Sweet Temptation

It wasn’t ideal, but if this bargain got Daniele to eat, I’d take it until I could figure out why he acted the way he did and could fix it. I almost laughed. How was I supposed to fix traumatized children? A neglected dog?

By trying. That was all I could do, and I would try, because Simona, Daniele, and Loulou, and maybe even Cassio needed me.

After breakfast, Loulou, sated by more sausage and eggs than a small dog should have, curled up under the table to sleep. Domenico and Elia went ahead to prepare the cars for our shopping trip while Sybil was busy cleaning Loulou’s room, which wouldn’t serve as that from this day on. I wanted her to be part of this family.

I was left alone in the kitchen with Daniele, still perched on the pillow, now with the tablet on his lap, and Simona who squirmed in her high chair. These two kids were now mine to take care of. The weight of my responsibility sat squarely on my shoulders as I watched them. I didn’t feel like a mother. Would they ever accept me? Maybe I should lower my expectations and start by becoming their friend. That was the first step.

I approached Simona and smiled. She eyed me curiously. “Hello, Simona, I’m Giulia.” Some of the banana oatmeal she’d had for breakfast stuck to her cheek. I reached for a tea towel and wetted it with my spittle before I wiped at Simona’s skin. God, I was turning into my aunts. I’d always hated when they’d wiped at something with their own spittle. Now that was me. Simona squirmed but didn’t cry. I marked it down as a small victory.

“All done,” I declared. “Now we need to get you out of this chair and ready for a shopping trip.” I grabbed her under the arms, lifted her out of the chair, then balanced her on my hip like I’d seen other people do. Simona was silent, but her eyes had become big; she wasn’t convinced of me yet. For once, Daniele wasn’t looking at his screen. His intense look was fixed on me and Simona.

“You don’t have to be worried about your sister, Daniele. I’m going to take care of you two.”

Sybil sighed from the doorway. “They’re too young to understand everything you’re telling them. Maybe you should explain less. You’re the adult, and you don’t need to justify your actions to them.”

I frowned. It was obvious that she thought I was another child to take care of. I was young and inexperienced when children were concerned, but I was also supposed to be the new mistress of the house and a role model for these children. I had to put my foot down. “Thank you for your input, Sybil. But how we raise Daniele and Simona is only Cassio’s and my business.”

After a moment of stunned silence, Sybil gave a curt nod. “Of course.” Disapproval still oozed from her every pore, and I didn’t really blame her. It must be strange to have someone as young as myself as your boss.

“The breakfast casserole was absolutely delicious. Thank you for that,” I said as a peace offering. I didn’t want Sybil as my enemy. I needed all the help I could get.

Surprise crossed Sybil’s face. Then she nodded, and a hint of pride flickered in her eyes.

Simona on my hip, I held out my hand for Daniele. “Come, let’s go shopping. We’ll get you new shoes and cool shirts.” Daniele looked back down to his tablet.

Searching for a way to convince him, my eyes settled on Loulou, who slept under the table. “We’re going to buy new things for Loulou too. Don’t you want to help me choose the best toys for her?”

Daniele’s head shot up, and he hopped off the stool at once.

“The tablet has to stay here. You need to really pay attention so you can check out all the toys.”

Daniele hesitated, the tablet pressed to his chest. Then slowly he put it down on the chair and came toward me. Simona was tugging at my bangs curiously. Daniele didn’t take my hand, but he followed me out into the entrance hall where Elia was waiting for us.

“Do you need help?” He motioned at Simona.

“Actually, yes. I can’t put on my shoes and help Daniele with his jacket when I’m holding her.”

Elia smiled and came toward me. As he took Simona from me, his fingers brushed my hand. For some reason it didn’t feel like an accident. Simona began wailing the moment he held her, and even if her cries bothered me, I was secretly elated that she hadn’t cried while in my arms. I quickly got dressed and found a jacket for Daniele before we finally set out.

I was wedged between the two child seats in the back of the Cadillac while Elia and Domenico sat in the front. When I’d gone shopping in the past, it had taken two or three hours tops, but with two small children, things were very different. Eventually I gave up on having them try on the clothes and just held the pieces in front of them, hoping they’d fit. Despite the crying fits, it was enormous fun buying kids’ clothing. There were so many cute pieces that even my ovaries exploded. I couldn’t wait for Cassio to see them, even if I was a bit worried regarding his reaction to the cute overall dresses that I got for Simona. One of them had sunflower buttons.