“You sound less surprised about that than I feel,” Janie said. She laughed lightly and averted her gaze, suggesting she might be just as anxious about tonight as Solo was.
“You nearly didn’t come?” Solo asked, wishing she’d had the courage to kiss her wife’s cheek.
“We’re hip-deep in a new class-action suit on behalf of hundreds of authors.” Janie shrugged elegantly. “It might end up being thousands. So it’s all hands on deck and a lot of late nights.”
Solo closed the door and leaned against it while Janie removed her shoes. She’d forgotten how much she loved to watch the ritual, and better still, she took it as a sign that Janie still considered this to be her home. She’d missed the sound of Janie’s bare feet against their wooden flooring, announcing her presence before she was anywhere near Solo. “This isn’t causing any problems for you, is it?” She didn’t much care for Janie’s boss, but Janie’s job was an important part of her identity,andit kept the triplets in diapers and dinosaur nuggets.
Janie placed her heels against the stairs and shook her head. “I explained to Phillip why I needed the time, and I’ve been putting in more hours than anyone else. He was fine about it.”
Solo raised her eyebrows. Janie had always been very strict about keeping her personal and business life separate. “You’ve told him what’s going on? With us? With your mom?”
Janie huffed. “Of course not. I just said we needed to interview for a new nanny because our previous one left without giving us any notice.” She placed her phone and handbag on the table by the door. “He’s a big fan of my mother, and I don’t want him running back to her, trying to score?—”
Janie was cut off by three small bodies launching themselves at her legs.
“Mommy! Mommy!”
Janie seemed to hesitate for a second before she dropped to her knees and gathered all three girls into her arms, her expression transforming into something that made Solo’s chest ache. This was what she remembered Janie looking like when she was happy, surrounded by their daughters, laughing as they competed for her attention.
“I missed you guys so much,” Janie said, kissing their heads in turn. “Have you been good for Mama and Grandpa?”
“I paint!” Tia said, puffing her chest and smiling widely.
Janie stroked Tia’s cheek. “And it was beautiful. Mama sent me pictures.”
Tia tugged on Janie’s skirt and tried to pull her toward the living room. “Mommy see.”
Janie allowed herself to be woman-handled by the triplets but glanced back at Solo. “It’s still there?”
Solo rubbed her hand across the back of her head and chewed on her top lip. “Yeah. I wanted you to see it in person.” She thought Janie’s eyes got a little shiny for a moment, but she was already focused on their babies as she was dragged away, and Solo couldn’t be sure.
Her dad came over after greeting Janie with an awkward-looking hug. “I’m going to take the girls to the den. It’ll give youtwo some space for the interviews, and you can bring them in to meet the girls at the end. If you want.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Slugger?” He waited until she looked at him and squeezed her shoulder. “Breathe. You’re doing great.”
She nodded, not trusting herself to respond in case she got all weird, then helped him take the girls out of the way. Neither she nor Janie had any hope of concentrating on what anyone else was saying if the triplets were in the room.
They’d just gotten back to the living room when the first candidate arrived. Clara was a woman in her forties with an impressive resume and impeccable references that the agency had already checked out. She sat across from Solo at the kitchen table.
Janie slid onto the chair beside Solo. She took her mug in one hand and placed the other on the table between them. Solo looked at her slender fingers and shivered at the memory of when Janie had last touched her. Too long ago. And all the blame lay at Solo’s feet for that.
“So, Clara,” Solo said, “will you tell us about your experience?”
Clara launched into a detailed description of her work with twins and triplets over the past fifteen years. She was thorough, professional, and warm without being overly familiar. On paper, she was perfect.
Could they be that lucky to find the right person so quickly?
“What’s your approach to discipline?” Janie asked.
Solo glanced at her, grateful for the question. They needed someone whose philosophy aligned with theirs, and Janie had always been the one to keep the girls in line, while Solo was a soft touch. And boy, did Tia know it.
“I believe in natural consequences and positive reinforcement,” Clara said. “Toddlers are still learning about the world, so I prefer redirection over punishment.”
Solo liked the sound of that. Natural consequences were great as long as the situation wasn’t dangerous, but she andJanie would never let anything bad happen. “What about nap schedules? Our girls are pretty routine-oriented.”
Clara nodded. “I’m a big believer in consistent schedules. Especially at this age. Structure helps them feel secure.”
