, pulling Eden out of her thoughts.
"I did. I spent the morning at Hattie's like usual, then after taking today's orders to the post office, I drove all over the county, visiting some of the people who are interested in selling their goods through our website."
A little twinge of guilt squeezed her chest. Everyone she talked to was interested in selling their goods through Hattie’s website, but Eden feared that what she was doing wasn’t sustainable if she didn’t stick around Providence. Hattie would never be able to do all that Eden was doing alone.
When the time comes for me to leave, I’ll make sure I find someone who can help Hattie.
It was the least she could do, considering she was the one who pushed Hattie to take her business online.
"Who did you visit today?" Alice asked, pulling Eden from her thoughts.
Eden talked about all the people she'd met and their amazing talents. Even though the Wheelers already knew everyone she mentioned, they pretended to be a rapt audience. When she said she'd gone to visit Miss Georgie again, both Rudy and Alice said in unison, "You didn't eat her cookies, did you?"
Eden laughed as she shook her head. "I panicked on her doorstep when I realized my dress didn't have any pockets, so I hurried back to my car and grabbed my purse." She looked toward the front door where she'd deposited her purse. "They're still in there." Then she grimaced. "I was lucky enough to divert her attention long enough to hide the cookies, but I couldn't find a big enough distraction to pour my tea into the plant."
