Rhea…
She tucked Cass into her bed after she had directed Sarah and Sue to the other girls' rooms. She brushed the girl's hair out of her face and thought about what she had heard tonight. Some things that Cass had been saying were starting to make more sense. Rhea didn't want to push her sister, but she had started to have precognitive dreams at least as soon as she was able to talk. It's why they had come to La Push in the first place.
Rhea suspected that Cass was able to see things when she was awake, too, but she didn't want to force her into it at her age. It would happen when she was ready. She was glad when the girl hadn't said anything more in front of Charlie about the wolves, but now she was a little worried for Cass again. If the wolves were coming back, would it be soon? Cass was too young to be dealing with that yet.
Speaking of Charlie – the man had thrown her a little. He was so solid. Steady. Sarah had told her that the man had a daughter a little older than Cass, so it wasn't strange that he was good with the kids, but he had been quiet, not boastful or arrogant, which in her experience was unusual for an officer. When she had seen him up close she had had to catch her breath at his penetrating gaze. His deep brown eyes looked like he could see right into her soul.
His hand had been callused in hers when she shook it, and the way his body contracted lean muscles every time he moved spoke of a man that wasn't idle. Someone who was constantly on the move and had strength that didn't require arrogance or an ego to go with it. Not a gym body, but one built from hard work.
Laying in her bed, she realized that he had made her aware of her body in a way she hadn't been for a while – maybe ever. She wanted to see him again. She did have a few strays to gather first, because it was more important right now that she start helping to heal her community, but once she had gotten the ball rolling on that, she was going to use that number Sarah had given her and have Charlie, along with her other new friends, over for dinner.
Rhea woke up to Cass climbing in bed with her the next morning.
"They're coming. Four more days until Diana and Kara." The little girl snuggled into Rhea's side, getting comfortable under the covers with her. "Our family's gonna be so big, Ree." Cass was clearly still tired as she quickly fell back to sleep, allowing Rhea to slide out of the bed and head down to start pancakes for them.
While she cooked, she thought about what she was doing there. She had no real reason to work with her dad's money; it was more than enough for a hundred lifetimes, and she had always wanted to help kids. The dreams Cass had been having about their future is how she determined what path that help would take. She was actually glad that she had been directed here. The sense of community was already so great, she felt like she belonged, and Native American kids got the shit end of the stick a lot, especially when it came to foster care because of the requirements of fostering.
Typically you had to have a job showing you could support the fosters, but considering her holdings, they bypassed that requirement for her. They had also told her that because she was so flush and had ties to the Native American community, plus her degree in social work, she would be able to foster more kids than the typical individual would be able to, so long as she showed them that she was capable of managing her household as a safe and stable environment.
She had built her home with that thought in mind. Never had she been the kind of person who wanted or needed a giant home, but she needed to make sure she had more than enough space considering she never knew what the future might hold. Her whole first floor was basically two giant open spaces. One was kitchen, dining, living area, and the other part was a massive play/media/learning space for the kids. There was also a small mud room with laundry and a half bath.
She had three floors above that with five bedrooms on each floor. Other than the master suite, and a single bath/bed pairing on each floor, all the rest of the rooms were paired with Jack and Jill bathrooms. She had all of the rooms soundproofed because she knew at some point she was going to have a house full of teenagers and she'd be damned if she was going to be listening to all that music or their loud phone conversations through the walls.
She was anxious to invite Sue, Sarah, their families, and Charlie for dinner soon, but she wanted to make sure she gave Diana and Kara a few days to settle in first. She didn't even entertain the idea that Cass might be wrong. She was never wrong. So, she thought should invite them over for dinner and a play date the following Saturday. That would give her two, nearly three whole days to settle the kids in and get them a little more comfortable.
That decided, she brought all her sleepy little girls down for breakfast. After breakfast, Cass took the girls off to read to them while Rhea rang Sue and Sarah for the invite. They were, of course, happy to accept for themselves and their families. Sarah and Sue had both told her that Charlie was off fishing with Harry and Billy, but she called him up anyways, and left a message about the time and date for dinner, letting him know that the others would be coming, too.
