YASMINE
Yasmine walked into the house with Pia and Jax, feeling exhausted and hollow inside.
Jax had been sullen when he got in the hovercar, and hadn’t said a word all the way home.
Now he was dashing off for his room, without even stopping for a snack, his footsteps heavy on the treads.
Obviously, he was upset about the blowback over the headpiece. The kids at school teasing him for it would have been about a hundred times worse than the riot act Kreed had read her. As a teenaged boy, Jax would have had to try hard not to cry or respond at all.
She bit her lip and cursed herself inwardly for not realizing the odd reactions she was getting all day were beyond just people responding to a grown woman wearing what she thought looked like a tea party hat.
Maybe if she hadn’t been daydreaming about Kreed, she would have had her wits about her.
But hindsight was twenty-twenty. The only thing she could do now was try to right her wrong as best she could.
“Let’s go see what the cooks are up to,” she suggested to Pia. “I wonder if they have anything yummy for your snack.”
Pia brightened a little and tugged her by the hand toward the kitchen.
At first, when Yasmine collected Pia to go get her brother, the little one was so excited that she jumped up and down on her bed.
Letting Pia know she would still have to leave in a few days wasn’t easy, but it was important to be honest with children.
Pia took it hard. clinging to Yasmine in a way that broke her heart. Now, an hour later, she was slowly beginning to relax a little.
Yasmine hoped that maybe tonight before bed they could start drawing pictures and making signs to welcome the new nanny. Focusing on welcoming someone new might help Pia feel less sad about saying goodbye.
Happily, one of the kindest cooks was rolling out cookie dough in the kitchen.
“You don’t know anyone who might like to help me cut out cookies, do you, Yasmine?” Cook Prinng asked, winking.
“Me,” Pia yelled. “I want to help.”
“Would it be okay if I went and checked on Jax while you get started?” Yasmine asked.
“But you’ll come right back, right?” Pia asked a little worriedly.
“She will if she wants any cookies,” Cook Prinng declared.
Pia giggled.
“Can I take packet of chocolate for him?” Yasmine asked the cook.
“Of course,” Cook Prinng said. “We always keep extra on hand for Mrs. Slaite.”
“Really?” Yasmine asked, shocked.
“That woman is always under stress,” Cook Prinng said, shaking his head sadly. “I try to keep her in chocolate to help lift her spirits.”
“That’s very kind,” Yasmine said.
“Can we make stars?” Pia asked.
“Of course we can, sweetheart,” Cook Prinng declared.
Yasmine grabbed two bottles of fizzypop from the fridge and gave Pia a little wave as she headed out.
Talking to Jax would be difficult, but hopefully, it would be her last difficult conversation of the day.