The Weeks Between • HS

Week 3 • Harry

For the few days after the girls were at my house to swim, I was in a really great mood. I would see Nola out with the girls. Sometimes we would run into each other as I was picking vegetables in the morning. The girls always wanting to help me. Sometimes I would see her chasing them through the green space at the Heath when I was on a run. We exchanged pleasantries, but hadn't connected over more quality time, which I found myself craving.

Sarah and Mitch came over one afternoon, for our typical dinner and a movie night. I was sure that they were going to bring up the pool party with the girls, because having them over had really been their idea, which my mum then pushed me to see through.

"So, how did the pool date go?" Mitch asks.

"It was not a date, mate."

"Date-Mate!!" Sarah snickers at my rhyme and I roll my eyes in her direction, but she just keeps laughing at herself in amusement.

"So, I guess you could call it a play date," Mitch emphasizes and I nod.

"It went really well. She definitely has her hands full, but she is an amazing mum." I tell them, remembering the attention she gave the girls so effortlessly. She actually reminds me of my mum in that way.

"And how are the girls?"

"Good. Mia and I really hit it off. At first she she is shy, but once she warms up she is a completely different kid. Lottie- now she reminds me of Arlo," I tell them and they nod, because Arlo is very sweet, nurturing and overly obedient, almost to an obnoxious level. "Mia is quite a spitfire!" I tell them.

Sarah chimes in, "So, she is the Ruby of the family?"

"Oh, most definitely, but not until she gets to know you." My goddaughter Ruby is passionate, demanding and opinionated. One day, however, she is going to use all that to rule an empire- I am sure of it.

"And the baby? What was her name again?" Sarah asks as she helps herself to a bottled water from the fridge.

"Hattie. She seems to be a handful. But, I can't tell if that is because she is still a baby, or she is just going to be a demanding attention seeker," I joke.

"Nola has her hands full, that is for sure. And they are all going to be GORGEOUS, too." Sarah adds. "Have you seen a picture of their dad? He has to be a greek god or something."

"They are already gorgeous," I correct her.

"All of them?" Sarah asks with a smirk. I know exactly what she is implying and I am not correcting her.

We eat the take out that Sarah and Mitch picked up on their way to my house out on the back patio. Nola's kitchen sticks out on the backside of her house, along the far edge of my patio, so when she opens her windows, it is pretty easy to hear what is going on. It's especially fun to hear them having dinnertime dance parties, which happen often.

>>>>>>>>> I hear a conversation from their kitchen in the background

"Mama, put on Trolls."

"Give me a minute, Mia baby. I need to watch the stove."

A few minutes later, I hear the song Can't Stop the Feeling, and little girls attempting to sing along to it.

>>>>>>>>>> Back to Sarah and Mitch

"They seem to have a lot of fun," Mitch says as he spoons some food into his mouth, using his fork to point in the direction of Nola's kitchen.