"Everything okay?" Josie asked me when I walked back into the office.
"Just this marketing thing. Don't worry about it. Tara is going to fix it."
"Uh-huh." She didn't sound all that convinced. I had to admit I wasn't feeling all that confident myself.
"I'm taking Henry out," Josie said. "He's antsy. I made a little scavenger hunt for him. You should come! Fresh air and exercise are good for you."
"Says the person who eats fistfuls of candy," I retorted.
"Especially for the person who eats fistfuls of candy. It's all part of a balanced life," she said, tossing me my jacket.
Over the next few days, Josie and I took Henry to run outside a couple times a day. I had to admit taking a break did help me feel more relaxed.
"Maybe you shouldn't be so much of a workaholic," Josie said, peering at me over her sunglasses.
"You're being a workaholic though," I told her. Ever since the blatant flirting on the day she'd dumped water on me, Josie hadn't been acting like she would be receptive to any more flirtatious behavior. She was busy working on something. She locked herself in the tiny house all weekend.
* * *
"The kids wantyou to come play," I told her through the little round window that evening.
"I have to finish this sustainability brochure," she told me.
"No, you don't. It's not important."
"Just—" She sounded a little frustrated. "You go play with them. I'll make lasagna for dinner."
I played several rounds of hunt the ogre witch troll, which apparently was a game.
"Josie invented it," Henry explained.
"What are the rules?"
"You run around like this." He mimed making Hulk motions and pretending to smash things. "And these are your evil hench-dragons." He pointed to Garrett and Remy.
"You're playing?" I asked Garrett.
"I know how to play," Garrett scoffed. "It's a useful skill. Wolves play with the pups so that when they actually go hunt, they know what to do."
It felt good, like we were a real family. Were we still a little dysfunctional? Yes, but having several of my little brothers hanging off of me as I spun around felt nice. I never really got to be an older brother, because I was too busy being their parent.
"You guys want dinner?" Josie called out from the terrace.
Huge trays of lasagna steamed on the long buffet in the grand dining room.
"I like cooking for a crowd," Josie said as we all sat down at the table.
"You should move in," Remy told her, lasagna staining his beard. I handed my brother a napkin.
"I'm sure you all can cook," Josie said.
"Remy makes a mean breakfast burrito," I said. "Other than that, I think we're a bit lackluster."
I didn't make the kids help clean up after dinner.
"They should shower," I told Garrett when he looked perturbed.
"Uh-huh," he said and ushered the kids away.
