14. Isabel #2
“I agree with Lily, Gran,” Emma told her, also kissing her cheek.
“We just want you to be happy, Isabel,” Sophia got in on the action. “You’ve come to mean a lot to all of us. You’re our aunt now.”
“But, if Owen so much as dares to hurt you,” Emma told her, “we’ll feed him to Sophia’s grandparents' roses.”
And just like that, even realizing she was being played by three master manipulators, Isabel’s heart melted. Tears burned the back of her eyes as she pulled all three girls in for a hug, kissing each one on the hair.
Then she sighed and, before stepping back from the embrace, said, “I’m so glad now I didn’t have girls. You’re exhausting, terrifying, and... I love you all so much.”
“We love you too,” the girls chorused again, their eyes flashing in triumph.
These girls are going to be trouble when they are at school together.
Just then, Isabel heard footsteps. Her head whipped around to see Owen and Martin at the door. Her heart went wild and her stomach clenched in excitement.
“Hi everyone, I brought some more coffee and snacks, they are in the dining room,” Owen called.
“Oh great,” Sophia said. “I’m starving.”
“I am too,” Emma said.
“Me too,” Lily said.
“Then why don’t you go get something,” Isabel told them. “I just need to finish what I’m doing.”
“Okay,” the three girls rushed off.
“Save a cake for me, okay?” Isabel called after them.
“We will,” they promised and rushed straight toward Owen.
Owen
Owen swallowed hard as he watched the three teenagers head straight for him. His first instinct was to turn and flee. They had the look of sheer intent in their eyes, a coordinated predatory march that signaled trouble.
"Uh-oh," Martin breathed beside him, his voice dropping to a cautious murmur. "Well, that looks like my cue to go get some of those delicious refreshments we just brought." He patted Owen on the shoulder, his grin entirely unhelpful. "Good luck, brother."
Before Owen could protest, Martin ducked out, slipping down the short corridor toward the dining room with remarkable speed.
"Coward," Owen muttered to Martin's retreating back. He shifted his posture slightly, drawing his hands further behind his back. His fingers clutched the rather sharp stem of the item he was hiding there, a single perfect bloom he had secured for Isabel.
"Hi, Dr. Reed," the girls called out in unison, their voices sweet as honey as they reached him. They beamed up at him with big smiles and adoring eyes that made his academic defenses instantly crumble.
"Where have you been?" Emma asked, tilting her head.
"We missed you in the basin," Lily added, her expression angelically innocent.
"What's behind your back?" Sophia asked, trying to peer around his right hip.
Owen blocked her view with a quick, clumsy step to the side. "Uh... just... uh..." He swallowed again, his nerves growing by the second under their collective stare. "Just something I got for Isabel. Since she's been working so hard lately, I thought I'd show her some appreciation."
"Really?" Emma's eyes lit up. She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, casting a quick look over to where her grandmother had turned back to her sorting trays at the far end of the basin. "What did you get her?"
"Yes, tell us," Sophia coaxed, stepping closer.
"That way, if Emma knows she won't like it, it's not too late to return it," Lily pointed out reasonably.
"I... uh... I know she likes what I got for her," Owen said, though a sudden prickle of doubt settled deep behind his ribs. Had Linda truly been accurate about Isabel's preferences?
"Are you not going to show us?" Emma asked, her shoulders dropping. "It's okay. Sorry we're being so nosy." She put on a profoundly sad face, her lower lip trembling slightly as she looked down at her dusty sneakers. "It's just that Gran has been so sad since my grandfather died..."
She let the sentence hang heavily in the air.
The little manipulative imp, Owen thought, a mixture of amusement and panic flaring in his chest.
"Well, we won't keep you," Sophia said, her tone shifting entirely as she offered him a bright smile. "I'm going to go get something to eat. Thank you for bringing snacks again."
"Yes, we really appreciate it," Lily told him.
They both stepped around his frame, one on either side, their smooth movement leaving Emma directly in front of him.
Drats, Owen thought. Foiled completely. "Huh," Sophia said, suddenly stepping back to the front of Owen. Her eyes widened as she lowered her voice to a harsh whisper. "Did you steal that from the sacred rose garden?"
"What?" Owen's heart missed a beat. Oh, shoot. How on earth did she know? "No, I uh... um..." He cleared his throat, his face warming rapidly. He was not good at this type of interrogation at all. "I got it from a friend."
"Is that friend the sacred rose garden?" Lily asked him, a knowing smirk touching her lips. "You know that's a prize rose, right?"
"What?" Owen spluttered, his fingers tightening against the stem.
"My gran produced that specific rose for the annual summer rose festival competition," Sophia told him, her eyes dancing with triumph. "It's called Angel Wings."
"No..." Owen shook his head in frantic denial, his brain scrambling for a logical cover story. "I... uh... got this from a friend."
What the heck? I was set up, he thought, a sudden image of Linda's mischievous smile entering his mind.
It must just look identical to her grandmother's prize rose.
"Okay, then why don't I take a quick photo of it and send it to my great-grandad for verification?
" Sophia offered, reaching for her pocket.