Twice Upon a Time

“You’ve babysat the twins before. Maybe you should go instead of me,” Olivia murmured, stalling for time. Nelson was still watching them.

“I—I don’t want to babysit all alone. I’m kind of—tired.” Emily’s jerky voice came out in little gasps. “I was up late last night.”

“How come?” Olivia didn’t understand why the girl wanted to escape, but she recognized the extreme anxiety in Emily’s voice. The way she kept checking to see if her brother was still watching them was curious. It wasn’t that Olivia wouldn’t welcome the extra help with the two busy boys, but she had a feeling allowing Emily to come with her would only irritate Nelson more and she did not need that. “Were you sick?”

“No.” Emily blurted the word out too fast. “I was busy doing—stuff. It took longer than I figured. You could phone Mr. Woodward and see if it’s all right, couldn’t you?” Emily’s big eyes implored her to say yes. “I wouldn’t be any problem. I promise.”

“I’m not worried about that, honey.” Instinct was telling Olivia that Emily had come to her for help. She didn’t know why yet, but she did know she could not fail the girl. “Look, I’ll call Reese and get his approval while you check with your brother. I have to have Nelson’s permission to take you with me.”

After a long pause, Emily agreed. As she slowly walked across the parking lot, Olivia pulled out her cell phone and explained the situation to Reese. He sounded puzzled.

“So I get two babysitters. The twins are going to be ecstatic. They’ve been talking about you constantly.” He chuckled. “Of course Emily can come. In fact, if she wants, she can babysit on her own. I’ve been trying not to ask her because I know she loves being with the other kids at Byways and babysitting fulltime is no way for a thirteen-year-old to spend her summer.”

“She loves Byways, but she adores the twins.” At Byways, Emily was also with Nelson most of the time, and Olivia was no longer certain that was a good thing.

“Hey, if she comes today, you’d be free to do other things.”

“I suggested that, but she said she was too tired to babysit on her own. I think something’s wrong between her and Nelson, though I’m not sure what that might be.” Olivia reassured him she’d do her best to find out the problem. “Maybe she’ll relax with the twins and tell me what’s wrong.”

“Maybe. They probably had an argument.”

“I think it’s more than that.”

“Such as?”

“I don’t know. Yet.” She changed the subject. “Are you trying to do me out of a day with those two sweethearts, Reese?”

“No way. If you’re sure, come on over and bring Emily. She can probably use a break.”

“I’m sure. We’ll see you in a bit.” Olivia snapped the phone shut.

Her gaze slid to brother and sister, who stood facing each other on the stairs. She couldn’t hear what Nelson was saying, but Olivia could see the effect it was having on Emily. Her whole body sagged as if she’d been physically hit. Her chin dropped to her chest, her pretty face lost all animation as she stared at the ground.

Olivia fumed. Nelson could be as miserable to her as he wanted, but he was not going to take it out on his sister if she could help it. She tossed her handbag in the car, slammed the door and started forward.

“Is there a problem with Emily coming with me, Nelson?” she called. “I’ll be responsible for her.”

For a moment it looked as if Nelson would argue. But then he said something to Emily, some whispered remark that Olivia couldn’t hear. Emily backed away, but she nodded quickly, obviously agreeing to whatever he stipulated.

“Fine. Emily can go. But I expect her at home by seven. No later.”

“Not a problem. Thanks, Nelson.” Olivia grabbed Emily’s hand, found it icy cold. “Come on, Em. Let’s blow this place,” she said, and pulled her toward the car.

“I’ve never heard you talk like that.” Emily clambered into the car. The relief on her face did not need translating.

“You’re going to hear lots of stuff today. I’ve never babysat twins before.” Olivia switched on the engine and shifted into gear. “Hang on to your hat. Time to get to work at the Woodward house.”

The Kirsch siblings’ relationship had bothered Olivia ever since she’d come to Byways. Now a niggling worry would not be silenced. Something was clearly wrong between Emily and Nelson. Olivia needed to find out what.

“Mr. Woodward said it was all right for me to come?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t he want you to come over?” She glanced sideways, but Emily would not meet her gaze.

“I thought maybe since the boys got in the water at the wedding, that Mr. Woodward wouldn’t want me around them so much.” Emily turned to stare out the window.

“I’m sure you’re wrong about that. Reese told me you’re great with the twins. He wouldn’t lie about that and if he didn’t want you with them, he wouldn’t have said you could come today. He sure wouldn’t have enough faith in you to try to send me home.”

“Send you home?”

“He thought you’d be okay to babysit by yourself. That doesn’t sound like he blames you for anything. Does it?”

“I guess not.” Something was definitely wrong.

“Emily, you know that if you ever need to talk to someone, about anything, I will always listen, don’t you?”

Emily kept staring out the window. A moment later she reached up to scrub her knuckles against her cheek.

“Thanks,” she whispered.

Olivia’s misgivings grew. But she said no more, leaving it to Emily to initiate conversation when she was ready. A few minutes later the girl relaxed enough to point out interesting things along the way. Soon she was chatting freely, and by the time they arrived at Reese’s house, she seemed perfectly comfortable.

“I am so glad to see you. Both of you.”

Olivia didn’t think the look on Reese’s face was relief, but she couldn’t quite decipher what it was, other than to say it made her heart rate increase and her skin feel warm.

Though he was dressed in his usual business attire, Reese did not look as polished as usual. His sandy hair stood up in unruly tufts. There was a green streak marring the perfection of his pristine white shirtfront—marker perhaps?—and evidence of white hand prints on his knee. A splotch of red decorated the underside of his jaw.

The twins raced outside and enveloped them in jubilant hugs. Olivia hugged them back, genuinely glad to see the children again.

“Can we go jump on the trampoline, Mr. Woodward?” Emily had each child by the hand, holding them back as they strained to pull her inside the house.

“Sure.” Reese nodded. “Sure. But make sure the netting is fastened around the side.”

“I always do.” Her giggles burst out as the twins pulled hard on her arms. “I’m coming, Brett. I’m coming!”

“Hold on a second, guys. Don’t I get a hug before I go?”

Olivia’s heart gave a bump of longing as Reese’s big strong arms gathered his sons’ wriggling bodies to his chest. Her arms ached to hold her own child again, to feel the bliss of baby-soft skin against hers, to breathe the sweaty aroma of a busy child on a warm day, to hear a certain voice chirp, “I love you, Mama.”

“Olivia?”

She blinked away the mist of the past and found she was alone with Reese.

“Sorry.” Her mocking half-laugh sounded shaky in her own ears. “Guess I zoned out. Any last-minute directions?”

“More like warnings. Tons of them.” His eyes held hers, a question in their depths. “But I haven’t got time right now.” He rasped a hand across his jaw. “I didn’t even have time to shave this morning.”

“I believe that stubbled look is very fashionable.” The way he kept watching her told Olivia something else was going on. “There’s nothing wrong, is there?”