Miss Louisa watched her young boss glancing skittishly between his children and the friend who had just joined him. As she watched him, she felt a pang of sorrow for Mr. Kent.  He had been alone with the two young’uns for as long as she’d known him, but had done a good job by them: home schooling them twins though they weren’t old enough that they’d even be in kindergarten, yet, and working nights while they slept in Miss. Louisa’s oldest daughter, Eglantine’s room.  He was quiet, but seemed happy enough and the girls didn’t want for nothing. It made her wonder why he had decided just now to up and go home when things had started to turn around for him.

It had taken her months of doin’, but Miss Louisa had finally gotten him to attend one of the church singles nights. Nothing came of it, but she knew that a right number of the younger church ladies had noticed him. It was an awful shame that he’d taken it into his mind go back now; but, from the moment he’d read in the newspaper that one of those big named muckety-mucks had up and died, he was on the phone making plans to go. And, wouldn’t change his mind for a month of Sundays.

Still, he hadn’t promised his folks that he would stay. Instead, he seemed to set store with what this friend thought and would only agree to stay if his friend thought well of it. But, his friend was either awfully shy, or just had nothing to share. The young man just kept looking back and forth between Alexi and Lillian. Miss. Louisa wasn’t even sure that he’d looked at his friend yet, but thought not from the way the young man was standing back away from the children. Alexi, the bolder of the two had just come up to introduce herself, but her fathers friend instead seemed to be watching Lill helping a  another toddler onto the teeter-totters. Although smaller (and darker) than her sister, for all that they were twins, Lillian seemed to have more strength of the two and could easily lift a child her own weight (probably even more… because Miss. Louisa was 100% sure that Lill had caught her and kept her from falling when her cane broke even though Alexi swore that she saw Miss. Louisa catch the wall). It wasn’t the only thing odd about the girls, but Miss. Louisa wasn’t of the kind to pry into other folks business.

Still, from the way he was looking at the girls, she thought maybe that the friend could tell that they weren’t like other children. He must have sensed something because Miss. Louisa could sure hear it in his voice when he asked without even looking, “Are they…?”

“Ours. Lex.” Mr Kent confirm something that Miss Louisa couldn’t make sense of unless… the girl’s mother had been with both men. Lill was clearly her father’s child, but Alexi...

End