“Are she and Lucas in the same class?”
“No. Fortunately, there are enough kids for two third-grade classes. The twins are super close, but it’s not good for them to be together twenty-four seven.”
That made sense. “If I ever can manage to stay awake for more than just mealtimes, I want to learn to sign the alphabet. I’m sure I can find something online to teach me that.”
Spencer looked away for a moment, his gaze in the distant trees. Then those warm brown eyes returned to me. “I wish you wouldn’t.”
“Why?” I gave him a small smile. “I’m a good speller.”
He ignored that. Something was obviously on his mind. “Right now, you’re the only one around here who isn’t fluent in sign language. I’m hoping that that will encourage Charlotte to speak to you.”
“But couldn’t that backfire? Like it might make her want to stay away from me?”
That brought out his smile. “Not going to happen. She’s fascinated by you. She’s asked me dozens and dozens of questions about you—so many that I had to start making stuff up. By the way, if she asks, you love horseback riding, your favorite flavor of ice cream is strawberry, and you took ballet lessons when you were a child.”
I laughed. “The only one of those I think I could fake is the ice cream.”
“Just be yourself, but if there’s any way you can draw her into conversation, I’d be grateful. She doesn’t get enough opportunities to do that.”
“I’ll do my best—though I’m not quite sure where to start. It’s not like I can take her shopping or to the park.” Spencer’s face tightened, and I realized I’d said something stupid. The last time the kids were at a park, Lucas nearly got hit by a car.
Luckily, Lucas himself appeared just then and took his place opposite me. Grateful to change the subject, I asked him how school was.
“Not bad. We’re learning how to label maps. Do you know how to remember which one’s east and which one’s west?”
“Nope. I’d be completely lost without GPS.”
“It’s easy,” Lucas said, his wavy brown hair bouncing as he spoke. “When you label them on the map, they should spell “we” not “ew.”
“I never thought of that. Got any more tips?”
“You can’t color the land blue. That’s only for water.”
“But blue’s my favorite color,” I teased.
“Sorry,” the little boy said solemnly. “It’s the rules.”
The door slid open again, and this time, Raphael and Charlotte came out. Raphael had two thick bowls in his hands, and Charlotte had one. The little girl came up to my side and gave me a shy smile when she put the bowl down in front of me. “Thank you, Charlotte,” I said.
“You’re welcome.” Her voice was low, but quite clear. Remembering Spencer’s request, I started to ask her about school, but she’d already turned to help Raphael. Together, they brought out more bowls, a salad, and a loaf of warm, crusty bread.
Once everything was on the table, Raphael sat next to me, and Charlotte sat next to her brother across from us. No one said anything about the empty seat at the far end of the table.
“We have a tradition before we eat,” Spencer said, looking at me.
“A prayer?”
He grinned. “Not quite. At school, there’s a question of the day. I introduce it during the morning announcements, and then the kids chat in small groups as they answer it. We’ve continued the tradition at home during dinner time.” He turned to his daughter. “Charlotte, it’s your turn to go first. Do you want to ask Raphael or Alyssa?”
Though Spencer had been signing while he spoke, Charlotte answered out loud. “Alyssa.” I smiled at her encouragingly. She took a deep breath and then spoke clearly. “If you had to change your name, what would you change it to?”
“Wow, good question.” I noticed that Raphael was signing, presumably interpreting my words in case it was too hard for Charlotte to isolate the sounds out here. “Charlotte is a very pretty name.” She smiled. “But since you’ve already taken that, maybe … Vanessa?”
“I like that,” Charlotte said, flashing me an adorable smile that was missing a tooth. I was around kids so rarely that I’d completely forgotten the twins were the age when that happened.
“What about you?” I asked her.
“I like Vanessa, too.”
“Lucas, can you ask Uncle Raphael the question?” Spencer asked.
“Can I ask one to Alyssa instead?” the little boy asked.
“Sure, maybe one of the ones from earlier in the week,” Spencer said.
Next to me, Raphael chuckled. “I’ve been replaced.”
Lucas ignored him and looked at me. “What’s something you’re a little embarrassed to be good at?”
“Wow, that one’s harder.” As I took a moment to think, the scent from the food in front of me made my stomach growl. It looked to be some kind of thick, luscious red stew over rice. “I guess … hula hooping.”