Chapter 40
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It was now Monday morning, and as planned, Dominick was supposed to pick up Grayson in the afternoon. Since it was a weekday. Paisley got up early to tackle some work she had to fish. By the time she wrapped things up, Serena was already
awake.
“Mommy. “came a sleepy call from the bedroom.
Their house had three bedrooms. Serena still shared the south–facing room with Paisley. Maria slept in the north–facing room, while the guest room near the entrance had been Grayson’s temporary space these two days.
Paisley walked back to the bedroom to
find Serena sitting up in bed and rubbing her groggy eyes, her hair a mess. Her voice. still soft and babyish, piped up, “Mommy, do I have to go to school today?”
Serena was a chatterbox who spoke fluently but still had a few words she didn’t quite pronounce right, making her sound irresistibly cute. Her little mispronunciations had caused more than a few funny moments,
“No, not for now. Ill find you a better school, Paisley said.
After what had happened at her old preschool, Paisley didn’t feel safe letting Serena stay there.
Oh.. Serena’s face fell. “But I liked Ms. Johnson”
Ms. Johnson–Sophia–was Serena’s teacher, the kind, patient one who greeted the kids every morning with a warm smile.
Paisley only hoped Sophia hadn’t been caught up in the fallout from the incident. If it turned out she was, Paisley had already decided she’d step in and help Sophia find a new job.
“If I don’t go to school, what am I supposed to do today?” Serena asked, blinking her big, shiny eyes at Paisley.
Well… how about this? Mommy won’t go out to work today. I’ll stay home with you. After breakfast, we can visit the park nearby. Sound good?” Paisley said with a smile.
Serena’s eyes lit up instantly. There was nothing more exciting for her than having her mother’s company on a weekday.
“Yeah!” she squealed, throwing herself into Paisley’s arms with a giggle.
Suddenly, the bedroom door creaked open. Paisley glanced over and saw Grayson standing there.
“Oh, good morning,” Paisley said.
“Morning Grayson replied with a nod. He stood in the morning light, his expression unreadable, though something flickered in his eyes.
“You’re attending school today, right?” Paisley glanced at the time and added, “I can take you there first,”
Shaking his head, Grayson explained, “Dad gave me, the day off and told me to stay here. He’ll pick me up this afternoon.”
Paisley frowned, not for the first time confused by Dominick’s logic. She could’ve easily taken Grayson to school in the morning, and Dominick could’ve picked him up after his business trip.
But instead, for no other reason than to keep Grayson waiting, he tookahe trouble to call the teacher and arrange a day off. “Honestly, what’s wrong with that man…” she muttered under her breath, yet she caught herself when she remembered the
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21:58 Mon, Jan 27 0
Chapter 40
kids were standing right there,
She stifled her annoyance and said, “Go wash up. Breakfast will be ready soon.
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Over the past two days, aside from that first–day clash between Serena and Grayson, the two kids had managed to coexist without much trouble.
Grayson kept mostly to himself, occasionally letting loose with a snarky comment. Paisley just pretended not to hear him.
Once the kids had finished washing up, Paisley headed to the kitchen to make breakfast. She found the ingredients Maria had prepped for pasta before leaving. Soon enough, three steaming bowls of pasta were ready and placed on the table.
“Breakfast is ready, she called out.
Grayson quickly took his seat but pulled a long face at the sight of the plain bowl of pasta before him.
“What’s wrong? Don’t like it?” Paisley asked. She was about to suggest he could grab some bread instead if he didn’t want the pasta.
“Why isn’t it rainbow pasta?” His voice carried a note of disappointment.
The words caught Paisley off guard, She thought, “Rainbow pasta. It’s been so long since I’ve even heard that
“It takes too long to make rainbow pasta,” she said casually, lifting Serena into her booster seat before sitting down herself.
She took a bite of her pasta and thought it tasted good too.
“I don’t want this! I want rainbow pasta! Go make it for me now! Grayson demanded. He stood stiffly by the table and didn’t even spare a glance at his bowl anymore.
Paisley took a sigh, picked up Grayson’s bowl, and moved it to her side. Her voice dropped to a cold, firm tone. “Don’t eat then. Your choice.”
Grayson stood frozen and stared at her in disbelief. Then, without a word, he spun around and stomped back to his room, slamming the door so hard it rattled the frame.
The loud bang startled Serena. With wide eyes, she looked up at Paisley and asked, “Mommy, what’s wrong with Grayson?” “Nothing,” Paisley said, keeping her tone light. Just finish your breakfast, sweetheart
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