She hummed as she went upstairs to start setting up some rooms for Diana and Kara. She wanted them to be comfortable when they got here. The advocate she had been working with had sent her copies of all the files of Quileute, Hoh, and Makah children in the system that had not been properly placed.
She knew that Diana and Kara were sisters and they had been put into different homes. She doubted they had seen each other at all in the last eight months. Rhea and her sisters were taking up the entire first floor of bedrooms, so she made her way up the stairs to set up the two bedrooms to the right of the staircase on the floor just above theirs.
Those two bedrooms had an adjoining bathroom for the sisters. Rhea hoped that keeping them closer would make them happy. She even made sure that Diana's room had a trundle bed for the time being in case they wanted to stay together for a while at night.
Despite the girls being set up a floor above Rhea, they would have easy access to her if they were scared or needed her for any reason. There was only one main staircase in the house that just kept zigzagging itself up higher. The stairs from the upper floors came out on a landing directly in front of Rhea's room, so if she kept her door open, she would always know when they were coming down, and she'd be easy for them to find.
Initially, when she set up the girls' rooms, she only put on standard bedding and she'd had the construction crew leave the rooms plain white. She had furnished each room with a full-size bed, dressers, desk, and bookshelves. She wanted them each to customize their own space, figure out what and how they wanted it. She would also take them shopping for toys and clothes after she had had a chance to inventory what they showed up with.
Smiling at her completed task, Rhea went back downstairs to pack up a bag of sandwiches and snacks for lunch. She wanted to take the girls for a walk while it was nice out. She also brought a couple of umbrellas, because she knew what the weather was like there.
She led them outside and into the woods behind their home. Rhea really wanted to get them excited about the natural landscape of La Push and the outdoors. She couldn't help looking around in awe herself at how green and alive everything seemed. It was magnificent. They didn't go far, and Rhea found a small spot where they could all sit down and enjoy their lunches.
She kept her seat while the girls explored – feeling the moss on the ground and the bark on the trees with a child's natural curiosity. Of course, eventually Cass got lost in her own mental universe as she was bound to do and tripped, scraping her knee. It wasn't too bad but she held it up for Rhea.
"Kiss it better please, Ree." Rhea sighed and bent over her sister and brushed her lips over the scrape. As she knew it would – as it always did – the scrape shrank in on itself and disappeared completely within seconds.
Rhea had been able to do that as long as she could remember, but her mom had freaked out when she found out and told her never to do it again. Her sisters knew better than to tell anyone, though.
"You need to be more careful, Cass. I won't always be there to kiss it better. You'll be starting school in a couple months, squirt." She cleared up from lunch and corralled them all back home. They went back to playtime and Rhea went to grab her files. She had more than just the kids she was going to take in permanently, and she needed to organize them and build herself some kind of schedule. As though the universe was speaking to her, the phone rang as soon as she sat down.
"Daniels residence." She answered.
"Ah, Ms. Daniels. I'm so glad I caught you. This is Michelle from the social services office. We just got some paperwork pushed through and delivered today. I wanted to let you know that it looks like we have two fosters lined up for you already. They're sisters, but it looks like they're coming from different homes in Port Angeles right now. It is Diana and Kara Fairway.
"I believe you already have their files, but I wanted to make sure I got you as soon as possible since it will give you an easier time getting them enrolled in school and such. They should be brought to your home in the morning on Thursday, it seems. Do you have any questions or concerns?" Michelle was always so formal. Rhea didn't blame her. She knew that her job had to be difficult for anyone to do. Things definitely didn't always end up with the best-case scenario, especially for the kids involved.
"No, no concerns here. I'll just go over their file again and get everything ready for them. We're excited for them to be here. You have a great evening, Michelle, and thanks again." Rhea got busy setting up her schedule. She knew she would have to keep notes anytime Cass shared her dreams. Some things just could not be planned for, but Cass always knew when something was about to change.
