Some Bright Someday (Maple Valley #2) - Melissa Tagg Page 0,40
neck cricked. He hadn’t pulled on his usual long sleeves. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.
“Do they hurt?” Violet’s eyes were wide.
Jenessa brushed past him. She scooped Cade from his high chair and reached for Violet’s hand. “I’m sorry supper’s going to be a little while longer. Colie, take your brother. We never did start Toy Story 3 last night, but the disc is already in the Blu-ray player.”
She shooed them from the room and turned to Lucas. “I’m sorry about . . .” She flicked a glance to his arms. “Anyway, I guess now you know my kitchen skills are lacking. Worse, in this short of a time, I’ve become that caretaker who plops kids in front of a TV when she needs a break.”
It took everything in him not to rub his palms over his arms, scratch at the scars, hide them behind his back. She’s seen them before. But what they represented . . .
He swallowed. “You’re not the first person to burn supper. And Toy Story 3 is the best of the series so—” At the pools in her eyes, he forgot all about his arms. “Hey, what is this? It’s just food, Jen. Want me to whip something up?”
She yanked open the silverware drawer. “It’s not just dinner, it’s this whole day. I’m in completely over my head. I should’ve known when we could barely make it out the door this morning in one piece.”
Why was she choosing now to straighten the silverware? Forks, spoons, knives. The movement of her hands was almost frantic.
“I made a really stupid promise to Mayor Milt. Paige and I almost missed the cutoff for getting the paper to the printer. I have a whole checklist of stuff to do for Carmen. And then there’s Colie and school and . . . seriously, what was I thinking, Lucas? What made me think I’m capable of taking care of three kids?”
He moved to her side and reached one hand to cover both of hers. “Did you have time to take a shower this morning, Jen?”
She turned her glistening blue eyes on him. “What? I smell, too?”
He gave her a half-grin. “No. Well, that is, I suppose considering the charred casserole or whatever it is . . . was—”
“Lasagna. Mara dropped it off.”
“Right. So there’s a bit of a smoky smell to everything right now, including you, but that isn’t why I asked. You said something about barely making it out the door this morning and I made an educated guess. And I’m also gonna guess that maybe you could use ten or fifteen minutes alone.”
“But the kids—”
“I’ll feed them. If you’ll remember, I make great pancakes. Maybe I’ll even get fancy and do French toast. Go get cleaned up. I can handle this.”
He’d blown it with Noah today. With Sam. With Courtney. But at least he could do this—make Jen’s night a little easier.
Lucas Danby was a miracle-worker and a godsend in one blessed package. The low rumble of his voice carried from Violet’s bedroom, where he’d made himself at home in the chair beside her bed. Jenessa had peeked in a minute ago, just in time to catch Violet giggling over the book he was reading.
And now she hovered outside the door, back against the hallway wall, arms wrapped around the front of her pink fleece pullover.
He’d made supper. He’d convinced her not to feel guilty for letting the kids eat in front of the TV. Had even pulled Cade’s high chair into the den and fed him bite sized pieces of syrup-drenched French toast and cut-up scrambled eggs.
And then, while the kids finished their movie, he’d let Jenessa spill every frustrating minute of her day. From the mayor’s ambush, to her worries about how to keep up with the newspaper while caring for the kids, to that meeting with the principal and her disastrous conversation with Colie afterward. He’d even looked at Carmen’s list of requirements for the house and helped her come up with a plan.
He really was a remarkable listener. Everyone liked to tease Lucas about his quiet ways, but beyond his reticence to talk about himself was a skill at making space for others to free their burdens. Maybe that’s why he was mentoring that younger guy.
“Time to turn the page, Vi.” Lucas’s low tones reached into the hallway again.
“Mr. Luke?”
She heard the sound of a page’s shuffle. Lucas’s murmured, “Hmm?”
“Can’t you tell me why your arms are like that? Colie said it