I gave him a reassuring smile. “I’m doing great, kiddo. Really, really good. And yes, happy.” I gave him that. It was no lie. But I had to get him out of the place he was in. “Now do you want waffles, or what?”

His lips quirked and he asked, “Where’s the iron?”

“Cupboard to the side of the sink,” I answered.

I got to work. My son got the waffle iron out for me. Then he grabbed some juice and sat on a stool.

“Be cool I come over and hang, watch some of my programs?” he asked and my heart leaped as he went on, “Martine’s got a bunch of crap taping, so Pip and I miss a lot of things.”

Selfish, DVR-hogging Martine.

But he’d just mentioned her without being tense about it so that was indication he trusted I was over it so he could.

Which meant everything.

“Sure,” I told him casually. “Just give me a heads up you’re coming over.”

“Cool,” he muttered.

I was pouring the first waffle on the iron when Pippa wandered out of her room in much the same outfit as my son’s except the top was a pale yellow camisole and the bottoms were a yellow, green and peach plaid.

“Morning, honey,” I called. “Want waffles?”

She stared dazedly at the iron as she made her way to the kitchen and hiked her behind on a stool.

Only then did she say, “Yeah.”

I dropped the top and just contained myself from doing a whirl.

“You gonna get a dining room table, or is that space reserved for you to set up your Buddhist meditation space?” Auden teased.

I grinned at him. “The dining room table is foiling me.”

“You’ll need one, Uncle Lawrie, Mercer and Hart come for Thanksgiving,” Auden pointed out.

This was very true.

It was time to make the dining room table a mission.

“Just so you know, I talked with your Uncle Lawrie and they’re considering it, but Aunt Mariel might also be coming.”

Both kids did not look delighted with this news. Then again, having a soulless, emotionless vampire as an aunt to your favorite uncle was not something my kids liked either.

Pippa powered through first and suggested, “We can hit some stores today.”

I jumped on that trying not to appear like I was jumping on that. “You’re on.”

“God, furniture shopping,” Auden mumbled.

“Lobster at the Lobster Market for lunch, you come with your sister and me,” I bribed my son.

“Auden’ll do anything for lobster,” Pippa chimed in.

She didn’t have to tell me. I knew that.

“Add lobster chowder on top of lobster and I’m in,” Auden negotiated.

“Then we have plans,” I said.

Pippa looked sleepily excited.

Auden looked resigned but not surly.

And I was floating on top of the world.

* * * * *

“This is totally you,” Pippa declared.