June, Reimagined (66)

“Shit!” June yelled.

“You said another naughty word!” Sorcha began to chant. “June stinks! She has no friends! June stinks! She has no friends!”

“That’s why you don’t have a boyfriend,” Innis added with a laugh. “Because you stink!”

June held back tears. Along with the completely deconstructed living room, now the kitchen was a disaster. How was she supposed to feed the girls, put Ian to bed, and clean up shattered glass without anyone getting hurt, never mind while getting bullied by children who weren’t entirely wrong about her!

And how was she going to become a teacher? If she couldn’t handle three kids, how on earth could she manage a classroom of thirty?

June tiptoed to the phone and rang the inn. When Amelia answered, June pleaded with her to come to her uncle’s, just for a bit, so she could get Ian to bed. After that, with a baby off her hip, June was sure she could manage the two girls. A movie and some popcorn and the girls might not tell their parents what a dumpster fire the night had been.

Amelia promised that help was on the way. June relaxed and stared at the tomato sauce covering the ground. Glass was everywhere, but so far no one had gotten cut. It would have to wait until Amelia arrived.

“OK. We’re gonna play a game,” June said.

“What kind of game?” Sorcha asked.

“I don’t want to play,” Innis whined. “I want to eat. My stomach hurts I’m so hungry.”

June ignored her. “It’s called Freeze. You have to stay right where you are, perfectly still. First person to move loses.”

“What do we get if we win?” Sorcha asked.

June hadn’t thought of that. “You get to choose what movie we watch. The game starts—”

“Can we blink?” Sorcha asked.

“Yes.”

“Can we breathe?”

“Yes, please breathe.”

“What about my toes?” Sorcha pressed. “Can I wiggle my toes?”

“Toes are fine, but you can’t talk.” June eyed the girls. Innis still looked skeptical, but she hadn’t moved. “The game starts now.”

For ten blissful minutes, there was silence in Hamish Gordon’s house. No one moved, other than baby Ian, which disqualified June almost immediately.

Sorcha and Innis were in a dead heat when the front door opened. At the sound, a flood of relief washed over June.

“Thank God, Amelia,” June hollered. “I thought you’d never get here.”

“Sorry I’m late.”

June froze, her stomach dropping to her toes.

Sorcha moved first, breaking her pose to throw herself at her cousin. “Lenny! You’ve come to save us!”

“Ha!” Innis said, shaking out her arms and legs. “I win.”

Lennox carried a bag of groceries. He took in the mess, the tomato sauce and broken glass, the now soggy noodles. Ian began to cry.

“At least you’re consistent, Peanut,” Lennox said. “Disaster loves you.”

“June said a naughty word, Lenny,” Sorcha said. “Twice. And she lied. Her breath stinks.”

Lennox went to the sink and grabbed a rag. June wanted to explain, but nothing came out of her mouth.

“I don’t know, Sorch . . . she smells pretty damn good to me.”

At his smile, June scowled. How dare he be charming at a time like this.

And he looked good. Better than good. June didn’t think it was possible for Lennox to be any more gorgeous, but she had been wrong. He looked well rested, but it was more than just that. He was buoyant, an addicting, intoxicating lightness in his eyes that June had never seen. She wanted to swim in the liquid peace of those hazel eyes, hold his hand to check whether it felt lighter, too.

Being away had been good for him, and that sat painfully sharp in June’s heart.

Lennox clapped his hands. “How does breakfast for dinner sound?” The girls cheered, happier than they’d been all night. Lennox pointed toward the bathroom. “Start the bath while I clean this up.”

They marched out of the kitchen like soldiers under orders.

“That’s not fair,” June pouted. “Why do they do that for you and not for me?”

“Because I’m more fun,” Lennox said.

“I’m way more fun than you.”

“But you lack something important.” He pulled coins out of his pocket. “They know if they behave, I’ll leave money under their pillows.”

“Cheater!”

“It’s called collective bargaining.” Lennox took Ian from June. “Now, why don’t you go change into something of Sophie’s? We can put your clothes in the washer. They’ll be dry by morning. I’ll clean the kitchen while you watch the girls in the bath.”

“Why are you here?” June asked. It was one thing to fail in front of kids, but another for Lennox to witness her incompetence. “I called Amelia.”

“And she called me,” Lennox said. “Sorry to disappoint you, Peanut.”

The problem was that June wasn’t disappointed. Not in the least. In fact, she felt better than she had in weeks, as if the sun had just come out in Scotland. She hated that Lennox had that kind of power over her. It made June feel all the more pathetic. She held nothing over him.