“Because you’re my mother.” Rafe straightened a knife on the table.
“Because it’sgood.” Francie waggled a finger at him. “Don’t doubt me, or I’ll have to cancel your birth certificate.”
He chuckled at the familiar threat. “The next couple of weeks are going to be crazy for the guys and their teams. I’m worried that if she stays with Kayn, she’s going to be lonely. I think it’d be better for her to be around normal people.”
“Well, thank you for saying I’m normal,” his mother said as she tested the casserole. “I assume you’re thinking it’d be good for her to stay here.”
“Yes.” Rafe always appreciated how well his mother understood him. Maybe that came from her being so young when she’d had him and the need they’d had to protect each other from his father.
“I’m really busy with the kids and the garden right now. I’d love company if you think she’d be willing to help out.”
“Anything that tires her out enough to sleep at night should be good for her.”
Francie shot him a shrewd glance, and he wondered what it was about.
“She can stay in our personal guest room if she wants.” Franciecarried the casserole to the table, and Rafe hurried over with the pot holder for her to set it on. “I could even offer to pay her if you think she’d accept it.”
“Ask her. Ahri had a good job she was forced to leave behind.”
“I don’t understand. Why was she forced to leave her job? Lots of women go through divorces and stay right where they’re at.”
“This is between you and me,” Rafe said, deciding to trust his mother’s discretion. “Someone ransacked her apartment the day after her husband took off, and she said someone had been following her.”
“Oh, my. And her husband just took off?” His mother’s eyes flashed. “What a snake in the grass.”
From the living room came the sounds of children squealing and a man’s heavy steps. Alex Diederik came into the kitchen with a child clinging to each of his legs.
“I seem to have acquired a couple of growths,” he said, and the children giggled.
Rafe watched as his stepfather leaned over to kiss his wife. That was something Rafe had never seen growing up. Francie had been skittish and closed off around Rafe’s father. Thanks to Alex’s tender care, she was a different person.
“I hope you brought your appetite,” she said.
“I’m so hungry my belly thinks my throat’s been cut,” Alex said.
Rafe’s stomach growled, and they laughed. He squatted down. “How about a hug, Lessy-wessy?” She released her father’s leg and threw her arms around his neck.
“Me too. Me too.” Four-year-old Nik did the same thing, and Rafe rose with them in his arms. Growing up, he’d always wished he’d been part of a larger family. He hadn’t expected it to finally happen after he’d left for college.
The children kept the meal lively. When they’d finished dinner and had cleaned up, they gathered in the living room. Lessa approached Rafe and took his hand, her little face serious.
“Can I play you a song on the piano?”
“Please do,” Rafe said, and she skipped to the instrument Alex had brought with him from his condo. The song was short but well played. Rafe asked, “When did she start taking piano lessons?”
“A new neighbor gives lessons after school. Sara Fortune is a teacher at the elementary school,” his mother said. “She’s a real sweetheart, and Lessa loves her classes. Mrs. Fortune is trying to start a program for kids who can’t afford to pay.”
“If those kids can’t pay for lessons, how can they afford a piano to practice on?” Rafe asked.
“That’s part of what she needs help with,” Alex said, “besides other teachers. She has access to some electronic keyboards the kids can use.”
Rafe’s mind went to work considering logistics of what this piano teacher was proposing, and he saw a lot of problems.
“How would the children practice every day?”
“She’s talking about them coming to her house for that.” Alex looked dubious. “Sounds like it has the potential to turn into a nut house unless she has a lot of help. I wouldn’t want to be there while a bunch of little kids were pounding away on keyboards.”
“She says she’s taught groups before, and they’ll wear headsets to practice,” Francie said. “She knows how to keep things orderly.”