Thursday…
Rhea and the girls were up at the crack of dawn, all of them excited to welcome the new arrivals. Rhea got the girls dressed and had them go make sure their play area was tidied up while she set about making a big breakfast for them all. She had pancakes and cinnamon rolls, eggs, toast, bacon, sausage, spreads, milk, and juice all set out at the table with dishes just in time for the knock on the door.
All four younger girls came racing into the room, bouncing so fast that when they stopped it nearly looked like they were vibrating with glee. Rhea, excited herself, tried to calmly open the door instead of flinging it wide like she wanted to. Two little girls stood directly in front of the severe-looking Michelle, clutching each other's arms tightly. It pulled at Rhea's heart to see them that way and she wanted to promise them that she would never let them be separated again, but she couldn't do that in front of Michelle.
"Welcome home, girls. My name is Rhea, but you can call me Ree if you want. I just finished making breakfast, if you're hungry." With a slight nudge from Michelle, they made their way into the house. Rhea herded her own hoard to the table as well. "You're welcome to join us, Michelle."
"I think it's better if I don't this time around. I'll be back once a week for the next month to check in, but it looks like you've got everything pretty well in hand here." She smiled a little, and Rhea couldn't help but think it looked nearly painful as she showed the woman out the door. She quickly made her way back to the table and got the girls set up in chairs next to one another so they could still hold hands if they needed to.
"Alright, girls, I made all kinds of things. You can grab what you want yourselves, or I can help you out, if you'd like." Rhea didn't want to push them, just ease them into the family. Kara looked to her sister for guidance, not reaching for anything on her own. Rhea just waited. Diana stared at her for a while before coming to a decision.
"I could probably get my own, but Kara can't, so you could help her while I get mine." It was more statement than question, but Rhea could see how much it cost the girl to give up control to someone else. "Kara you go ahead and tell her what you'd like."
Kara was Diana's baby sister, and after being separated for so long, Rhea knew she must have an intense desire to take care of her by herself, but she was offering it to Rhea. The woman knew that this was partially a test, but she had no intention of ever failing either of these girls.
"Um… can I have some cinnamon rolls? Oooh, and pancakes! I like eggs too." Kara rattled off shyly after having been given the go ahead. Diana had already begun to put what she wanted on her own plate, clearly used to managing on her own. Rhea quickly filled up an appropriate portion for Kara before moving around and dishing out food to her sisters as well.
"Dig in, kiddos, then we can get your stuff up to your rooms." They all ate mostly quietly, the younger Daniels sisters chattering between bites. The Fairway girls were watching a bit warily as they ate, clearly still not sure of the situation.
When they had all finished eating, Rhea grabbed the few ratty duffle bags of meager belongings the girls had herself. She kept a skip in her step as she led them up the stairs, knowing they would be happy here once she could show them they weren't going anywhere. It would just take time. She took them to Kara's room first.
"Here's your room, Kara. I know it looks kind of plain, but I wanted you to be able to pick your own things out – both of you. We're all going to go shopping tomorrow and get stuff for your rooms, and for you. Which of these bags is yours, honey?" Rhea asked the girl.
"The red ones are mine and the blue ones are Di's." Rhea dropped the red bags on the end of the bed and gestured them to follow her through the door to the bathroom.
"This is a bathroom for the two of you to share. We'll get stuff for in here, too, and you only have to walk through the bathroom to get to each other's rooms." Smiling, she pushed the other bathroom door open into Diana's room. She put the blue bags on the end of her bed and turned to them.
"Now, I know you guys have been separate for a while, but I don't plan on letting that happen again – ever. You will always be welcome in my home – our home. I know at first it might be tough having separate bedrooms, though, so I have a little surprise for you." She pulled the trundle bed out from under Diana's bed frame.
"If two separate bedrooms is too hard in the beginning, Kara can always come sleep right here" A small gasp escaped behind her, and all of a sudden, Rhea had two little arms wrapped around her legs. She turned and laid her hand over Kara's hair, petting it gently. Looking up, Diana had heavy emotions rolling through her eyes, but she was still wary underneath that.
