Page 74 of Me For You
“Let me see.”Somee smiled, lifting the paper, scanning it like she was deep in thought before she placed the worksheet on the table and did the sign for perfect using one hand while she lifted the other palm facing Rylee for a high five.
Rylee’s tiny hand met Somee’s before she excitedly signed,“I’m done, can I play now?”
“Dinner first, then you can play,”I signed, lifting my eyes to Somee’s to see if she agreed. It was after six-thirty and Rylee needed to be in bed by eight-thirty with lights out by nine.
“But Somee said we can have a dance party after I finished my homework,”she signed and pouted.
This kid was going to take me through it because everything in me wanted to give in but I also knew it made more sense to get dinner out of the way.
“If you do your dance party now, I will have to eat all by myself and that will make me sad.”
Her little brows pinched before her hands moved.“I don’t want you to be sad. We can have dinner first.”
“Go wash your hands and you can help me set the table,”Somee signed.
“Okay.”Rylee eased off her chair and ran out of the room to wash her hands.
“How was that for a negotiation?”
“That wasn’t negotiation. More like mental manipulation. You’re going to have to do better.”
I lifted from the chair, following Somee into the kitchen. I stepped in front of her so there was barely any space between us, dropping my chin so my eyes were level with hers. “Are you open to private lessons on negotiating?”
I wanted to negotiate how to get her naked and in my bed.
I spoke the words but didn’t sign them because my proximity allowed her visibility to read my lips.
“Maybe.”
I paused, staring with my eyes locked on hers. My gaze trailed over her face, from the glint in her eyes to her plush lips. I wanted to kiss her so badly but Rylee interrupted the moment, bending the corner, barely providing me enough time to step away.
Somee licked her lips as if she had the same thought and eased away from me, lifting the plates Joy left stacked on the counter.
“My hands are clean, now can I help?”Rylee signed to Somee, who nodded when Rylee joined us in the kitchen. Somee lifted the utensils, handing them over to Rylee.
While they set the table, I removed the glass dish that held the enchiladas Joy baked followed by the tortilla salad loaded with diced vegetables. That was all Somee, because she was on Rylee hard about eating vegetables. Everything in my life was changing but nothing about the way it used to be felt right anymore. Dinner every night with the two of them, as simple as it may be, felt like the perfect evening. In the past, clubs and being the center of attention was what fueled me. Now? Somee and Rylee were enough.
After dinner,Somee cleaned the kitchen while I took Rylee upstairs to start her bedtime routine. I ran her a bath, and while she bathed, I collected her dirty clothes and tossed them into the hamper in her room. Now that Rylee and Somee were here, I needed to consider having someone come daily to handle laundry and simple cleaning. I wanted to run it by Somee first.
Another fucking problem. Her opinion about how things worked in my house mattered.
I wasn’t sure how she would feel about having more people to engage with but I also didn’t want her to feel like she had to clean up behind me or Rylee. I was more than capable of cleaning up after myself, but when Joy wasn’t here, Somee took over the role of washing dishes and keeping the kitchen clean after meals.
I had someone scheduled to come once a week to handle laundry, deep clean my bathroom and the kitchen. The day to day cleaning was easy to maintain since it was just me, but now that Rylee and Somee were here, I needed to rethink the schedule.
By the time I made it back to Rylee’s room, she was shuffling out of the bathroom dressed in a purple and white satin short setbouncing on her toes when she slammed on her brakes in front of me.
“I’m done. Where is Somee so we can have our dance party?”
“Am I invited?”
She scrunched her nose then shook her head before her little hands started moving.“You can’t come. It’s for girls.”
“Boys dance too?”
Her nose scrunched again.“But it’s girl music.”
“That’s cool. I’ll let y’all do your thing. Somee’s in the kitchen. I’ll get her while you put the rest of your toys away.”
