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“Now go upstairs and sleep well, Brontë.”
Her eyes are big and unblinking as she stares at me for several more seconds before fumbling with her keys which I take from her hand to open the door. I hand them back to her, then reach past her to close the door and turn to head back to the SUV.
Chapter 5
Brontë
“Are—are you coming to your birthday party?”
Jenson, my five-year-old brother, asks me for the third time today.
“Of course I’ll be there, buddy.” I crouch down and grab his little shoulders.
“It’s her birthday, dummy,” Silas says, “she has to be there.”
“Hey, let’s not name-call. He’s just making sure I don’t forget, right, Jenson?”
Jenson nods, wiping his nose with the back of his arm.
“Do you like dinosaurs? Mom said I get to have a dinosaur party this year.”
“I do love dinosaurs. Do you boys have a favorite?”
I hold each of the boys’ hands as we leave the children’s center where we’ve spent the last few hours volunteering. Chantelle has made it a point to let me involve the boys in volunteering and giving back to their community. I think she also welcomes the break twice a month on Sunday mornings.
“Silas likes the spin—Spinosaurus.” He says the word slow and deliberate like he’s sounding it out. “But my favorite is the T-Rex.”
“Spinosaurus aegyptiacus is by far superior,” Silas says, emphasizing his statement with dramatic hand gestures that make me giggle. “Everybody likes the T-Rex, Jenson.”
He’s always been more serious than his brother. His mom says even as a baby he was fiercely independent and insisted on doing everything himself.
“It’s okay. I like the T-Rex a lot too. I think my favorite would be the Velociraptors; they’re so cute.”
“Actually,” Silas says, pointing a finger into the air like a little scholar, “scientists believe they were covered in feathers and more birdlike than reptilian.”
I burst into laughter this time. “Did you just say reptilian?”
He looks at me seriously. “Yes, meaning like a reptile, often with scales like a lizard or alligator. Speaking of alligators, they are actually decedents of dinosaurs.”
“You are so smart, Silas. I need to hang out with you boys more often; you teach me so much!”
We round the corner to Burton Place where my father and his family live and make our way to the front door of the massive historic home that sits in the heart of the Gold Coast, one of Chicago’s most sought-after neighborhoods.
“Hi, Mrs. Ludlow.” I smile at the housekeeper whom the boys practically run over on their way inside the moment she tells them fresh cookies just came out of the oven.
“Hello, dear. Did the boys behave today?”
“Always.” I smile just as Chantelle appears.
“Hey, Brontë.” She steps out and gives me a hug. “Come inside. Don’t stand out here like a stranger.”
“Thank you, I would, but I promised Sylvia and Taylor I’d do brunch with them. Thanks for letting me take the boys. We had so much fun and they taught me a lot about dinosaurs.” I laugh.
“They can’t get enough of dinosaurs and don’t even get me started on Silas correcting all the inaccuracies in Jurassic Park when Jenson watches it.” She rolls her eyes.
“Silas used reptilian today; I was very impressed.”
“They’re something else. You kids get it from your father, that’s for sure. I know you have to run, but I’ll text you details about your birthday party. I know you said you didn’t want anything big so I’m keeping it low-key. I promise.”
