style="font-size:15px;"> “Maybe,” Fiona said.
“They might come over!” Maya rushed over to the big girls with her important news, followed by Diego and Ryan.
“They’re obviously on board,” Fiona said. “In fact, you’re welcome to come for some lunch. I have plenty of hot dogs and burgers—”
“No, thank you,” Eduardo interrupted, a shadow crossing his face. “That’s a nice invitation, but we have other plans.”
Heat rose in Fiona’s face, and she was sure it showed in her cheeks. The disadvantage of being a fair-skinned redhead.
The rebuff was so definite. He didn’t want to come. “I just thought... It’s always hard to figure out what to do for lunch after church, at least it is for me, and so if you needed...” Stop talking. He doesn’t want to be your friend.
“As far as helping with your landscaping...” He trailed off.
“It was just an idea. I know you have a lot going on.”
He looked at the ground and then met her eyes with a forthright gaze. “You didn’t suggest it to be charitable?”
“Charitable? What you do mean?”
“I just thought... Since we’re going to struggle a little, given what’s happened, maybe you were trying to help. And that’s not necessary.” His chin lifted.
“I’m sorry to say that didn’t even occur to me,” she admitted. “I’ve been meaning to look for a landscaper, but I haven’t gotten around to it. When I saw from your truck that you do landscaping, it seemed providential. If you’re not interested, it’s no problem.”
He opened his mouth to answer. But the kids had been conferring over by the swings, and before he could say anything, they ran over in a group.
“Are Sofia and Diego coming over?” Ryan was obviously the designated speaker.
Fiona glanced up at Eduardo, eyebrow lifted. His call.
“Yes, I think so,” he said. “A little later.”
“Well, we were wondering...” Ryan glanced at his big sister.
“We figured out a plan.” A winning smile broke across Lauren’s face. “Can Sofia ride with us?”
“And can I ride with Diego?” Ryan asked. “Please, Mom? I like their truck.”
“That won’t work.” Fiona looked over at Eduardo. “They’re coming over later in the afternoon. Right?”
“We have a stop to make,” Eduardo said, putting a hand on Diego’s shoulder and another on Sofia’s.
“Oh, yeah. I forgot,” Sofia said. “We’re going to the cemetery.”
“How come?” Ryan asked.
“Our mom is there,” Diego explained.
“Well, her grave is,” Sofia clarified. “Mama’s in heaven.”
“I know she’s in heaven. I’m not a dummy.” Diego’s face reddened, and he opened his mouth as if to say more. But Eduardo squeezed his shoulder and, when Diego looked up, shook his head.
Diego’s shoulders slumped.
“Our dad’s in heaven, too.” Ryan bumped against Diego’s arm in a friendly way and then dug up a pebble with his toe, booting it down the sidewalk. That was Ryan, kindhearted and empathetic. “C’mon!”
Diego pulled away from his father and jogged alongside Ryan, kicking a stone of his own.
“If she’s in heaven,” Maya said, looking up at Sofia and Eduardo, “then why are you going to the cemetery?”
Fiona blew out a breath and squatted down beside her inquisitive seven-year-old. “Every family does things differently. A lot of people like to put flowers on a loved one’s grave.”
“I’ll show you,” Sofia said, tugging the truck key out of her father’s hand. She clicked open the vehicle and pulled a pot of hyacinths from the passenger side. “Today, we’re gonna put these on Mama’s grave.”
“They’re pretty.” Maya stood on tiptoe to sniff the fragrant blossoms. “I never saw a cemetery.”
Fiona didn’t correct her. Of course, Maya had been at her father’s funeral, together with the other kids, including Poppy, who’d been just two months old.
“Some of the graves have tricycles on them, or teddy bears,” Sofia announced. “That’s kids who died.”
“Sofia.” Eduardo gestured toward Poppy, obviously urging silence in front of a little one.
“Sorry,” Sofia whispered and then squatted down on her haunches, holding out the flowers to Poppy. “Want to smell?”
Poppy did and then giggled as the flowers tickled her nose. Distraction accomplished.
“Can we go with them?” Lauren asked unexpectedly.
Fiona opened her mouth and then closed it again. She knew it was important to deal with kids’ questions about death, but really? “We don’t want to intrude,” she said, putting a hand on Lauren’s shoulder. “It’s their private family time.”
“We don’t care,” Diego said as he passed by, chasing the rock he was kicking. “We go all the time.”
They did? Fiona couldn’t help glancing at Eduardo curiously. He must still be grieving hard for his wife.
“We go once every month,” Sofia corrected her little brother.
“Why don’t we go to our daddy’s grave, Mom?” Maya asked.
“Because our daddy was bad,” Lauren said before Fiona could put together a response.
Poppy tugged at Fiona’s hand. “Was our daddy bad?”
Pain and concern twisted Fiona’s stomach, along with anger at Reggie. He’d hurt her, badly, but even worse was how he’d hurt his children.
Nonetheless, she knew what she had to do: keep her own feelings inside and be positive about the children’s father, lest they grow up worrying that they themselves carried something bad inside them. “He was your daddy who loved you and there was lots that was good about him,” she said, making sure her voice was loud enough for all the kids to hear. “But his grave is back in Illinois, where we used to live.”
“Our mom was the best,” Diego said. “Daddy has a picture.” He tugged the keys out of his sister’s hands and showed the photo attached to the ring.
Fiona squinted down at it, and Lauren and Maya leaned in to see as well. A petite dark-haired woman held a baby, with a little girl who must be Sofia leaning into her. Eduardo stood behind the woman, arms protectively around his whole family.
“She’s
