“Do we have to go to school?” asked Flick.
“Sure,” she said, forcing brightness. “Every kid does, no matter where you live.”
“We have wonderful schools here,” Caroline’s mom said. “I think you’ll love it.”
“Because what kid doesn’t love school?” Caroline asked.
“Don’t listen to her,” Mom scolded. “She was a fantastic student. So creative.”
“Let’s not think about school tonight,” Caroline said. “We’ll get everything sorted on Monday. You’ll meet your teachers and make lots of new friends.”
“I would rather watch something,” Flick said as she settled them into their beds for story time.
The daily battle. The kids were drawn to anything with a screen, like moths to a flame. Though Caroline didn’t have a motherly bone in her body, she knew instinctively that too much watching numbed the mind. The child psychologist had also been clear on the rule—no more than an hour of screen time per day. This had come as unwelcome news to Flick and Addie. Apparently, Angelique had set no limits.
“I have something better than a screen,” she told them. “It’s better than anything, in fact.”
Addie leaned in, her sweet face bright and eager. Flick rolled his eyes. He knew what was coming.
With an air of importance, she took out a book—one of her old favorites.
“That’s just a book,” said Flick.
“Exactly,” said Caroline. “And a book is magic.”
“A book is boring,” he said, thrusting his chin up and pinning her with a challenging glare.
“A book is the opposite of boring.” She ignored his dubious expression and settled between them on one of the beds. Then she dove right in. “‘The night Max wore his wolf suit and made mischief of one kind and another …’”
“Why’s he wearing a wolf suit?” asked Addie.
“Shush,” Flick said, leaning in to study the whimsical pictures. “Just listen.”
“They’re in bed,” Caroline said, coming downstairs to the kitchen. Her mom and Virginia were tidying up after dinner. “Finally. Somebody pour me a glass of wine, stat.”
“Already done.” Virginia indicated a tray of glasses.
“Bless you.” Caroline grabbed one and took a bracing gulp of very good red wine. “How the hell did you do it?” she asked her mother. “Bath and bed, night in and night out. With five of us. We were a nightmare.”
“A big family is not so different from a busy restaurant. It’s all about dishes and laundry.”
“The circle of life,” Virginia said.
“Where’s Fern?” asked Caroline. “With her dad this weekend?”
A curt nod. “She can’t wait to see you and meet the kids. I tried to swap weekends with Dave, but he refused. He is on a mission to say no to my every request.”
“Sounds like he’s doing his job as an ex-husband,” Caroline said.
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