"I'd like to show you something else." Rhea took Kara's hand as the girl was still clinging to her, and guided them both back down one flight. Standing at the bottom of the stairs, she pointed at her open door – mere feet away. "That's my room. If either of you ever need anything, any time of night, you just come right in. I will never be angry if you're coming to me for help or comfort." She squeezed Kara's hand before letting go.
"Alright, girls. I'm going to have you go with Cass, Phoebe, Eris, and Irene to the playroom while I go and unpack your things for you. There's books, games, toys, crafts. Everything in there is as much yours as it is theirs. I should be back down before lunch."
Rhea watched with a smile as Cass and Phoebe grabbed Kara's hand and talked her ear off while basically dragging her down the stairs. Eris and Irene were next, making their way haltingly down on legs that still weren't completely steady. She watched Diana walk behind the twins, her hands hovering protectively behind them as they went. She was already settling in, whether she realized it or not.
Rhea grabbed the nanny cam monitor for the play area from her room before heading upstairs. She did a mental inventory of the girls' things as she put them away. They each only had a few full outfits, mostly worn out, a couple of stuffed animals, and a handful of personal items.
They would have to go to Port Angeles. Rhea was never so glad that she had decided to get the super-van with the built-in video monitor and the ridiculous amount of seating in her life. She was also glad she had stocked up on booster seats for the kids. She could just play them a movie on the way there and one for the trip home to make the long ride go by a bit quicker.
After a simple lunch, Rhea decided to play some educational games with the kids to try and determine what level Diana and Kara were at. She always liked to pick things that would entertain and challenge them when she chose toys for the girls. She determined quickly that they were both pretty on track for their age groups, but she could tell they were both able to do better given the correct tools, so she would keep her eye on that when they went out the next day as well.
By the time dinner was over, Kara was much easier with Rhea and the girls, and Diana was clearly warming up, but not quite ready to take down her walls yet. Rhea wanted to get them all bathed and ready for bed, but she didn't want to push Diana too hard where Kara was concerned, either.
"Diana. Kara. At bath time, I usually help Eris and Irene wash first, then Cass and Phoebe bathe together. Do either of you need help, or do you want to wash separately?" Diana looked pensive.
"I can wash myself. If Kara wants, you can help her, but if she doesn't want to, she can bathe with me and I'll help her." Kara looked shy again.
"Can I take a bath together with Cass and Phoebe?"
"Of course you can, sweetie! You guys go ahead and play in one of your bedrooms while I get Eris and Irene washed and then I'll start up a bath for you. Diana, you can play with them, or if you want, you can watch me start the bath and take your own. All the tubs work the same."
Diana opted to follow Rhea and the twins into their bathroom, watching carefully how she turned the water tap to make sure it wasn't too hot or too cold before plugging up the tub with a lever.
"I made sure there were a couple of towels up there for you and some of the girls' wash things until you pick out your own. If you need any help, just yell down for me."
By the time she had finished cleaning the twins, she and the bathroom were pretty wet, but she didn't bother with it because she still had a load to go. She drained the tub and dried the wriggling toddlers as best she could before sliding them into their pajamas and leading them off to their bedroom.
She rounded up Kara, Cass, and Phoebe for the next round of water games, and got them all sparkling and laughing quickly enough. She had heard the upstairs tub draining about halfway through the second bath, but Diana didn't come down on her own. Rhea sent Kara up to grab herself some pajamas after telling her where they were, and tasked her with bringing Diana back down with her for story time.
The books were in her room, since her bed was the biggest, and it just made sense to have bedtime stories in there. When Diana and Kara came down, Rhea had Kara pick the story for the night, and said that the following day would be Diana's turn. Kara picked a book about wolves, and Rhea wondered if it was possible that it was not a coincidence, somehow.
"At night, when the moon shines bright…" By the time the story was over, Diana was the only one left awake, but she was fading fast.
"Let me get these guys in their beds and then I'll carry Kara up with you, okay?" All Diana could do was nod. One at a time, Rhea carefully moved each of her sisters to their own beds, kissing them gently on the forehead and tucking them in for the night. Finally, she picked Kara up just as gently and gestured for Diana to follow her.
