Chapter 4 #2
It was clear they loved their dad and wanted to spend as much time with him as possible.
Lottie went ahead and got the girls started on grammar, then worked on her computer for a little while.
Since they were working on simple sentences, neither of them had any trouble.
The two girls were very smart and willing to work to earn the time off with their dad.
They worked hard until lunch and covered half the subjects they normally cover in a day.
Since they had been doing some schoolwork every day, they were still at the same level as before.
She didn't want them to get behind since they were both in such a good position with their schoolwork.
Everyone went to the dining room table to have lunch. Lunch was simple: tomato basil soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, or ham sandwiches if someone preferred. It was a lunch that she had found most people loved.
“Now that lunch is done, everyone needs to get into the clothes that they work in, put on boots, and get their gloves,” Flo ordered.
Lottie and the girls did as they were told while Darren talked with his mother.
When Darren and Flo joined them outside, Darren was in jeans and a T-shirt.
The jeans didn't fit perfectly, and she suspected Darren had borrowed them.
They still looked good on him. Flo had a wheelbarrow full of things that needed to be planted.
Flo got the girls started right away and handed Darren and her some seeds they needed to plant, too.
They each worked on a row next to each other. They were planting pumpkins next to the roses that had been planted earlier. She wasn't sure if these were the same kind of pumpkin or different ones. This was a large garden with a lot to plant, and they worked hard.
“I didn't realize you were a gardener,” Darren commented.
“Most witches are. Many of us have our own garden, and some of us have our own store where we sell our herbs and flowers that are used in potions.”
“The magic thing is very hard for me to deal with and accept. I've spent years denying it.”
“I'm sure that's true, but you've seen enough signs of it now that you no longer can.” Lottie declared.
He didn't have much to say, so she knew he still hadn't completely accepted the paranormal world, even though he was now part of it.
It was something he would have to deal with on his own, and no one could help him.
For the sake of his girls, he needed to understand her world and help them to understand what they needed to do as part of it.
“I have my row. down so I think I'm going to go plant some cabbage.”
“My row is done too, so I think I'll go with you.”
She'd meant to get away from him, but he had just followed her. They spoke some, but she didn't feel like she knew him any better than she had when they started. The garden was coming along well, but she knew it would soon be supper time.
“Finish up so we can go clean up before it's time to eat.” Flo urged.
That's what they did, and it was time to go.
They had gotten a large amount done, and Flo wouldn't have much left to do in the garden.
Now it was time to clean up and get ready to eat.
She took the girls to the mud room to remove their boots and drop their gloves.
Next, it was time to clean up so they would be ready to eat.
Flo and Aaron must have gone to another bathroom because she didn't see them until they got into the dining room, where food was being served.
“You seem like a very nice girl, Lottie,” Darren observed.
“I like to think I am.” She was confused.
“I’m glad my mom found you to take care of the girls. Not every guard will get in the dirt to get the job done.” He smiled, and she smiled back.
Maybe this was the beginning of a more understanding relationship? All she could do was hope.
Two weeks later, Lottie would swear that Darren had a split personality.
Everything would be going great, and then he would start questioning everything.
The girls had started training with Moe last week and had done well.
Darren had decided to train 2 and had not done as well.
He had a black eye to show for it because he let himself be distracted and wasn't paying close enough attention to what he was doing.
He was lucky that Moe had not given it her full strength, or he might be dead.
Instead, all he had was a Shiner to show for his efforts.
When they had got home after the training, Carlos had tried to fight his smile, and Flo had simply shaken her head.
His mother's reaction seemed to bother him more than the one Carlos had, even though most men would have been inflamed by that smile.
Maybe it was because he did not know Carlos well and because he wanted to redeem himself in his mother's eyes.
They had talked enough that she knew he regretted much of his past and that he hadn't stayed closer to his mom.
Shiloh was the only one who had visited at least once a year and sent her oldest child to visit for a summer.
The others had only stayed in touch by phone, and those calls were spotty at best.
Someday, Lottie hoped to have children, and it would break her heart if her children were not closer to her than Flo’s had been.
She'd gotten to know Darren a little better, and one time he had leaned in, and she thought he intended to kiss her.
It was like he changed his mind, and he pulled back without even saying a word.
What did that mean, or did it mean anything?
All she could say was that he sent out mixed signals, not only to her but also to any other adults who were around.
It was obvious that while Carlos tried hard to develop a relationship with Darren, he was not having much luck.
It was disheartening for Carlos because he had many sons and a good relationship with each of them.
Flo's luck was only a little better, and she had walked in on them one time when they had been sharing a dessert and talking about the good old days.
Darren had told her that he hoped his girls could be as happy as he and his siblings had been when they were younger.
He apologized for not staying closer, and his excuse had been that life had simply gotten away from him.
She'd heard that it was a problem with many modern humans.
It had even infected some paranormals, but sometimes those problems were simply that the parent and child did not get along.
That made her wonder if she and her future children would be any better off than some of the current ones that rarely saw each other.
Why was it Darren who popped into her mind when she thought of children?
That was just her being crazy, because, as far as he was concerned, the interest simply wasn't there.
It was true they had gotten to know each other better, but there had been no romantic feelings that she could see.
On the other hand, one of the guards had asked her out, and he was handsome and funny.
Lottie knew it wasn't wise to date on the job, and she had told him so.
He chatted, but he looked like he thought he knew something, but he hadn't said anything else.
Raider was the guard who had asked her out, and Ace was the other guard.
With wolves, it was hard to tell whether they were their real names or just nicknames.
Paranormals weren't the only ones that could give their children unusual names.
Certain groups of humans also did the same.
She'd never really thought about what she would name a child if and when she had one, but she thought it would be something that would help them fit in. Flo had given her children reasonably standard names, or so she’d said.
The only names she knew were Darren and Shiloh.
Eventually, she wondered if she would meet any of the others.
Flo talked about her children often and the things they’d done when they were young.
The only names she mentioned were the two that were here.
Flo was starting to show, and soon she would have another child to raise.
Would she do anything differently? Lottie wanted to ask but knew that question was too personal.
It was morning, and she could scent breakfast as she opened her bedroom door to join whoever was in the dining room.
Today was Liza’s day off, and the surprise was that Darren was cooking as Flo stood nearby talking to him.
It didn’t look like this was his first time cooking.
She remembered Flo had mentioned all her kids had learned to cook at home.
That was a great skill for anyone to have, and when his ex-wife left, she was sure it had come in handy.
Once breakfast was done, they would go to see Moe to train.
“You’re going to train again?” Moe asked.
“I’ll do better this time,” Darren assured. “Maybe I should spar with Lottie instead.”
Moe started laughing. “You think she’ll be easy? Even Lottie knows a lot more than you do.”
“So that means, okay?” Darren questioned.
“Sure, if Lottie agrees.” Moe declared.
“I guess. But I’ll get to work with you a little at the end?” Lottie wondered.
“Sure. Let’s get started. You two spar, and I’ll get the girls going.” Moe instructed.
Lottie and Darren began to spar. She didn’t know what she should do, so she just deflected his attempts at landing blows.
Darren tried harder, but that didn’t help him.
He was trying harder and putting more force behind his blows.
If they landed, they would hurt. Finally, Lottie did a sweeping kick and knocked him on his ass.
“Aren’t you going to help me up?” Darren asked.
Lottie moved to him and put out her hand. Darren grabbed it and pulled her down on top of him. He kissed her, and she kissed him back.
“You two need to get a room.” Moe cackled.