dreams again last night.â
âMe, too!â Braden lamented.
âGramma says Aunt Kelsey and Coop and Anthony and Flint are gonna come for game night tonight,â Bethany said then. âAre they?â
âI donât know. I talked to Gramma about it before we went to bed last night. Did she talk to Aunt Kelsey?â
âTheyâre coming,â Ella said fatalistically.
âFwintâs cominâ!â Adam confirmed, causing his oldest sister to glare at him.
âAnd so are Aunt Kelsey and Coop and Anthony, right?â Jessie said to defuse Ellaâs disapproval.
âYeah, theyâre coming, too,â Ella conceded as if that was the only redeeming factor.
âWith Fwint!â Adam just couldnât get past that.
âI like Flint,â Braden said, clearly siding with Adam against Ella.
âHeâs funny and nice,â Bethany chimed in, too.
Although Jessie knew this was becoming the kind of three-against-one struggle her kids often engaged in, their sentiments made Jessie recall the conversation sheâd had with Flint on the drive home from rock hunting the previous evening. And that caused her decision to act on something that had troubled her along with thoughts of Flint kissing her.
âI think we should talk about Flint,â she said then, not wanting her kids to feel any of what heâd felt as a child when his mother had brought men into their family; and also wanting to make sure that any blossoming attachments her own kids might have to him were tempered with some realities.
âYou all know that Flint is Coopâs brother and that heâs only visiting Aunt Kelsey and Coop, right? He doesnât live in Red Rockââ
âWhere does he live?â Braden asked.
âIn Denver, Colorado. And thatâs where heâll go back to when his visit is over.â
âI wanâ him to stay here,â Adam decreed.
âBut he wonât be staying here,â Jessie said gently but firmly. âHeâs only a visitor and I want you all to remember that. When his visit is over, heâll go back to his own home and we might not ever see him again.â
Which was something she needed to keep in mind for herself, too. But why Flintâs temporary stay in Red Rock caused her a twinge of regret, Jessie didnât know.
Still, she was focused on her kidsâexactly where she wanted her focus to beâand she ignored it.
âI hope he goes home soon,â Ella grumbled.
âI donât!â Bethany countered. âI like him!â
âI love âim!â Adam said, not to be outdone.
âYou do not love him,â Ella insisted. âWe loved Daddy. Flint is just a big fatââ
âFlint is a perfectly nice man,â Jessie cut her eldest off before Ella went off on a tangent. âAnd heâs a guest when heâs with us. So we can have fun with him and enjoy his companyâand we need to treat him the way we treat guestsââ she said pointedly to Ella ââbut I want you all to be clear that thatâs all he is. A friend. A visitor. A guest.â
âAnd heâs gonna leave sometime,â Ella said, apparently needing to hang on to that.
âAnd, yes,â Jessie confirmed, âhe will leave.â
âIâm gonna ast âim to stay for-eber.â Another of Adamâs decrees.
âI want him to stay,â Braden said.
âMe, too,â Bethany added as if they all had a vote.
Jessie sighed, then she repeated herself for effect. âFlint doesnât live here. Heâs only visiting. We need to be nice to him. You can enjoy spending time with him while heâs here. But I want you all not to forget that he wonât be here for long.â
âGood!â Ella managed to get in at the same time Jessieâs mother called for the kids to bring their laundry downstairs the way sheâd asked them to.
âGo on
âMe, too!â Braden lamented.
âGramma says Aunt Kelsey and Coop and Anthony and Flint are gonna come for game night tonight,â Bethany said then. âAre they?â
âI donât know. I talked to Gramma about it before we went to bed last night. Did she talk to Aunt Kelsey?â
âTheyâre coming,â Ella said fatalistically.
âFwintâs cominâ!â Adam confirmed, causing his oldest sister to glare at him.
âAnd so are Aunt Kelsey and Coop and Anthony, right?â Jessie said to defuse Ellaâs disapproval.
âYeah, theyâre coming, too,â Ella conceded as if that was the only redeeming factor.
âWith Fwint!â Adam just couldnât get past that.
âI like Flint,â Braden said, clearly siding with Adam against Ella.
âHeâs funny and nice,â Bethany chimed in, too.
Although Jessie knew this was becoming the kind of three-against-one struggle her kids often engaged in, their sentiments made Jessie recall the conversation sheâd had with Flint on the drive home from rock hunting the previous evening. And that caused her decision to act on something that had troubled her along with thoughts of Flint kissing her.
âI think we should talk about Flint,â she said then, not wanting her kids to feel any of what heâd felt as a child when his mother had brought men into their family; and also wanting to make sure that any blossoming attachments her own kids might have to him were tempered with some realities.
âYou all know that Flint is Coopâs brother and that heâs only visiting Aunt Kelsey and Coop, right? He doesnât live in Red Rockââ
âWhere does he live?â Braden asked.
âIn Denver, Colorado. And thatâs where heâll go back to when his visit is over.â
âI wanâ him to stay here,â Adam decreed.
âBut he wonât be staying here,â Jessie said gently but firmly. âHeâs only a visitor and I want you all to remember that. When his visit is over, heâll go back to his own home and we might not ever see him again.â
Which was something she needed to keep in mind for herself, too. But why Flintâs temporary stay in Red Rock caused her a twinge of regret, Jessie didnât know.
Still, she was focused on her kidsâexactly where she wanted her focus to beâand she ignored it.
âI hope he goes home soon,â Ella grumbled.
âI donât!â Bethany countered. âI like him!â
âI love âim!â Adam said, not to be outdone.
âYou do not love him,â Ella insisted. âWe loved Daddy. Flint is just a big fatââ
âFlint is a perfectly nice man,â Jessie cut her eldest off before Ella went off on a tangent. âAnd heâs a guest when heâs with us. So we can have fun with him and enjoy his companyâand we need to treat him the way we treat guestsââ she said pointedly to Ella ââbut I want you all to be clear that thatâs all he is. A friend. A visitor. A guest.â
âAnd heâs gonna leave sometime,â Ella said, apparently needing to hang on to that.
âAnd, yes,â Jessie confirmed, âhe will leave.â
âIâm gonna ast âim to stay for-eber.â Another of Adamâs decrees.
âI want him to stay,â Braden said.
âMe, too,â Bethany added as if they all had a vote.
Jessie sighed, then she repeated herself for effect. âFlint doesnât live here. Heâs only visiting. We need to be nice to him. You can enjoy spending time with him while heâs here. But I want you all not to forget that he wonât be here for long.â
âGood!â Ella managed to get in at the same time Jessieâs mother called for the kids to bring their laundry downstairs the way sheâd asked them to.
âGo on
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