"Do you want me to have her sleep in your room or hers tonight?" She asked as they reached the top of the stairs.
"In with me, please." Diana shuffled ahead of Rhea and climbed into her bed. Rhea used her foot on the trundle handle to pull it out and settle Kara in. Stepping over to the younger girl's room, she grabbed a pillow and blanket for her, going back to finish tucking her in. Diana watched with longing on her face as Rhea kissed Kara's forehead as she tucked her in.
"Goodnight, honey." Rhea leaned over as far as she could to pull up Diana's covers and kiss her too while the girl just stared at her with wide, surprised eyes before snuggling into the covers and fading into sleep.
Shopping the next day was a horribly hectic affair. The ride to Port Angeles was easy enough, with a movie on for the kids. She had them pick out their bathroom stuff first and they both agreed on an ocean theme with seashells, fish, and such and a light blue-green color for the room and accessories. Rhea also made sure to stock up on soap, brushes, hair ties, etc. for the girls.
Next, she had them pick out colors for their rooms. Kara went with a light fuchsia color, while Diana chose a deeper violet color. Both girls had darker bedding than the paint they chose, they each got to pick a rug, lamps, pictures for their walls, curtains, and a handful of books, toys, and stuffed animals for their own rooms.
After sorting out the bedrooms and bathrooms, Rhea took them out for lunch before they jumped into wardrobes. Neither girl had much in the way of clothes, and what they did have was older, and wouldn't fit for much longer, so Rhea made sure to buy them enough clothes to last at least for the next year. She let them pick out a lot of their own things, but helped them find really cute outfits, too.
They also got several pairs of shoes, and as a treat when they were done, Rhea told each girl including her sisters that they could pick one movie they would like to buy and one activity. On the way to the kid's activity section, they passed sporting goods, and Phoebe squealed.
"Ree, I really want fishing stuff instead. Please? Billy told me all about fishing, and I want to do that." So of course, they made a quick stop and let Phoebe choose a fishing pole for herself (she went with pink which was no surprise to Rhea as it was the color she wanted everything to be). They also grabbed her a little tackle box with spare hooks, weights, bobbers, pliers, scissors, a little swiss army knife and everything else a little girl could want to fish with.
Once in the kids aisle again, Eris and Irene were immediately drawn to a fairly massive science kit that was both educational and promoted independent thinking, and they didn't mind sharing. Cass was a little less sure, but decided on the full light bulb baking set that included tons of the premade recipes. Cass had always liked helping Rhea in the kitchen, so this would be her first step to doing something with that interest on her own.
Kara thought for a long time and looked at everything before she chose. It was an unusual choice when she pointed at a beautiful mahogany box. It was labeled as a 'potion' kit for teens, but looking at it, it included real herbs and gems, that could theoretically be used for magic. Diana took the longest, and Rhea thought it was mostly because she was afraid to ask for what she wanted, rather than not knowing what she wanted.
"I've wanted one for the longest time." She spoke almost to quietly for Rhea to hear, but she cautiously led the group back down to sports equipment near where Phoebe had gotten her fishing gear, but Diana was drawn to the tools of her namesake, apparently.
"It's okay if you say no. It's just the only thing I really want." She ran her hand almost reverently down a child-sized recurve bow. It had a box attached that stated it included a sight, arm guard, finger guard, a dozen arrows and additional materials for repair, a quiver, and several targets.
Without bothering to respond with words, Rhea picked it up and put it in the cart immediately. It was the first real thing that Diana had asked for, and there was no reason that Rhea couldn't teach her how to use the weapon safely. Shopping finally over, they headed back towards home. Everyone was so exhausted by then that it was basically straight to bed after a quick dinner since they were having company the next day.
After breakfast the next morning, an excited mob of girls were running rampant on the third floor of the house going through all of the purchases they had made the day before and putting them in their places. Rhea told the girls that as far as the paint was concerned, she'd have one of the guys on the rez who needed a little extra cash come over and paint sometime in the next week for them. They were all so excited.
