After the euphoria, came the reality check.

How the hell could they do this?

They sat in the car park at the supermarket, the trunk loaded with groceries.

"I'll have to move to London." Nora said. "There's no way you'll all fit in our apartment, and you can't move your job."
"But what about your job? We can't exist on one salary. That's seven mouths to feed."

"Well I'll just have to move my business. A lot of my clients are out this way anyway. Of course the girls will have to change schools. I don't suppose there's a private girls' school near you. What's the local high school like?"

"Adequate. Derek is underachieving, but that's more to do with Derek than anything else. Oh…hell!" George rested his head on the steering wheel.

"What?"

"Derek and Casey would be in the same school year."

Nora looked thoughtful, then horror crossed her face.

"Never mind that! Derek and Casey would be in the same house!"

There was silence for a while.

George sighed. "Why is life not simple? Why can I not just pick the person I want to marry and do it?"

Nora smiled sadly at him. "I don't know. Maybe this is a bad idea."

"You don't love me?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Georgie. Of course I do. I've never felt like this about anyone else, including Dennis. It's just that I love my children and I'm scared of screwing up their future."

"How can creating a loving home for them be screwing up their future?"

"If it was just Lizzie and your three or my two and your two youngest, then I would be so much happier. But Casey and Derek? They are such different characters and so close in age."

"So are Lizzie and Edwin."

"But they are similar characters. They get on."

"Casey and Derek have never met. Maybe they will get on."

Nora snorted. "That's part of what I'm afraid of. I'd rather not be a grandma before I'm forty."

George grinned. "Maybe they'll get on purely as brother and sister."

"And how will we know they aren't sneaking around behind our backs?"

"So what sort of relationship do you want them to have?"
"Maybe the fighting one is the best thing all round."
George sniggered. "Can you imagine, those two arguing?"

"Yeah. I lived through the Cold War, remember?"

Nora sighed. "George. Let's be realistic. Okay. This can only work if my daughters agree to it."

"Are you changing your mind!?"

"No…yes…okay. Let's just say I agree with your proposal in principle, but, until I can get my kids to agree…my answer is just a 'maybe'."

"MAYBE???? You mean I went through all that grocery aisle business for a MAYBE?!"

"George. Please understand. I'm asking my children to give up their lives so that I can be with you. If they aren't happy with that…."

"Don't continue that sentence."

"I'm sorry. But we need to get Casey and Lizzie's acceptance first."

"Okay. Work on them. Please!"

"I will."

"Nora?"

"Georgie?"

"Can I at least buy you a ring?

Nora approached Casey's room with trepidation. Her final conversation with George replaying in her mind.

"How do you think she'll take it?"

"Difficult to say with Casey. She is quite contemplative, but for something this emotional, I'd say plenty of tears and a long speech would probably be close to the mark."

"Well, good luck. And remember. We're in this together."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Hi Mom!" Casey greeted her. She was lying on her bed writing poetry. Nora found it slightly pretentious, but Casey went to an elite school where girls did that sort of thing and to be honest, Nora had written (bad) poetry herself as a teenager.

"Hi Sweetie. Poetry?" She stroked Casey's hair. It was an instinctive, affectionate action and Casey leaned into her hand, unconsciously as though she had been expecting it.

"Yeah. Rosalie wrote a lovely poem about butterflies for English today. It inspired me."
Nora half-cringed. She was all for encouraging creative writing and the arts, but she wondered how much of a life skill, being able to write insect poetry was really going to give Casey.

"Great. Casey, we need to talk."

"Sure Mom. One sec....Okay. Done." Casey scribbled something quickly and laid down her book. She looked up at her mom…and her heart sank.

Casey McDonald was anything but stupid. And her mother might worry about her sheltered school life being inadequate preparation for life. But Casey had already been through divorce and, prior to that, two years of living under the same roof as two parents who were rapidly falling out of love with each other. She also, on occasions watched Oprah. She wasn't as clueless as she looked.

Besides, she had seen how dating George had changed her mom. And it had only been a matter of time.

"He's proposed hasn't he?"

"Yes sweetie he has."

"What did he say when you said 'no'?"

Nora grimaced. Casey's jaw dropped. "Please tell me you didn't say 'yes'."

"No. I didn't…I said…'maybe'"

"What?! Mom! Are you crazy? You can't marry George. He has too many kids!"

Nora frowned.

Casey shrugged. "It's as good a reason as any."
"Casey. George and I love each other. We want to make a life together. We want our families to be happy…together."

