by Amber Malloy
“Yeah, I don’t know what happened. The class was sharing what their parents did for a living. It was so cute. Louis said you were a green giant.” Tess touched his arm with a laugh. “And then when it was time for Miles to talk about his mom, he started to cry.”
Vann felt bad. The more sensitive of his two kids, Miles always had a hard time with the no-mom thing.
“My company finds the funding for green start-ups.” He tried to clarify the interworking of his three year old’s mind. “And my wife is out of the picture.” Used to questions about Eden, Vann kept his answer short.
No one wanted to hear that one day she’d taken the boys to the doctor with the nanny but she’d never come back, which was the new version of Dad went out for cigarettes.
Tess’ smile slipped into that familiar expression of pity he’d come to expect, but her recovery was better than most. “Well, I certainly didn’t think you were a giant, and your job explains the…” She nodded toward his clothes before her words quickly died in her throat. “Oh God! I’m sorry.” When she covered her mouth, her blonde hair swung back and forth as she shook her head. “I’m such a goof.”
“It’s okay.” He laughed at her reaction to his worn jeans, plaid shirt and vest. “My job mostly entails places with lots of dirt then coming home to roll around with two three-year-olds.” He shrugged. “A suit doesn’t make much sense.”
“You’re right. You’re right and I’m sorry.”
“No harm done.” He laughed again, amused by her embarrassment.
“Hey, Dad,” Louis said, interrupting them, “can we go?”
“Sure, sure.”
“Well, I have to get back before the head hens scratch my eyes out.”
Vann took a glimpse over his shoulder. The mom herd quickly turned away, pretending to be in a deep conversation.
“Single dad with all his teeth… Throw in a horn and just call me a unicorn,” he joked. “Besides, you should probably get in there before you get any colder.”
Tess followed his eyes down her sweater. The tinkle of her laughter told him she wasn’t offended by his observation. “No wonder they’re shooting daggers at me,” she hiccupped. Vann found her innocence refreshing.
“I want you to take care, Miles,” she told the three year old, patting the little boy’s arm. “It was nice meeting you, Mr. Morgan.” She opened the door and shyly smiled at him over her shoulder.
“Vann,” he corrected her. “Call me Vann.”
“Okay.” She giggled once more before she went inside the school.
Vann guided them through the thick group of older kids who searched for their rides home. “So what do you guys think of your new teacher?”
“I like her,” Louis told him. “You should ask her to come over to play.”
“Miles?”
His only reply was a shrug. Vann wasn’t sure how to interpret that. His older twin could be closed off more times than not.
“Let’s go home and watch a movie.” Vann ruffled Louis’ curly head of hair. “Unless Miles is too upset?”
“I’m okay…”
“Me too,” Louis said.
“Great, that means were all okay,” he told his boys.
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About the Author
Amber Malloy dreamed of being a double agent but couldn’t pass the psyche evaluation. Crushed by despair that she couldn’t legally shoot things, Amber pursued her second career choice as pastry chef. When she’s not writing or whipping up a mean Snickers Cheesecake, she occasionally spies on her sommelier. Amber is convinced he's faking his French accent.
Amber loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website details and author profile page at https://www.totallybound.com
