I think I need to leave her to her feelings just for a bit before I check on her.Let her have them in privacy.But idk.help
Salem
I’m on my way.
Poet
I’ll be there in a bit.
Hadley
Salem and I will carpool.
I set my phone aside and breathed a sigh of relief.It really did take a village to raise a child.
Even though I wanted to pour through Lenni’s childhood, I closed up the boxes and scooted them out of the main walkway.
Salem and Hadley arrived twenty minutes later; their cheeks flushed with cold.
“Sorry, we would’ve been here sooner, but Mom over here made me go the speed limit,” Salem said with an eye roll.
“It’s fine,” I said with a sigh.“Just waiting for Poet anyway.Tea?”
“Sounds good.Are those cinnamon cookies?”Hadley asked, eyeing the baking sheet with longing.
“Yes,” I said as I began to fill the kettle.
“Got any mustard?”she asked.
“Oh God, you’re kidding, right?”I laughed.
“Sure, I’m kidding ...”
I sighed.“Chipotle mustard’s in the fridge.”
“Diabolical,” Hadley said.
“Your kid is gonna come out so damn weird,” Salem teased.
“Let’s hope,” Hadley said.“I don’t want a boring kid.”
There was a knock on the door.
“Probably Poet,” I said.“Salem, you mind?”
“Nope.”She waddled toward the front door.
Poet came into the kitchen, carrying a brown paper bag with her bookstore logo on it.“I brought Lenni a young adult fantasy novel that’s highly underrated.”
“You’re the best,” I said.
Lottie trotted into the kitchen, her little tail wagging.
“Mildred will be very happy to see her.”I stared down at the pig and smiled.“Why didn’t you bring Tempest and Fig?”
“Fig was too busy eating hervole-ony sandwich,”Salem said.“She caught another one.”
“Her new name needs to beVole-demort.”Hadley grinned.“And Tempest was too busy being spoiled by Muddy.Didn’t have the heart to interrupt.”
