"How many years of work have we put into this field? So much of our lives and at times it feels like we barely move the needle and I'm surprised it's not 1952."

"Neither of us were even born in 1952," Barba pointed out.

"Exactly!" Olivia shook her head. "Great work with the jury, by the way. Ballsy."

"Did the trick. Kind of."

"Can I ask you a massive favor?"

"You can always ask," Barba responded curiously.

"Could you be a Spanish tutor for Noah? Once a week, maybe? Never too early to get started on foreign languages."

Barba couldn't help but laugh at the unexpectedness of the question. "Olivia, I happen to know you're fluent en español. What's the real question?"

Olivia sighed. She forgot who knew and who didn't know about her various language fluencies. "It's my best explanation, but… I'm hoping to replace 'Grandma Sheila' with 'Uncle Rafa'. I want him to forget about her and it seems like it would be faster by introducing him to someone else. Someone I can actually trust. Because if I even so much as take him to visit her once, that will make what she did worth it in her eyes, and I can't condone that. Even if she's blood."

Barba couldn't help but stare, his mouth slightly unhinged. He certainly wasn't prepared for that. "What day of the week?" he asked once he could function.

"Sunday?"

Barba nodded. "Sundays can work."

"I warned you it was a massive favor."

"Tu familia es mi familia."

Olivia bowed her head. "Muchas gracias." She took her leave.

Barba watched her leave in awe.

"This is an easy one. Elefante."

Noah giggled. "That sounds the same as English."

"Almost," Barba agreed. "Spelled differently, though. Try it."

"Eddy the Elefante!"

"That's right! High five!"

Noah slapped Barba's hand with his own.

Olivia chuckled at the scene. "Having fun?"

"Mommy, did you know Eddy is an elefante in Spanish?"

"En español," Barba corrected.

"Did you know Eddy is an elefante en español?" Noah adjusted.

Olivia smiled. "You know, I don't think I did. I haven't ever heard him speak." She winked playfully.

"That would be un elefante español," Barba threw in.

"Hungarian for all we know. Did you enjoy the lesson, Noah?"

"Yeah!" Noah cheered. "Does Uncle Rafa have to go now?"

"I don't know." Olivia looked at Barba. "That's up to him."

Two sets of eyes were asking him to stay. Barba swallowed. "I am getting a bit hungry, come to think of it."

"Me too," Olivia added. "Are you hungry, Noah?"

"Mm… Yeah, can we get pizza?"

"Pizza sounds wonderful. Half cheese, half…?" Olivia looked at Barba.

"Sausage and pepperoni."

"Got it. I'll order an extra large."

Noah looked at Barba. "Would you want to play robots with me?"

Barba smiled at him. "Noah, I absolutely want to play robots with you." And so he was launched into a sci-fi world and given robots to be in charge of and told their powers. It was great, light-hearted fun. He easily lost track of time, pulled back to reality when the doorbell rang.

Olivia was extremely cautious with her verification that it was indeed the pizza delivery at the door, but she left no room for comments with her speed in dishing it up. "Time to put the toys away and wash your hands, boys."

"You go ahead," Barba encouraged Noah first.

Noah took off, eager for pizza.

Barba watched Olivia as she sliced a slice of the cheese pizza in half, and those halves into smaller and smaller pieces for Noah, the cheese comically not being cooperative. "Thank you for the pizza."

"Hm? Oh. Right. No problem." She held up the pizza slicer. "Do you want bite-sized too?" she joked.

"Ah, no. I already have a mother, thank you," Barba gently teased back.

"I know. We've met." She put the slicer down. "You can serve yourself. Once your hands are clean."

"Mine are clean!" Noah announced, running back into the room with damp hands.

Olivia chuckled and boosted him up into his seat. "Hold on, buddy." She grabbed a paper towel to soak up the excess moisture on his hands. "There you go. All good."

Barba shook himself back to reality and realized he could have taken the opportunity to move as soon as Noah was in sight. He had gotten distracted watching Olivia mothering him instead. Without wasting more time, he went to the bathroom to wash his own hands thoroughly, but quickly. Then he took a slice of the sausage and pepperoni. "What do you think the bigger pizza debate is? Chicago vs. New York or pineapple vs. no pineapple?"

Olivia looked at him. "I plead the fifth." She bit into her own slice of cheese pizza, sliding into a seat next to Noah. "You can sit with us," she invited after she'd swallowed.

Barba had the option to sit next to either one, but he chose to sit next to Noah. It seemed safest. The atmosphere was different than what he was used to. There was work family and then there was domestic family and the line between them had gotten blurrier.