The Setup and the Substitute by Jiffy Kate
Chapter 31
Sophie
The next evening,after dinner, I suggest having ice cream outside for dessert and letting them play with the sidewalk chalk their grandma sent them last week in a care package.
“Yay!” they exclaim in unison and take off in a dead sprint to their bedrooms to retrieve the said sidewalk chalk.
Grabbing the individual ice cream cups from the freezer and four spoons, I walk upstairs to Lisa’s room and knock on the door. It takes her a minute but she eventually opens it, but doesn’t say a word.
“The kids want you to come outside and have some ice cream,” I say, as nicely as I can muster, holding up the aforementioned delicious treat.
We enter into some sort of stalemate for a moment, but when she realizes I’m not going to let her out of this one, she huffs and turns on her heels. A moment later, she’s back in the doorway with her sunglasses and phone.
“Lead the way.”
My smile is a bit victorious when we make it downstairs and Molly and Ryan are waiting, the excitement on their faces palpable. They both start talking animatedly about what they’re going to draw on the pavement, oblivious to Lisa’s mood.
I’ve noticed over the past couple days, her newness has started wearing off and even Molly isn’t as excited to see her.
“Okay,” I say, handing an ice cream to Molly, Ryan, and Lisa. “Let’s keep the mess to a minimum. Trash goes in the recycle bin by the backdoor.”
When the kids are digging into their ice cream, I catch Lisa’s gaze. “I’m going to give you some time with the kids. I’ll just be by the pool. Holler if you need me.”
Her eyes go wide as she realizes I’m leaving her alone with the kids, but I’m not worried. They’re in the backyard, which is fenced. Plus, we do this all the time and they know exactly where to go and what’s off limits.
Lisa on the other hand looks as though she has no clue what to do with herself, or her children.
Giving her a smile, I do a little finger wave and walk around to the pool, letting myself inside the gate. For a few minutes, I sit in one of the lounge chairs and savor my little cup of ice cream. It’s the perfect treat for a hot Louisiana summer night.
When I’m finished, I follow my own instructions and walk my trash back up to the house, tossing it in the bin by the backdoor. Peeking around the side of the house, I see Molly and Ryan playing tic-tac-toe with the chalk on the sidewalk. Lisa is sitting in the grass next to them and surprisingly, she’s not on her phone.
I’ll take that as a win.
Walking back around, I unfurl the water hose and turn it on. The lawn and majority of the plants and trees are watered by a sprinkler system, but the ones in the pots by the pool aren’t. Usually, Sharon will water them when she’s here and the pool guy also gives them a drink. But when it’s hot, like it has been this week, I like to give them a little extra in between.
Plus, it’s soothing.
There’s just something about being outside in the evening, with the sun going down, and the cicadas droning that makes me feel like I’m a kid again.
Just as I’m soaking the last pot of periwinkles, I hear a cry.
On instinct, I drop the hose and take off for the gate, but then I freeze.
It’s Molly and she doesn’t sound like it’s anything major.
I should let Lisa handle this.
She’s their mother and even though she doesn’t seem to possess the instincts that come along with that title, maybe she just needs a little push. So, I wait. With my hand on the latch, I stand still and listen, waiting for Molly’s cry to dissipate.
After a minute passes, it hasn’t and I can’t stand it any longer.
Flinging the latch up and gate open, I haul ass to the side of the house.
Molly is holding her knee and Lisa is examining it. She’s bleeding but it’s nothing too bad. She won’t need stitches. But when she sees me, the tears flow even harder and she half-runs, half-limps her way to me and I meet her in the middle, dropping to my knees to embrace her.
“What happened?” I ask, looking over Molly’s shoulder at Lisa, who’s standing there like she’s never seen a skinned knee before. From her tense shoulders to her wide-eyed expression, it’s apparent she’s on edge.
I’d like to think it’s concern for her daughter’s well-being, but honestly, I think she doesn’t like not knowing how to handle the situation.
“We were playing hoppedscotch,” Ryan explains.
“Hopscotch,” Lisa snaps.
I give Ryan a soft smile, letting him know it’s okay and that Molly is okay, because he looks like he’s on the verge of tears himself.
“Come here, buddy,” I say, reaching an arm out to him. He comes easily and falls against my shoulder. After consoling both kids, I usher them into the house, leaving Lisa behind to fend for herself.
At this point, I don’t have anything left to offer her—compassion, empathy, or sympathy. I feel like I’ve given her every opportunity to step up and be a mom to these kids and she’s not taken any of them.
“Ouch,” Molly cries as I blow on her scraped knee.
“Sorry,” I say with a wince, hating that she’s in pain. “I promise it will feel better soon.”
Once the wound is clean and I put one of her mermaid bandages on it, I help her off the counter and walk her to her bedroom. It’s late, so after I help her into her pajamas, I go across the hall and do the same for Ryan.
Then, we reconvene in Molly’s room for some bedtime reading.
“Can you sleep in here?” Molly asks with a yawn, as I run my fingers through her hair while reading a chapter of The Boxcar Children.
Placing my finger between the pages, I pause, looking down at her.
She’s never asked me to sleep in her bed or acted like she didn’t want to sleep alone. Owen had warned me that she can get emotional at bedtime when I first started, but we’ve never had an issue with it.
Until tonight.
“Anything you want to talk about?” I ask, peeking over to see that Ryan has already drifted off.
She shrugs, her eyes heavy but refusing to close.
Something is obviously bothering her and I can only assume it has to do with Lisa.
“You know you can tell me anything, right?” Kissing the top of her head, I snuggle a little closer to her, hoping she feels safe and secure. “I’m a great listener and I know how to keep a secret.”
She’s quiet for a minute and I think she might have fallen asleep until she whispers, “I heard you talking to Daddy.”
My heart drops as I think back to my recent conversations with Owen. They’ve been sparse, but the couple we’ve had haven’t been the best.
Shit.
“You told him you’d leave,” she whispers, her voice trembling. “Please don’t leave.”
Tiny arms reach up and wrap around my neck, as Molly hugs me with more force than I knew her little body was capable of. And I hug her right back.
“Don’t worry, Molls,” I assure her. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Promise?” she asks, still wrapped tight in my arms.
“Promise.”
And it’s one I never plan on breaking. No matter what happens between me and Owen, I’ll always be here for her and Ryan, because they’re a piece of my heart now.
“Wild horses couldn’t drag me away.”