Chance on You (Pub 4)

7 - Casual

Leo woke on Sunday morning earlier than he needed to. He headed downstairs and stopped. He didn't care if Riley saw him in boxers; they were securely closed, but they had a houseguest. Was she a guest or a tenant or an employee? He didn't regret his impromptu invitation, as he slipped on flannel pants. It intrigued him how she appeared far too naïve to live in a shelter. The more she kept her past secret the more curious he became.

In the kitchen, he made a pot of coffee. Since he was decent, he walked out for the paper. He only read it on Sundays and liked to read the book section. He worked in children's literature, but he enjoyed reading adult books, especially nonfiction. Hopefully, he could find some time to work. He hadn't expected Saturday to be so busy with the trip to the warehouse store to stock up the treats for work, and to the supermarket.

He sipped his coffee and read the book reviews. Memories of the past crept in. He could hear Autumn teasing him with the book section. He would grab it and pull her onto his lap with the paper. Frowning, he missed her melodious laugh. Shaking away the past, he smiled when he saw a write up on Matthew Clark's new release. Riley already had a signed copy.

They had gone to Maine for a weekend with Lilli and Zach. Riley was in awe when Lilli took them for a walk on the beach and detoured onto a patio of a beautiful house by the ocean. Lilli opened the slider and hollered "Hello." Matthew appeared, and Lilli introduced him to Riley. The author's wife invited them to have a drink on their patio. The kids played with his black dog, while the adults talked.

He looked up when he heard Isla coming up the steps. "Good morning." He smiled. "Coffee?"

"Please."

She was already dressed in her uniform. Her baggy sweaters varied between grey, navy, and black. Her grey or black skirts were long and black tights covered the rest of leg. He wondered what she wore when the weather got warmer. She definitely didn't have clothes for the change of season in her backpack. Riley loved her, but she wasn't Mary Poppins with a magical bag.

He stood, but she already had a mug in her hand. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Thank you. It was very quiet."

"Was it loud at the shelter?"

She nodded. "It wasn't ideal. Thank you."

"I should thank you. The nanny situation has been stressful for the past year."

"Only a year?" She stood against the counter.

"We moved from California. Riley loved our old nanny. She didn't want to move."

"Why did you?"

If he answered her questions would she answer his. He feared she might run if he pushed. Instead, he gave her the same excuse he told everyone. "My job, but I wanted to get away from the smog, wildfires, and drought."

"So now you have snow."

He smiled and nodded. "I grew up in the Midwest, so I have experience with snow. Did you grow up in Philly?"

"Yes." She turned toward the sink and looked out the window.

He sighed. "I have to wake the kids."

Riley hated to get up on Sunday mornings. He may be a hypocrite, but his children were getting a religious education to make his mother happy. He also liked that their other grandparents disapproved. Autumn's parents were members of a nondenominational Christian church. They held morally conservative beliefs. He and Autumn had rejected both families' organized religion and connected with God through nature. Then everything changed, and he questioned what he believed, so he let the church teach his children the things he lost.