Wyatt,” she said, gathering Jade’s hair into a ponytail and twisting elastic around it.
“They’re here now?” Jade asked, excitedly.
“Yep,” Jax said, reaching under Jade’s arms and lifting her down from the stool. “Why don’t you let them in?”
Jade raced excitedly to the front door, and Jax smiled, pleased that Jade liked Wyatt so much. He’d been very quiet the day he’d come blueberry picking with them. But far from being disappointed, Jade had simply adjusted her conversational strategy and talked enough for both of them.
By the time Jax got to the front door, Jade had already flung it open and was talking a blue streak to Wyatt.
Jax laughed. “Jade, honey, can you at least say hello to Allie and Wyatt first?”
“Oh, hello,” Jade said, a little breathlessly. And, without missing a beat, “Now do you want to come upstairs to my room and see my rock collection? I have like a gazillion rocks. More than anyone else I know. And I’m not even done collecting them.”
Wyatt hesitated, but he let Jade take him by the hand and drag him away.
“Make it quick, Jade, okay?” Jax called after her, closing the front door. “Your dad’s going to be here soon to take you and your sisters to day camp.”
Allie smiled, gratefully, at Jax. “She is exactly what Wyatt needs right now,” she said.
“A bossy six-year-old girl telling him what to do all the time?”
Allie shook her head. “No. A friend,” she said simply. And Jax smiled, even though something caught in her throat at the thought of what Wyatt and Allie had been through.
“How about a cup of coffee?” she asked Allie, leading her to the kitchen. “Or on second thought, how about an iced tea? It’s way too hot for coffee this morning.”
“An iced tea would be nice,” Allie said, sitting down at the kitchen table.
Jax busied herself, taking a pitcher of iced tea out of the refrigerator and two glasses out of the cupboard. “By the way,” she said, “did you get a lot done at the cabin on Saturday? I forgot to ask you when we brought Wyatt home.”
“Oh,” Allie said, looking a little vague, “I didn’t get as much done as I thought I would. But thanks for taking Wyatt, anyway. It was so good for him. He doesn’t spend as much time with other children as he should.”
“Have you thought about sending him to day camp?” Jax asked, carefully, setting the glasses of iced tea on the table. She sensed this would be a sensitive subject for Allie. Wyatt, she knew, wasn’t the only one having difficulty separating.
“The one your daughters go to?”
“Uh-huh. It’s at the little nature museum, right outside of town. They call the campers there ‘junior naturalists.’ And there’s a different theme there every week. The girls love it,” she added.
“That sounds like fun,” Allie said, a little wistfully. “I’ll ask Wyatt about it.”
Just then, they heard a car’s engine backfire down the street, and Jax’s hand jerked, spilling iced tea on the table.
“Jax,” Allie said, gently. “Do you think maybe you should cut down on the caffeine? You seem a little . . . tightly wound this morning.”
“Oh, this is decaffeinated,” Jax assured her, wiping up the spill with a dish towel. “Really, I’m fine. I just couldn’t sleep last night. And this morning I feel a little tense.” A little? She felt like the proverbial live wire, her body practically humming with anxiety.
“Anyway,” she said, changing the subject, “in case you’re wondering why I asked you to stop by this morning, it’s because I wanted to invite you to a party.”
“A party?” Allie echoed. She looked horrified, like Jax had said electric chair or plane crash instead of party .
“Yes, party,” Jax said. “Parties are supposed to be fun, remember?”
“Not really,” Allie confessed. “It’s been a while since I’ve been to one. I’ve tried to avoid them, I guess, over the last couple of years.”
Jax hesitated.
“They’re here now?” Jade asked, excitedly.
“Yep,” Jax said, reaching under Jade’s arms and lifting her down from the stool. “Why don’t you let them in?”
Jade raced excitedly to the front door, and Jax smiled, pleased that Jade liked Wyatt so much. He’d been very quiet the day he’d come blueberry picking with them. But far from being disappointed, Jade had simply adjusted her conversational strategy and talked enough for both of them.
By the time Jax got to the front door, Jade had already flung it open and was talking a blue streak to Wyatt.
Jax laughed. “Jade, honey, can you at least say hello to Allie and Wyatt first?”
“Oh, hello,” Jade said, a little breathlessly. And, without missing a beat, “Now do you want to come upstairs to my room and see my rock collection? I have like a gazillion rocks. More than anyone else I know. And I’m not even done collecting them.”
Wyatt hesitated, but he let Jade take him by the hand and drag him away.
“Make it quick, Jade, okay?” Jax called after her, closing the front door. “Your dad’s going to be here soon to take you and your sisters to day camp.”
Allie smiled, gratefully, at Jax. “She is exactly what Wyatt needs right now,” she said.
“A bossy six-year-old girl telling him what to do all the time?”
Allie shook her head. “No. A friend,” she said simply. And Jax smiled, even though something caught in her throat at the thought of what Wyatt and Allie had been through.
“How about a cup of coffee?” she asked Allie, leading her to the kitchen. “Or on second thought, how about an iced tea? It’s way too hot for coffee this morning.”
“An iced tea would be nice,” Allie said, sitting down at the kitchen table.
Jax busied herself, taking a pitcher of iced tea out of the refrigerator and two glasses out of the cupboard. “By the way,” she said, “did you get a lot done at the cabin on Saturday? I forgot to ask you when we brought Wyatt home.”
“Oh,” Allie said, looking a little vague, “I didn’t get as much done as I thought I would. But thanks for taking Wyatt, anyway. It was so good for him. He doesn’t spend as much time with other children as he should.”
“Have you thought about sending him to day camp?” Jax asked, carefully, setting the glasses of iced tea on the table. She sensed this would be a sensitive subject for Allie. Wyatt, she knew, wasn’t the only one having difficulty separating.
“The one your daughters go to?”
“Uh-huh. It’s at the little nature museum, right outside of town. They call the campers there ‘junior naturalists.’ And there’s a different theme there every week. The girls love it,” she added.
“That sounds like fun,” Allie said, a little wistfully. “I’ll ask Wyatt about it.”
Just then, they heard a car’s engine backfire down the street, and Jax’s hand jerked, spilling iced tea on the table.
“Jax,” Allie said, gently. “Do you think maybe you should cut down on the caffeine? You seem a little . . . tightly wound this morning.”
“Oh, this is decaffeinated,” Jax assured her, wiping up the spill with a dish towel. “Really, I’m fine. I just couldn’t sleep last night. And this morning I feel a little tense.” A little? She felt like the proverbial live wire, her body practically humming with anxiety.
“Anyway,” she said, changing the subject, “in case you’re wondering why I asked you to stop by this morning, it’s because I wanted to invite you to a party.”
“A party?” Allie echoed. She looked horrified, like Jax had said electric chair or plane crash instead of party .
“Yes, party,” Jax said. “Parties are supposed to be fun, remember?”
“Not really,” Allie confessed. “It’s been a while since I’ve been to one. I’ve tried to avoid them, I guess, over the last couple of years.”
Jax hesitated.
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