funny.”
“Girls, we’re not leaving. Now eat.”
Jenny crossed her arms tighter. “Dude, you can’t make me eat if I’m not hungry.”
“Me too.” Ellie mocked her sister’s movement and stuck out her lower lip. “I wanna go home.”
“Eat, girls.” Mike waved at them, his voice stern, low. He hoped like hell that Diana, who seemed to have an easy touch with his girls, would pipe in with something to smooth the waters, but she just watched him. He wanted to tell her he had all the parenting skills of an earthworm, but instead he resorted to what he knew best. Military style. “Eat. That’s an order.”
Luke made a sound that was half laugh, half choke. “An order, huh, Napoleon?”
“Shut up.” Mike elbowed him, then turned back to the girls. “Go on now, eat.”
“No.” Jenny glared. Tightened her arms.
“No,” Ellie echoed.
The women and Luke stared at Mike, waiting for him to
do something
with his kids. The dogs waited at the end of the table, tails swishing, calling dibs on anything Ellie didn’t want.
Luke leaned over to him. “Uh, maybe if you—”
“I got this.” Last thing Mike wanted was for Luke, who had no kids and therefore no room to preach, to show him how to parent. Mike was the parent, for God’s sake. Okay, a crappy parent, but he at least had the title on his life resume. “Eat, girls. Please.”
There. That took it from order to request.
“I don’t wanna eat. I wanna draw horsies!” Ellie burst into tears. Great big honking sobbing tears. Jenny wrapped an arm around her little sister and shot Mike the evil look-what-you-did-now eye.
Then he put it together. Why the conversation had derailed so fast, the girls’ good moods evaporating in an instant.
Where you go, I go. I promise.
Then he’d gone and reminded them all that his promise had a thirty-day expiration date. Shit. Apparently there were new levels of crappy parenting yet to be reached. “Girls, I—”
Ellie sobbed louder, muffling Mike’s voice. Olivia got to her feet. “Uh, I left dessert on the counter. I think I forgot to—”
“Let me help you,” Luke said, scrambling to his feet. The two of them headed into the house. Fast.
Mike would have done the same, if he weren’t the parent, and expected to do something about this… mess. There was no teddy bear to buy a quick peace, and the situation was disintegrating quickly into a temper tantrum. The chicken wafted tempting smells under his nose, but damned if he was going to get time to eat now. Plus, this wasn’t the time or place to explain the complexities of leave and how that impacted his promise. Better to get the girls focused on eating. That’d keep them from focusing on a conversation he didn’t want to have. “Girls, you need to eat now. I’m telling you—”
Diana reached out and touched his hand, a light, feathery touch, but it stopped him in his tracks. “Let me try.”
He dropped back onto the bench. Thank God. Maybe Diana, the one with experience here, had some kind of magic word that he didn’t know. The entire day had been an exercise in frustration, from the messes to the tantrums and now to the eating protest. “Be my guest. Please.”
Diana turned to Jenny. “Adult parties stink, don’t they?”
Jenny nodded. Ellie kept crying, but turned down the volume, one ear cocked in Diana’s direction.
“I remember sitting through them when I was a little girl.
Boring
.” She mocked a yawn, then grinned at the girls. “Listen, while you have to suffer around all us grown-ups while we talk about super boring stuff, why don’t we make it fun?”
“Fun?” Jenny said.
“Yup.” Diana thought a second. “Every time you hear one of us say the word…”
“Work,” Jenny supplied.
“Work,” Diana agreed. “Then you and Ellie get to have a Hershey’s Kiss. I happen to know where my sister hides them.”
“Candy?” Ellie perked up, the tears gone. “I want candy!”
“Me too. But there’s one rule at
“Girls, we’re not leaving. Now eat.”
Jenny crossed her arms tighter. “Dude, you can’t make me eat if I’m not hungry.”
“Me too.” Ellie mocked her sister’s movement and stuck out her lower lip. “I wanna go home.”
“Eat, girls.” Mike waved at them, his voice stern, low. He hoped like hell that Diana, who seemed to have an easy touch with his girls, would pipe in with something to smooth the waters, but she just watched him. He wanted to tell her he had all the parenting skills of an earthworm, but instead he resorted to what he knew best. Military style. “Eat. That’s an order.”
Luke made a sound that was half laugh, half choke. “An order, huh, Napoleon?”
“Shut up.” Mike elbowed him, then turned back to the girls. “Go on now, eat.”
“No.” Jenny glared. Tightened her arms.
“No,” Ellie echoed.
The women and Luke stared at Mike, waiting for him to
do something
with his kids. The dogs waited at the end of the table, tails swishing, calling dibs on anything Ellie didn’t want.
Luke leaned over to him. “Uh, maybe if you—”
“I got this.” Last thing Mike wanted was for Luke, who had no kids and therefore no room to preach, to show him how to parent. Mike was the parent, for God’s sake. Okay, a crappy parent, but he at least had the title on his life resume. “Eat, girls. Please.”
There. That took it from order to request.
“I don’t wanna eat. I wanna draw horsies!” Ellie burst into tears. Great big honking sobbing tears. Jenny wrapped an arm around her little sister and shot Mike the evil look-what-you-did-now eye.
Then he put it together. Why the conversation had derailed so fast, the girls’ good moods evaporating in an instant.
Where you go, I go. I promise.
Then he’d gone and reminded them all that his promise had a thirty-day expiration date. Shit. Apparently there were new levels of crappy parenting yet to be reached. “Girls, I—”
Ellie sobbed louder, muffling Mike’s voice. Olivia got to her feet. “Uh, I left dessert on the counter. I think I forgot to—”
“Let me help you,” Luke said, scrambling to his feet. The two of them headed into the house. Fast.
Mike would have done the same, if he weren’t the parent, and expected to do something about this… mess. There was no teddy bear to buy a quick peace, and the situation was disintegrating quickly into a temper tantrum. The chicken wafted tempting smells under his nose, but damned if he was going to get time to eat now. Plus, this wasn’t the time or place to explain the complexities of leave and how that impacted his promise. Better to get the girls focused on eating. That’d keep them from focusing on a conversation he didn’t want to have. “Girls, you need to eat now. I’m telling you—”
Diana reached out and touched his hand, a light, feathery touch, but it stopped him in his tracks. “Let me try.”
He dropped back onto the bench. Thank God. Maybe Diana, the one with experience here, had some kind of magic word that he didn’t know. The entire day had been an exercise in frustration, from the messes to the tantrums and now to the eating protest. “Be my guest. Please.”
Diana turned to Jenny. “Adult parties stink, don’t they?”
Jenny nodded. Ellie kept crying, but turned down the volume, one ear cocked in Diana’s direction.
“I remember sitting through them when I was a little girl.
Boring
.” She mocked a yawn, then grinned at the girls. “Listen, while you have to suffer around all us grown-ups while we talk about super boring stuff, why don’t we make it fun?”
“Fun?” Jenny said.
“Yup.” Diana thought a second. “Every time you hear one of us say the word…”
“Work,” Jenny supplied.
“Work,” Diana agreed. “Then you and Ellie get to have a Hershey’s Kiss. I happen to know where my sister hides them.”
“Candy?” Ellie perked up, the tears gone. “I want candy!”
“Me too. But there’s one rule at
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