CHAPTER 57 – CASPIAN
The doorbell rings, interrupting our kissing.
“Who on earth?”
I’m not expecting anyone, which means it’s either Earl or—
“Hello!”
Dorothy and Delilah Bloom stand in the kitchen doorway, clutching cake tins. They beam like dropping in to see me is a perfectly usual occurrence instead of something they’ve never done before.
“I hope it’s okay we let ourselves in,” Delilah says, smiling brightly.
“We were in the neighborhood,” Dorothy adds.
“May I ask why?”
The twins blink in unison.
“Because we were on our way here!”
Antonio giggles.
He will not stay amused for long, I think. Soon the Bloom sisters will start measuring his head for a crocheted balaclava.
He gets up from my lap, and I fight the urge to pull him back.
“Two sugars and a splash of milk, please,” Dorothy says, giving me an expectant look before sitting down.
“Same, please.” Delilah nods at me, taking the seat beside her.
They turn toward Antonio.
“Cookies,” Dorothy offers, lifting her tin.
“Muffins,” Delilah adds.
She points to the chair next to her.
“Sit down with us.”
Antonio hesitates, his fingers worrying the hem of his shirt. He stays where he is.
I brush his hand before I start preparing the coffees.
“I see you were having breakfast,” Dorothy says, pulling a notebook from her skirt pocket. “The pancakes have excellent form.”
She inspects the leftovers.
“I assume Antonio made them?”
“He did,” I say proudly, adding the required splashes of milk.
“I drew one as an example,” Dorothy says, showing us a wobbly circle.
“Why are you documenting our breakfast?” I ask.
“For Earl and Steve,” Delilah explains. “They are very invested.”
I sigh.
“Of course they are.”
“Earl’s really worked himself up,” Dorothy says. She peers at Antonio. “His special friend from Finland is coming to dust.”
“Maija has done our SWOT analysis,” Delilah informs us. “My strength is weaponizing gossip.” She beams.
Dorothy looks slightly jealous.
“Mine is being generous with butter.”
She notices Antonio’s empty plate.
“Another muffin, dear?”
Flipping a page in her notebook, Dorothy turns back to Antonio.
“How did you sleep? Harold spotted Caspian in Bed, Bath & Beyond last week. Did you choose the hard, medium, or soft pillow?”
“Medium,” he mutters, giving me a shy glance.
I smile reassuringly. The soft pillow was the one he used for other purposes.
“Wonderful.” Delilah beams as if she were personally in charge of all medium pillows.
“I underlined it,” Dorothy comments.
Delilah leans toward Antonio.
“Would you like to join our Sudoku club? It’s very low-key.”
Antonio looks at me and gives a small shake of his head. “Maybe not,” he says.
“A strong yes,” Dorothy writes.
“Scratch the ‘yes’ and write ‘no’ instead,” I say mildly, meeting Dorothy’s eyes.
She blushes. “Scratching the yes, adding the no.”
“The next question is from Steve,” Delilah continues. “Does Antonio have a temper?”
Antonio puts his muffin down with great dignity.
“I do not! Tell Steve to mind his own business.”
The twins exchange a solemn look.
“Temper,” Dorothy murmurs, writing carefully, “is on the assertive–explosive scale.”
Then they look up at me.
“Are you happy?”
They look so sincere. Like they genuinely care about my happiness.
I clear my throat, feeling touched.
I step behind Antonio and kiss the top of his head.
“Very happy,” I say.
“Oh,” Dorothy whispers, looking at Delilah.
“So lovely,” Delilah whispers, looking back at her sister. “Steve is going to cry.”
“Not as loudly as when he tried to remove his leather pants,” Dorothy adds as an afterthought. “That was not a good afternoon for Steve.”
“A house tour?” Delilah asks hopefully, getting up and putting her empty mug in the sink. “Maybe you want us to document the bedroom?”
“Absolutely not,” I say, my voice suggesting they’re almost crossing a line.
“I apologize,” Delilah mutters. “In our excitement we don’t always remember what’s appropriate.”
Dorothy shuts her notebook and gets up too.
“Welcome to Baywood,” she says warmly, looking at Antonio. “I hope you know you got one of the good ones.”
“The absolute best,” Delilah adds.
“Okay, ladies,” I say, not knowing where to look.
Antonio takes my hand. “I know.”