Harrison only suggested Scotch eggs for breakfast as an excuse–what he really wanted was for Nadine to reach out to Selene.
He was already trying to give Selene an excuse to return without the sting of apology.
“Mrs. Vaughn said she won’t be returning, sir.”
Harrison choked on his coffee, coughing uncontrollably.
Nadine immediately sensed something was wrong. “Did you and Mrs. Vaughn have a fight, sir?”
“That’s none of your business,” he snapped, his tone so icy it seemed to chill the dining room.
Nadine shrank back, not daring to say another word.
Harrison tightened his grip around his coffee mug. There was no way Selene wouldn’t come back. She was probably already preparing one of her homemade lunches to send to his office, as she always did when they quarreled. Back then, she’d show up at work with a peace–offering meal, hoping to make amends.
At her mother’s kitchen table, Daph’s eyes lit up when she saw the breakfast spread. “Wow! Chicken chowder!”
1
Daph had always loved chicken chowder, but Dames couldn’t stand the sight of it–just the smell made him gag.
In the Vaughn household, Selene rarely made soup. Harrison and Dames both disliked it, and Gemma, the family matriarch, once sniffed that soup was “food for the poor“-something you made when there wasn’t enough to eat. In the Vaughn family, every meal had to be meticulously balanced and nutritious, according to Gemma’s rules.
Even though Selene believed her chowder was healthy and easy for children to digest, the family would mock her whenever she added ingredients like chicken, pumpkin, and greens. To them, it looked like slop–disgusting and unfit for their table.
Once, Selene had made a version without greens, hoping Dames would at least try it. Instead, he dumped it straight into the trash. After that, she never made soup
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22:22
again.
She’d tried to teach Dames not to waste food, but he’d snapped at her, “This is pig food! How could you give this to me? No wonder–you’re just a farmer’s daughter!”
The words had stung. Selene snapped back to the present to find Daph already scraping the last drops of soup from her bowl, licking it clean.
Daph burped, staring longingly at her empty, gleaming bowl. “Do we only get chicken chowder when we’re at Grandma’s house?”
Selene smiled gently. “From now on, we can eat whatever we want, whenever we want. We don’t have to worry about anyone else’s opinions.”
Daph grinned. “Then tomorrow, you don’t need to cook breakfast, Mom. Take a break! We can go out and eat at a café!”
Selene was momentarily stunned. She had gotten so used to putting Daph first, she’d forgotten she was her own person before she was ever a mother.
Own
“Alright,” Selene agreed, her smile warming her face like the rising sun.
Driving Daph to preschool, Selene spotted the Vaughn family’s top–of–the–line Rolls–Royce Cullinan in the parking lot.
Dames hopped out of the SUV, backpack slung over one shoulder. Selene quickly looked away.
He bounded over to Daph, waving a paper bag triumphantly.
“Look! Flick bought me wax bottle candies!”
He pulled out a little bear–shaped candy, showing off. “This one’s pistachio–raspberry flavor!”
Daph didn’t even blink. “Mom says eating too much candy gives you cavities. And those wax candies are really unhealthy.”
Dames stuck out his tongue, making a face. “Well, I have a new mom now! My old mom can’t boss me around anymore!”
He jutted out his bottom lip in smug satisfaction. “Flick told me to share my candies with everyone–except you, chubby pig!”
Daph was sturdy and strong for her age, and next to the naturally petite Dames, she seemed even bigger.
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Chapter 5
Selene had once taught Dames not to tease Daph or call her names, but now, with no one to check him, he was shameless.
Daph clutched her backpack straps, her eyes filling with tears.
“Dames, if you keep behaving like this, Mom really won’t want you anymore.”
