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“Thank you.”
I turn to Leo. “How many worms do you have on you?”
He holds up ten fingers.
“Where are you hiding all of them?”
He pulls three out of his left pocket and two from his right.
“Hmm… I don’t think that’s ten. Let’s count them together. Ready?” Leo nods. “One, two, three, four, five. Where are the other ones?”
Two worms emerge from his left sock, then two more from his right. I try not to shudder at the thought of what that might feel like.
“I think there’s one more. Where is it?”
Leo sighs, reaches in his shirt pocket, and pulls out the last dead worm.
“Thank you,” I say, trying not to cringe.
“Dinner’s ready,” Wesley sing-songs.
As the three of them set the table, I stand and scoop Leo up and toss him over my shoulder like the world’s tiniest sack of potatoes.
“Alright, Worm Boy, let’s get those hands washed.”
He giggles hysterically as I bounce him all the way into the kitchen. I set him down and grab the little step stool Avery slides my way.
“You don’t have to do that. I can help him,” she says.
“It’s my pleasure. Really. I don’t mind.”
“Alright, well you make sure you wash your hands too, Worm Man.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
I smile at the faint tinge of pink that suddenly appears on her cheeks.
Once Leo’s done, I toss the worms from my pocket into the trash and wash my own hands.
You can see the entire condo from the kitchen—the nook, the living area, even the hallway leading to what I’m sure are the bedrooms. It’s an ideal setup. She can cook for her family and for her channel while still keeping an eye on the little guy.
I can see why she’d removed the cabinets above the sink even if she had lost some storage space (I could see a few screw holes in the wall she hadn’t patched). Maybe I’ll offer to fix it for her sometime.
Dinner was some of the most fun I’ve had in ages. Things started a little tense conversation-wise but grew easy quickly. The more we talked and interacted with Leo, the less tension Avery held in her shoulders. She even smiled at me a few times.
Once Leo is tucked in bed, things get awkward again.
“Wesley handed me the bag with my clothes and shoes when you got here,” Avery says, settling into the couch. “You all said you needed to talk to me, so what do you have to say for yourselves?”
I clear my throat. “I think the first thing I need to say is that I’m sorry. I never meant for you to overhear what I said. Seeing you and Phillip was the last thing I expected to see in Wesley’s kitchen. I was beyond shocked, but that’s no excuse for letting my emotions direct my actions. I was basically a kid having a tantrum.”
The hurt in her eyes when she finally looks at me is nearly enough to knock me off the armchair.
“But why did you call me a mistake?”
“I was worried for the both of you. If this got out at the Academy, Phillip might be asked to resign or not be invited back to teach next year. And before I talked with the guys, I’d been terrified they’d try to use this against you too. They’d already waffled over letting you in. I didn’t want to give them any excuse to ruin your future either.”
Her bottom lip starts to tremble. “What do you mean they didn’t want me there?”