While the girls all ate lunch, Rhea started putting together her homemade lasagna and garlic bread for the dinner guests that night. She made sure to make plenty of both, and set them on top of the oven ready to be popped in when it was time. While she waited for the time to do that, Rhea showed each of the girls where their new activities would go.
Off the playroom was a large screened in porch that overlooked the back yard, and she had several all-weather bins out there for activities that shouldn't be done in the house. Mad science with toddlers could obviously get very messy, and even the baking kit could be disastrous if done incorrectly. The bow should obviously only be used outside, as well as the fishing gear.
Now the potions stuff was mostly okay for the inside, but because of what was in it, she wondered if she could have someone like Old Quil come over and show her some other uses for it related to tribal customs – and she was fairly positive that should be an outside activity. She made a mental note to ask Sarah about that for later.
When it was time, she dropped the lasagna pans into the oven and went out to the garage to grab a couple of the kiddie tables and chairs she had out there for parties. She set them up between the dining room and the kitchen. There should be enough room for all of the kids at the small tables, and there was more than enough room at her dining room table for the adults.
When she went to put the sheets of garlic bread in to cook, her phone rang. She grabbed it quickly.
"Daniels residence." She sang.
"Oh, Rhea. Glad I got you. I don't want to impose, but would it be too much trouble if we had one extra little one at dinner tonight?" Sarah's voice was lightly strained.
"No, no, not at all! The more the merrier. You didn't go and pop out another kid while I wasn't looking, did you?" Rhea joked. The sigh of relief at the other end of the line was nicer to hear even than the slight chuckle at her joke.
"No, he's not mine, sadly. Embry and his mother live right down the road from us, and his mother works the night shift. He's Jacob's age, and I offered to keep him for the night for her tonight. Poor woman is a single mother and doesn't have any family around."
"Of course, Sarah. You don't even have to ask. My home is open to ALL children – any time. And most of the adults around here too, if it came down to that." They both laughed. "I'll see you all in about an hour, then?"
"Sure, sure. See you then, and thanks, Rhea!" Rhea had the girls run and clean up any of their messes and wash their hands before helping her out setting the table and getting it ready for their company. All her girls were in their seats vibrating in anticipation of seeing their friends. Her sisters were all very excited to visit with them again, and it was clear by their faces that Diana and Kara were a little more anxious about meeting so many new people.
Rhea ran her hands over both of their shoulders in reassurance before she walked to the door to answer the first knock. Her breath stuttered just a little at Charlie on the other side of the door. He wasn't wearing anything unusual, just dark blue jeans and a t-shirt paired with work boots, but the jeans fit just right, and the t-shirt was just tight enough to show that the man stayed very fit.
"Come on in." She stepped to the side to let him walk in by her and had to stop herself from leaning towards him. He smelled – edible. Whatever scent he was wearing was subtle, but it made her want to bury her face in it and breathe it in forever. Yum. She shook her head, unused to her own intense responses.
Excited squeals interrupted her drooling as Jacob came running up ahead of his parents, dragging another boy – Embry she assumed – by the hand. Sue and her family weren't far behind. She left the door open and ushered them all in. The kids didn't even need any direction, they just went to sit with hers. Rachel, Rebecca, and Leah made slight faces at the amount of little kids, and the kiddie tables, but they gravitated towards Diana.
"Alright, guys! Before we get dinner dished out, I've got a couple new family members here tonight. Diana and Kara just got here a couple of days ago, but they are officially part of the family. Kids, Jacob's friend is Embry and I expect you to be just as nice to him as you are to Miss Sarah and Miss Sue's kids, okay?"
All of hers nodded, even Diana and Kara, just showing more how integrated they already were. Rhea was beaming as she and the other women dished out plates of lasagna, bread, and little salads for the kids. She looked at Charlie, Billy, and Harry when she spoke next.
"Make yourselves at home. Grab yourself whatever you'd like. We're not terribly formal here." The men hurried to do just that, not able to withstand the delicious smell of the food. After the women had plated food for each of the kids, they got them their choice of juice, milk, or water to drink. Sarah and Sue had no problems helping themselves to food or drink, but Rhea once again had to prompt the men.
