“I’ll fire up the grill,” he grinned. “Good luck talking them into the salad.”
***
Harper did talk them into the salad, but had to promise they could each pick an ingredient before they agreed. Harper chose tomatoes. Robbie wanted bacon. Henry decided on Cheetos.
“Can we really do that?” Robbie whispered over the counter with concern.
Harper shrugged. “Maybe they’ll taste like croutons?”
She put Henry in charge of putting the tater tots on the baking sheet and Robbie rinsing the lettuce while she fried the bacon and diced tomatoes.
“Do you live here with Mr. Luke?” Henry asked, adjusting the last tater tot.
“I do.”
“Are you married?”
“Nope. Are you?”
Henry frowned. “No. Girls are gross.”
“Robbie, do you think girls are gross?” Harper asked, as he brought the lettuce back to the counter and dumped it in a large bowl.
He shrugged. “Some of them are okay I guess.”
Harper put the tater tots in the oven and set the timer. “So is Mrs. Agosta your grandma?” she asked the boys.
“Huh-uh,” Robbie shook his head. “We’re not even related.”
“We’re fosters,” Henry piped up, carefully placing Cheetos on the lettuce.
“Me, too,” Harper said, adding the tomatoes and the bacon to the salad.
“You’re a foster kid?” Robbie’s interest was piqued.
“Yep.”
“Is Mr. Luke your foster dad?” Henry asked.
Robbie rolled his eyes. “No, dummy, they’re boyfriend-girlfriend.” Harper didn’t bother correcting him. The truth would only confuse them ... and her.
“Did you get real parents?” Henry wondered.
Harper shook her head. “No, I didn’t get adopted. But I got to meet a lot of nice families.”
“Mrs. Agosta is nice. She’s teaching us Spanish. Do you think we’ll get ’dopted?”
Harper paused mid-salad-toss. Luke, holding a plate of burgers, had come in the back door just in time to hear Henry’s question.
The boys were watching her closely, and she knew what they wanted. She had wanted it, too. Sometimes still wanted it. Hope.
“Well, you’re not overly smelly,” she poked Henry in the belly until he giggled. “And you’re kind of cute. You seem nice. You haven’t destroyed Mr. Luke’s house yet. So yeah, you’ll have a family. And in the meantime, you get to stay with nice Mrs. Agosta and learn Spanish.”
“I can count!” Henry announced. “Uno, dos, tres ... ” He counted out each Cheeto as he placed it on the salad.
“Burgers are done,” Luke said, finally venturing past the doorway.
“Awesome,” Robbie said, sniffing the air. “I love burgers. Do you have ketchup and mustard? Is there cheese?”
Harper took her time counting out four plates as the boys chattered to Luke. She hoped for their sake that there was a family out there looking for three kids.
***
They ate at the breakfast bar with the boys sitting on stools and Harper and Luke standing. Harper and the kids traded funny stories about foster care. The Cheetos salad turned out to be a hit. Even Robbie cleaned his bowl.
Harper and Luke let themselves be talked into going for ice cream before taking the boys home. Their sister, Ava, a tiny dark-haired version of her brothers, was sound asleep on the couch when they arrived at Mrs. Agosta’s house. Diagnosed with a sinus infection, she would be good as new in a few days. Mrs. Agosta thanked them profusely for helping and sent them home with fresh blueberry muffins.
They walked home in silence with the sunset blazing in the western sky. It was nice having the boys over, Harper thought as she mounted the porch steps. Their chatter and energy covered up the low hum of conflict that constantly buzzed between her and Luke.
Something was going to have to change, and fast.
“You’re really good with them,” Luke said, dropping down on the top step.
Harper paused and leaned against the railing. She knew what he was doing, even if he wasn’t aware. The pull between them only strengthened behind closed doors. Outside was safer.
“You, too. Nice coaching on the curve ball.”
Luke smiled. “They’re really good kids.” He took off his hat and toyed with it. “Did you mean what you said? That you think they’ll find a family?”
Harper sat down next to him and sighed. “It’s three kids and none of them are babies. It’ll be hard, but yeah. I think there’s going to be a family that falls for them hard. How could you not?”
“Why do you think you were never adopted?” He was watching her now, and Harper kept her expression neutral.