"So are they going to move to Toronto?" Casey already knew the answer. Nora looked away. "No…I didn't think so. How am I supposed to keep going to school?"

"Well, obviously you'll have to transfer to a school in London."

"Are there any private girls' schools in London?"

Nora sighed. "Casey. For a while, until I build my business up in London, money is going to be tight. And even with your dad's contribution, school fees are not really an option. To be honest with you, I was looking at changing schools soon anyway."

"What? You can't Mom! I love my school I have friends there. The library is like a second home."

"Well, I'm sorry Casey, but I need you to seriously think about moving to London, because I really want to say yes to George."

"Can I go and live with Dad?"

Nora looked irritated. "What happened to…'I love my school?'"

"Mom. Toronto is home. It's a school I love, friends I care about, places I grew up in. London is a third class school, a place where I know no-one and I'll have to live with two teenage boys. One of whom can't even be bothered to meet me."

Nora bit her lip. Actually it was one of whom was desperate to meet you, it's us that are stalling.

"I can't do it Mom. I'm not moving." Casey folded her arms obstinately.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"So…honey….how did it go?"

Nora burst into tears.

"Okay. That answers that one. Does that mean the answer's…no?"

Nora looked up, sniffing and wiping her face with the back of her hand. "No…I'm not giving up yet. I'll talk her round somehow."

He sat beside her and took her hand, then brushed the remainder of the tears from her cheeks.

"Are you sure you want to?" He asked softly. George was scared to ask the question, but it needed asking.

"Yeah. Positive."

They stared at each other, losing themselves for a while.

"Good." He said, breaking the silence. "Because I bought the ring."

Nora's eyes lit up. "Gimme gimme gimme." She said in a jokey tone of voice.

George laughed. "Uh uh. I need a reward first."

"Oh?" Nora looked at him slyly.

"Yeah. Something good."

"How about an early night?"

He pulled the ring box out and threw it gently into her lap. "Okay. It's yours."

They both laughed.

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Nora lifted her head from his bare chest.

"So. You didn't tell me how it went telling Derek."

George shrugged.

"Easily." He smirked. "Of course it will get harder later on when he realises he's not as clever as he thinks he is, but for now there's no resistance."

"Oh?"

"Let me tell you how it went."

"Der-ek! Get your butt down here we need to talk!"

"I'm on the ph-one George." Derek sing-songed.

George, frustrated that his son couldn't obey him for once picked up the downstairs extension.

"Hi. This is Derek's father. I just thought you should know that you are in fact the fourth girl he's phoned this evening already and I know he has plans to phone three more before bed."

Click!

There was a thump as Derek threw himself off the bed and stomped downstairs.

"How about I tell Nora that you're sleeping with your secretary?" Derek said, leaning against the kitchen door frame.

"Derek you really need to pay attention to someone other than yourself. Firstly, I'm a community lawyer; there isn't the money for a secretary. Secondly, Nora has met you, experienced the obscure way that your mind works and would never believe you in a thousand years and thirdly SIT DOWN I have something to tell you."

He watched as his eldest child, slumped onto a bar stool and leant on the island in the middle of the kitchen.

"I'm getting married."

Derek's eyes met his father's. George tried to work out what Derek was thinking, and failed. There was a tumbleweed silence and then Derek laughed. It was a silly laugh, a dramatic, flaying arms laugh. Then his face became serious.

"It won't happen."

George wasn't deflected.

"And you know this because?"

"Edwin's told me about Casey. I know girls and I know the type, and I've met Nora. I bet you Casey won't be too thrilled and Nora won't be able to persuade her otherwise."

"Derek. I've bought Nora a ring. We are getting married."

"Hmmm. Over Casey's dead body."

"Okay, so maybe Nora has said it is only a 'maybe'…" Derek smirked. "But, smart alec. Don't hold your breath. I will get her to marry me."

"Care for a little wager on that one, George?"

"Yes actually I would. C$100 suit you?"

"Fine." Derek said and crossed to the fridge in the eternal quest to fill his stomach. "Don't worry, dad, I'm sure she'll still come for sleepovers."

"Der-ek!"

Actually, George only told Nora the bit up to 'I've bought a ring.' He didn't think she needed to know the rest.

"You have a slightly high expectation of my powers of persuasion, Georgie. I probably won't be able to persuade her."

"Yes you will. And in the mean time I've an idea how you can get her to at least consider the move here. Let her look around the school…"
"She won't do it. She'll refuse to get in the car."

"Tell her you're taking her to the dentist or something."