"What would you guys like to drink? I've also got soda, beer, or a nice red wine to go with the lasagna if you'd prefer." She poured herself a glass of red, as had both Sue and Sarah.
"I'll have a beer, thanks." Billy couldn't really have soda or wine with his diabetes, Rhea knew, so she smiled at him and served him up a cold one. Harry followed suit after a little extra thought.
"I suppose I'll try the wine. Seems a shame to have you pick something to pair with dinner and not drink it." Charlie's face went a little pink as he chose something most of the adults in the room knew he would typically not choose for himself.
After everyone had eaten their fill, the kids moved off to the play area after being assisted by the adults with washing up first. The adults each grabbed their drink of choice and went to sit comfortably in the living room to chat.
Rhea found herself having to pay extra attention to focus on the conversation around her. As all the couples had conveniently sat together, she and Charlie by default ended up pressed close together on her loveseat, which she now wondered why she had gotten in such a small size.
She was drowning in his scent, and it was creating a fog in her brain, but not one strong enough to stop her from noticing how his thigh was pressed tightly to hers from hip to knee, or how warm it felt, or how it made her skin tingle and burn. She wondered if he could feel the pounding of her heartbeat through her leg. It was so loud to her ears, she would be surprised if they all couldn't hear it anyways. To distract herself, she turned to Sarah.
"Embry seems like a sweet boy. Is he always so quiet?" She had noticed that the few words he had spoken had been directly to Jacob, and always in a near whisper.
"Yes. The poor boy. I'm sure his mother loves him, but she's never home, so he spends most of his time either alone or with other families on the rez. Nobody knows who his dad is. Tiffany says she left him back in California." Sarah had an odd look in her eye.
"That's terrible! It must be hard for everyone involved. Sarah, can you tell his mom that he has a room here anytime he needs it? You can give her my contact info and everything. I just think if she works most nights, it would be good for him to have a stable, scheduled place to go and I certainly have the space."
"That's so sweet, Rhea. I'll definitely tell her, and that would ease a lot of our minds, too. I love having him, but I always feel badly because he doesn't have his own space, it's more like a sleepover with Jacob, and I know it might be part of why he's so shy, since most everywhere he stays wouldn't feel like his."
She leaned forward to clasp Sarah's hand, and nearly tipped her wine glass over in the process. Charlie, noticing and reacting, wrapped his hand around the stem over top of hers to keep it steady. His hand was warm and rough, completely encompassing her small one, and burying her in her awareness of him again.
She gulped when he moved his hand off of hers because he didn't move it far, just to rest on her thigh above her knee. He probably did it because it was only inches from her glass in case he needed to play white knight against carpet stains again, but she could feel each finger, each crease of his palm as though it was on bare skin instead of over her jeans.
She was only able to catch bits of the conversation for the rest of the evening. Charlie left his hand where it was, except each time he shifted to talk or take a drink, his fingers would tighten on her thigh, and her breath would stutter in the back of her throat. She didn't understand how this man she had only known for a short time could affect her so thoroughly.
Sarah and Sue both seemed to have caught on to her predicament, both of them shooting her looks and smirking at her occasionally. Sarah had even volunteered herself to fetch the wine for refills when they were getting low, not giving Rhea a chance to extricate herself to catch her breath.
Before she knew it, Sue and Sarah were checking their watches and saying that it was time to round up the children and go. Rhea was simultaneously relieved and disappointed. She couldn't wait to invite them all over again. Oh! She had nearly forgotten.
"Yeah, it takes me a while to get all of mine to bed. I did want to talk to you all about coming over on Saturday in two weeks. I wanted to have a birthday party for Cass. If you're free, of course." Do not look at Charlie. Do not look at Charlie. She kept telling herself mentally.
"Oooh, that sounds like fun!" Sarah nearly squealed. "We'll definitely be there."
"So will we." Sue simply stated with a smile on her face.
