Adventures In Parenthood by Dawn Atkins

Author:Dawn Atkins
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

My nieces totally rock. I can’t wait to adventure with them. We’ll be building a new generation of intrepid girls....

It was tough to be so positive and perky and optimistic when she felt like warmed-over dog-doo. Scout gave an irritated squeak. She wanted Aubrey to shut the computer down and go to sleep. “I’ll try, but no promises.” She set her alarm so she could call the girls at breakfast, and curled around her cat. At least she still had Scout, who began a comforting purr.

* * *

THE THIRD NIGHT after Aubrey left, Dixon removed the casserole dish from the microwave with two hot pads, then scooped small servings onto each girl’s plate, the steam smelling of noodles and tuna. His stomach churned. It was a long shot that the girls would eat more than a bite, but he had to try.

He seemed to be living in a haze.

At work, he put out brush fires, fought to hang on to their clients while the remaining staff juggled tasks and duties. He’d set up interviews with a half-dozen social workers, at least, nearly finished the big grant application and had a callout about a temporary job counselor.

Meanwhile, he hadn’t touched the job bank. Soon it would be out of date, nearly useless to the clients.

“Come and get it, girls,” he called. He’d been letting them watch too much TV so he could work in the evenings. He would have to hire Jessica to sit with them on weekends so he could go into the office for a few hours. As it was, he spent a lot of time spotting the girls on the trapeze and tightrope Aubrey had set up. What a ridiculous thing to put inside the house. Totally Aubrey. Wild, impractical and irresistible.

He missed her. He couldn’t deny it. He had to admit he’d wondered how her reunion with her ex-boyfriend had gone. She hadn’t mentioned it when she’d called, and now it seemed stupid to bring it up. Maybe she’d get back together with him. He hoped not. The guy wasn’t good enough for her.

Not that it was any of his business. All in all, it was good that she’d gone back to L.A. for a couple of months. He didn’t have to fight his attraction or dread the girls’ misery when she left again.

This departure had been torture enough. He’d lied to Aubrey when he’d said the girls were doing fine. Ginger kept bursting into tears, Sienna had tantrums over nothing, and they both had trouble at night—Sienna had wet the bed twice. The first night, Ginger had sleepwalked, the next she’d had a night terror. Constance had told him that wasn’t unusual, even for children who hadn’t experienced a death, but it had scared the hell out of him. She’d held a counseling session with each girl, and told him they’d both been deeply upset by Aubrey’s departure.

He wasn’t about to make Aubrey feel any worse than she already did by telling her that. She’d been calling at breakfast and bedtime every day.

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