ended?” Gabe asked.
“I’m not sure. He never talks about it. He’s all about the coming baby right now,” Quinn said.
Gabe didn’t say anything, which was telling in itself. He tried to follow the old adage, If you have nothing good to say, don’t say anything at all.
“What?” Quinn asked. They didn’t often discuss Logan’s domestic situation, but she could see Gabe’s reservations.
“It’s not for me to judge. I certainly hadn’t been ready for fatherhood, but it’s an odd situation, don’t you think?”
“How so?”
“Well, Rafe seems to be in denial about the whole impending fatherhood thing, which is not an easy thing to do given that the surrogate is living with them. What happens once the baby is born? Will she simply pack her bags and leave? And are Logan and Rafe prepared for the changes that will need to take place once they have a newborn?”
Quinn shrugged. “I have no idea. Logan hasn’t really outlined their plan, and it doesn’t seem right to ask. I’m sure Sylvia will help them out. Perhaps she’ll even move in for the first few weeks.”
“She had better. There needs to be at least one adult in that household,” Gabe remarked.
“Gabe, that’s unkind.”
“The truth is rarely kind,” Gabe replied. “You did ask. So, what did Colin say about the skelly?” he asked, clearly ready to change the subject.
“Not much. He’ll ring me in a few days. And how was your day?”
Gabe shrugged. “The usual. Staff meeting, followed by a lecture hall full of students who’d rather watch videos on their mobiles, several complaints from staff that the ladies’ bathroom had run out of toilet rolls, then a heated argument in the teachers’ lounge that almost ended in blows.”
“Oh dear,” Quinn said, trying to hide her smile. “What did they argue about?”
“An article that appeared in the new issue of Archaeology Today about the black sarcophagus that was discovered in the Valley of the Kings. I never did figure out what the issue was. They were screaming and swearing so much, I couldn’t make out a word of the actual argument.”
“What did you do? Put them in timeout?” she joked.
“Basically. I banished them to their respective classrooms to cool down.” Gabe’s sigh sounded like a deflating balloon. “I’ve just about had it, Quinn. I was elated when I was offered the position of department head, but I feel like all I do is try to keep a bunch of rowdy children from pummeling each other on the playground.”
“And then you come home and try to keep a bunch of rowdy children from pummeling each other in the lounge.”
Gabe laughed. “I can honestly say that our children are more mature and better behaved than most middle-aged archeologists.”
“They are certainly cuter,” Quinn said. “And speaking of children, Mia’s birthday is coming up next month.”
“I hope you don’t mind, but my mum wants to come down for a few days.”
“Of course, I don’t mind. Why would I? She can stay here with us,” Quinn suggested, but knew Phoebe would refuse. She preferred to stay in a hotel, where no one woke up crying during the night or argued loudly about what to wear to school in the morning. Phoebe had trouble sleeping and often slept well into the morning to make up for the time she’d lost during the night.
“She’ll stay in a hotel,” Gabe said predictably. “She misses the children, though, and she’s been so lonely since my dad passed away.”
“I can certainly understand that,” Quinn said. “Getting old isn’t for the faint of heart.”
“No,” Gabe agreed. “It isn’t, but there’s actually some good news. My mum’s sister, Flora, is thinking of selling up and moving into Mum’s community. That would be ideal. They bicker like an old married couple, but they love each other to bits, and it would be nice for them to be so close to each other.”
“You mum must be thrilled,” Quinn said.
“Let’s just say she’s cautiously optimistic. Flora can still change her mind.”
“Why would she?”
“Seems there’s a gentleman friend that has arrived on the scene,” Gabe said, smiling. “Flora is smitten.”
“How sweet. How would you feel about your mum finding herself a boyfriend?” Quinn asked. Phoebe had been resolutely alone since Gabe’s father had died, but as Gabe had said, she was lonely.
“I’d be thrilled. I hate that she’s all alone, but she’ll never consider moving down to London to be closer to us. She wants to remain close to my dad, so that she can visit the memorial park. She goes every