"I'd love to come and wish that bright little girl of yours a happy birthday." The hesitation in Charlie's tone had Rhea finally turning to look at him. She was trapped in his chocolate brown eyes as he spoke. "I'm on shift that day, but I'll see if one of the boys will switch me for a different weekend day."
Sue had poked her head through the doorway to summon all the children while Rhea was distracted. The stampeding of little feet finally allowed her to tear her eyes from Charlie's. All of the children ran around the room, hugging adults and kids that wouldn't be coming home with them. After the women had all hugged, Charlie helped Sue, Sarah, Harry, and Billy usher their kids outside before turning to her.
"It's getting late for those munchkins, huh? You go ahead and get them ready for bed and I'll tidy up down here." Charlie generously offered.
"Oh, you don't have to do that!" Rhea exclaimed. Charlie just smiled.
"You made dinner for all of us, and I don't get home cooked meals very often. Seems like the very least I could do." He made little shooing motions at her while he grinned. She sighed.
"Alright, kids. Upstairs with you." She led the procession upstairs, starting the tubs in two of the bathrooms while she wandered around from room to room, gathering up pajamas for all the kids. She let Cass, Phoebe, and Kara get into one bath with some toys while she went into the room directly across the hall with Irene and Eris. Through the open doors, she could still see the other girls in their tub. Diana had already gone upstairs to bathe herself.
She quickly washed the twins, drying them off and putting them in pajamas before herding them into their room. She popped into the other bathroom long enough to wash the other three, helping them clean up their toys, dry off, and get dressed themselves. By the time that was done, Diana was already done and waiting in Rhea's room for story time. Gathering all of the kids together in there, they picked a book and finished their nighttime ritual with all but Diana asleep yet again.
Rhea carried each child to their room, finally lifting Kara to take her upstairs with Diana walking beside her, two fingers hooked through a belt loop and a sleepy smile on her face. Kara was still sleeping on the trundle in Diana's room, but Rhea thought that it probably wouldn't be long until she would be moving to her own room most nights. Smiling contentedly, Rhea made her way back downstairs to see what else needed to be done before she could turn in for the night.
She stopped at the bottom of the stairs, looking around in awe. All of the places had been cleared and the table was cleaned. The leftover food had been put away, and all of the dishes were on the drying rack beside the sink. Charlie had a rag in his hand, just finishing wiping down the counters. It was as clean as it would have been had she done it herself. It looked like he had even swept the floor, as there weren't any crumbs even by the children's tables.
"Wow. You're a man of many talents, Charlie Swan." He startled at her voice, saw the surprise on her face, then chuckled.
"I live by myself. If I don't clean, it stays dirty. Besides, you already did a whole lot of work for us today. I didn't want you to have any more left over for you. I really do appreciate the dinner – and the invitation. It's nice to get to sit down for a meal, especially one where I'm not sitting by myself." He finished drying down the counter, and quickly washed his hands in the kitchen sink.
"You're welcome for dinner any time, Charlie." She nearly kept her voice perfectly even, but she heard the nervous break in the middle. Her eyes dropped for a second and when she met his gaze again, there was something in his eyes, but just a glimpse before it was gone.
"I'll definitely keep that in mind. I'd better get going before I end up falling asleep behind the wheel." He started for the door, Rhea falling into step behind him – just to lock up, of course. He stopped just before the door and turned, nearly causing her to run into him. She stopped with only inches between them. "Thanks again for inviting me, and I really do hope I can make it for Cass's party. Remember, if you girls need anything before then, you've got my number, okay?"
"Of course." She breathed. Not able to contain herself from some kind of contact, Rhea reached up quickly before she could panic and wrapped her arms around Charlie's neck in a hug. His arms wrapped around her ribs automatically to return her embrace. "Thanks for coming, Charlie. You drive safe, and swing by any time you want." She mumbled a little against his neck, and then stepped back.
He cleared his throat and backed out the door, Rhea locking it behind him. It took her a moment to step away from the locked door and make her way back to her room. While she slept that night, she dreamed of kissing that skin that had been under her lips, to see if he tasted as good as he smelled.