A Family For Easter

Had he decided to take her up on her offer of the carriage house?

She’d seen Eduardo dressed up once before, on his date at Chez La Ferme, but he looked happier and more comfortable today, in his dark suit and open-collared blue shirt, laughing with his kids.

“Sofia! Hey!” Lauren dropped Poppy’s hand and ran toward the Delgados. Ryan followed suit. They played on the same coed soccer team with Sofia and Diego, and the four children were becoming friends.

A moment later, all of them were on the grass next to their vehicles. Ryan, Diego and Maya darted back and forth, burning off energy by throwing around the cotton-ball lambs they’d made in Sunday school.

“Is that sacrilegious, to play with the Easter lamb?” Fiona asked, half joking.

“Is it, Dad?” Diego clutched his lamb to his chest, his expression anxious.

Eduardo looked amused. “Not really. In some cultures, kids raise a lamb for Easter. I’m sure they play with it.”

“That would be fun!” Maya danced over to Fiona. “Can we get a lamb, Mom?”

“No.” Fiona tried to tuck Maya’s hair back into its ponytail holder without much success. “But we’re thinking about a dog when summer comes, and you kids can all help pick it out.”

“Yes!” Maya pumped her arm in the air and ran back to the game of toss-the-lamb.

Fiona glanced over at Eduardo. “I don’t think the kids would like what happens to the pet lamb at Easter.”

“Easter dinner?” He winced. “Good point.”

“Mom, can me and Sofia swing Poppy?” Lauren asked.

Poppy threw her arms around Lauren. “Please, Mommy? I wanna swing with LaLa!”

“If you’re careful. Not too high.”

“I know, Mom. Come on, Sofia.” Lauren picked Poppy up easily and carried her toward the swing set. At ten, she was tall and broad-shouldered, often mistaken for a teenager.

“Poppy’s cute,” Eduardo said, looking a little wistful. “I remember those days.”

“They go by too fast.” Fiona didn’t want to think about how she wasn’t going to get another baby, how Poppy was her last. So, she watched as Lauren set her little sister on a swing, giving her a stern lecture about holding on tight. Lauren liked to show off her childcare skills, and Sofia was a new audience.

Which was fine. To a pair of ten-year-olds, a toddler seemed like a doll, and Poppy was glad to play that role if it got her some big-girl attention.

Fiona and Eduardo stood together, watching their happy kids. Was the question of the carriage house hanging between them, making things awkward, or was it just her being silly?

She focused her attention on a robin pecking at the newly turned earth, pulling out a fat earthworm.

It was a beautiful spring day and the service had been uplifting, and there was no need to feel uncomfortable with family friends. If he didn’t want to take her up on her offer, that was perfectly fine. He probably had lots of friends to reach out to.

“If you were serious about renting to us,” Eduardo said to Fiona, “could we stop over and check out the carriage house sometime soon? I’ve been online and in the paper, and there’s not much out there to rent. I have an appointment to look at a trailer out on County Line Road, but it’s a little more isolated than I’m comfortable with.”

“Sure!” Fiona heard the enthusiasm in her own voice and toned it down. “Come out this afternoon, if you’d like. And you know, I also have a landscaping project I need done. Maybe you could take a look.”

“Are they coming over?” Maya had overheard, and a big smile broke out on her face.

“Maybe,” Fiona said.

“They might come over!” Maya rushed over to the big girls with her important news, followed by Diego and Ryan.

“They’re obviously on board,” Fiona said. “In fact, you’re welcome to come for some lunch. I have plenty of hot dogs and burgers—”

“No, thank you,” Eduardo interrupted, a shadow crossing his face. “That’s a nice invitation, but we have other plans.”

Heat rose in Fiona’s face, and she was sure it showed in her cheeks. The disadvantage of being a fair-skinned redhead.

The rebuff was so definite. He didn’t want to come. “I just thought... It’s always hard to figure out what to do for lunch after church, at least it is for me, and so if you needed...” Stop talking. He doesn’t want to be your friend.

“As far as helping with your landscaping...” He trailed off.

“It was just an idea. I know you have a lot going on.”

He looked at the ground and then met her eyes with a forthright gaze. “You didn’t suggest it to be charitable?”

“Charitable? What you do mean?”

“I just thought... Since we’re going to struggle a little, given what’s happened, maybe you were trying to help. And that’s not necessary.” His chin lifted.

“I’m sorry to say that didn’t even occur to me,” she admitted. “I’ve been meaning to look for a landscaper, but I haven’t gotten around to it. When I saw from your truck that you do landscaping, it seemed providential. If you’re not interested, it’s no problem.”

He opened his mouth to answer. But the kids had been conferring over by the swings, and before he could say anything, they ran over in a group.

“Are Sofia and Diego coming over?” Ryan was obviously the designated speaker.

Fiona glanced up at Eduardo, eyebrow lifted. His call.

“Yes, I think so,” he said. “A little later.”

“Well, we were wondering...” Ryan glanced at his big sister.

“We figured out a plan.” A winning smile broke across Lauren’s face. “Can Sofia ride with us?”

“And can I ride with Diego?” Ryan asked. “Please, Mom? I like their truck.”

“That won’t work.” Fiona looked over at Eduardo. “They’re coming over later in the afternoon. Right?”

“We have a stop to make,” Eduardo said, putting a hand on Diego’s shoulder and another on Sofia’s.

“Oh, yeah. I forgot,” Sofia said. “We’re going to the cemetery.”

“How come?” Ryan asked.

“Our mom is there,” Diego explained.

“Well, her grave is,” Sofia clarified. “Mama’s in heaven.”