“Sandra said you liked your sister.”
“I do, but she acts dumb around other girls.” Wearing a disgusted expression, the boy wiped his hands on one of the towels now in a pile on the floor and dashed from the room.
Eb scanned the wet counter and pile of damp laundry and thought about his immaculate condo. He was in way over his head.
* * *
Sandra setthe pizza on the large breakfast bar, and the earl came to join her.
“So, tell me about Ebeneezer. I assume Eb is short for it, is it not? He has the look of a man unsure of his life.”
“At the moment, it’s a great description.” She handed the old man a small stack of paper plates which had come with the food. “Can you set these?”
He did as she asked, carefully placing a plate where the children normally sat for a casual meal. When she didn’t say more, Nigel glanced at her, one brow raised in query.
“Sorry, but it’s up to Eb how much he’ll share about his situation. All I can say is it’s new. Like, today new.”
Grace and Rue came running into the room. The older girl immediately climbed onto a chair at the breakfast bar, but Rue paused, looking unsure.
“Here. You can sit next to Grace.” Sandra extended her hands but waited to see what Rue did.
She glanced at Sandra, then at Grace, who gave an encouraging nod. Rue scurried to the seat and climbed up. Alex came running over and took the chair on Grace’s other side, with Eb following behind the boy.
“Perhaps you would like to join us at the dining table,” Nigel said, having already placed two pieces of pizza on his own paper plate.
Sandra had to fight back a grin. Carlisle had commented on more than one occasion how much more casual his grandfather had become since staying with his family in America. She almost wished she could have seen him back then. He still had moments where he turned rigidly formal, but even at those times Carlisle assured her his attitude was much more relaxed than it used to be. Grace agreed, saying she had never liked to spend time in her great-grandfather’s castle because of it.
One thing Nigel didn’t do was treat pizza as a finger food. He still insisted on using a knife and fork with it. So, by the time she and Eb joined him in the dining room, the Earl was cutting off a bite-size piece from his slice.
They talked about random things, and Nigel asked questions about what Eb did for the resort. The children made short work of their food, and Grace asked if they could be excused.
“Let me wipe your hands first.” Sandra went with them to the kitchen.
“Are you having fun?” she asked Rue as she cleaned the child’s hand.
“Oh, yes.” The little girl gave her cheek a moist kiss before running to join the other two.
The power of thefeelsSandra had been experiencing with Eb and his daughter today was confusing. Hurrying back into the dining room, she slid into her seat as the old man said, “Tell me about your daughter.”
Eb immediately shot her an accusing look.
“I never said a word.” Sandra refused to take the blame for the man’s intuitiveness. “It’s your story. And don’t feel you have an obligation to share more than you’re comfortable with. It’s not your responsibility to entertain the earl.” Giving the old man a teasing wink, she took a bite of her small piece of pizza.
“True enough, my dear.” Nigel took a sip of his evening wine, the only glass his doctor would allow him. He still watched Eb expectantly.
The poor guy shifted uncomfortably. Sandra reached over and rested a hand on his knee, which was bouncing. It stilled immediately, his ears turning pink. Her face warmed in response.
“Really, Eb.” Sandra straightened, pulling back her hand. “You owe none of us anything.”
“And yet it can be good for the soul to share one’s burdens.” Nigel tilted his head and watched them through his bushy eyebrows.
Before she could argue with him, Eb spoke, giving a short, emotionless summary of how he’d suddenly found himself to be a father. During the tale, Nigel blinked, his jaw going slack for a second before he gathered himself, now full of righteous indignation.
“Outrageous. What is your intention? Will you seek legal recourse against her?”
“No.”
Sandra watched Eb, trying to understand.
