Sasha observed Noel and grinned when he managed several bubbles. “Great job, Noel. Wait until we tell Max. Do you want to try once more before we get out to warm in the sun?”
“Yes.”
The second time he managed two bubbles before a wave came, and Sasha lifted him above the surface. He looked startled, and Sasha braced for tears, but he giggled.
“You’re very good at that. We’ll practice more tomorrow. Do you know how to build sandcastles?”
He frowned. “No bucket. Forgot.”
Sasha led Noel from the water, and they headed toward their possessions. Sasha’s skin prickled, and it wasn’t from the breeze blowing over the sand. “It feels as if someone is watching us,” she said to her dragon. “Can you see anyone staring?”
“No. Wait. Let me shift on your body and study our rearview.” Sasha’s dragon tattoo migrated to a better position. “I can’t see anyone staring. I’ll stay alert. You and Noel carry on.”
Sasha dried off Noel and pulled on his T-shirt since he’d had enough sun on his pale skin. “Are you hungry? I brought cookies and a bottle of water for each of us.”
“The sun is reflecting off something in the trees over there,” her dragon said. “As if someone is using an instrument to see.”
“It might be nothing,” Sasha said.
“Perhaps,” her dragon replied. “My senses say someone is watching us. I wish we could investigate, but we can’t leave Noel.”
“Noel, would you like to make a dragon on the sand?” Sasha asked.
Noel cocked his head. “Don’t know how.”
“Lucky for you, I’m good at making dragons.” Sasha stood and dusted off her backside. She wandered a few steps and plucked a piece of driftwood from the sand. Using the stick, she drew the shape of a dragon. “Now, you can help me. We need to scoop up handfuls of sand and fill in the lines. It’s like coloring a picture, but we’re using sand instead of your crayons or pencils.”
By the time they’d spent an hour playing in the sand, Noel was lagging, and Sasha decided it was time to leave.
“Wanna stay,” Noel said.
“Not today,” Sasha said firmly. “I’m turning pink from the sun. Tomorrow morning you have to go to kindergarten, but we can visit the beach in the afternoon.”
“Promise?”
“Yes,” Sasha said. “We will come tomorrow. What would you like for dinner?”
“Fish fingers,” Noel said.
“What are fish fingers?” her dragon asked. “Do fish have hands? Are they different here?”
“No.” But Sasha wasn’t sure. “We should ask Justine, The Smart Computer.”
“It sounds barbaric to cut fingers off a fish,” her dragon said. “Wouldn’t they miss them?”
“You’d think,” Sasha replied. “Can you spot anyone watching us?”
“No, but I see the flash from the watching glasses again.”
Once they arrived home, Sasha showered Noel and investigated Max’s list. She pulled a face. “Justine, how do I make an online call?” She and her dragon listened intently to the reply. “That doesn’t sound too difficult.”
“I’m hungry,” her dragon said. “What are we having for dinner?”
Sasha consulted the list. “Justine, what are fish fingers?”
“Pieces of fish pressed into strips and coated with breadcrumbs,” a feminine voice said from the computer.
Sasha had always loved cooking and found she enjoyed it even more when she didn’t have her mother—or the servants who’d been with the family since she was a baby—peering over her shoulder. Usually, with many comments about her methods and that she was doing everything the wrong way. Here, she could make mistakes, and no one learned of them apart from her and her dragon. Noel, too, since the three of them had to deal with her blunders.
Even the video call went okay, although she cut Max off the first time.
“Sorry,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “I hit the wrong button.”
Max laughed, his arresting face clear on the screen. “Now, where is Noel?”
“Here!” Noel said from his bed. He wore his pajamas and sat tucked up in bed. “Shasha is teaching me to swim.”
“Really?” Max sounded surprised, but she thought in an appreciative way. “How did you get on?”
“I blew bubbles. Three times. But we have to watch for waves.”
“I see,” Max said. “What else did you do?”
“Butterflies. Drew them. Look!”
“I can’t see, buddy. Ask Sasha to shift the screen to show me.”
“Oh!” Sasha said. “I can do that. No, you stay there. I’ll bring Max back to you once I show him your butterflies, which are brilliant, by the way. I bet Max thinks so too.” She carefully lifted the screen and directed it toward the sweep of bright orange, yellow, and red butterflies that decorated Noel’s room.
“Did you draw those?” Max asked when Sasha returned the tablet to Noel.
“Yes,” Noel said, excitement sparkling in his eyes. He’d caught the kiss of the sun today and wasn’t as pale or blotchy.
“What else did you do?”
“Dragon sandcastle,” Noel said, beaming. “It was big.”
“Do you like dragons?” Max asked, and Sasha picked up the strange note in his voice.
“I like Shasha.”
“Oops,” her dragon said. “He definitely saw us before we shifted.”
“Too bad,” Sasha said. “We’ll deny everything. That is the wisest course to follow since there don’t appear to be other dragons here. Everyone we’ve sighted is human.”
“I like Sasha, too,” Max said. “You be a good boy for Sasha, and I’ll be home in a few days. Has Sasha read you a story?”
“She told me a dragon story from her head.”
Max grinned. “All right. You go to sleep while I talk to Sasha. She’ll come and check on you once we’re finished. Okay?”
“Night, Max,” Noel said, settling in his bed.
“Good night. Sweet dreams, Noel.”
Sasha lifted the tablet and stared at Max. He smiled at her, a genuine smile with wide lips and sparkling eyes. Approval was the dominant trait in his expression, yet the feminine part of her identified the masculine interest.
“Why don’t you take the tablet to the kitchen and make a cup of tea? I’ll do the same, and we can chat while we drink.” Once she’d followed his instructions regarding the tea, he directed her to what he called the family room. It was the one in which they’d sat the previous evening.
“If I was there in person,” Max said, “I’d kiss you. You’ve worked wonders with Noel in one day. He’s excited about everything he did today. You’ve taught him new things and engaged him. On top of that, you faced down our grandmother and won since she didn’t remove Noel. Thank you so much. The first thing I’m going to do when I see you in person is kiss you and give you a big hug.”
“Yes, please,” Sasha said.
Max stared at her, his eyes turning a deeper blue. The look on his face had her pulse racing faster while her dragon released a faint moan.
“Damn,” he whispered. He shook his head, took a deep breath, and changed the subject. “There is a swimming pool near the kindergarten. You can take Noel there so you won’t have to watch for waves. He’s never mentioned swimming before. It never occurred to me, and it should’ve considering we live so near to the beach.”
“It’s no problem.”
“Do you have a swimsuit?”
“No,” Sasha said. “I swam in my underwear. No one stared at me.”
“I would’ve noticed,” Max cleared his throat. “My mother was of a similar height and size to you. I haven’t managed to enter my parents’ room to clear out their clothes. Why don’t you take what you can use?”
Sympathy washed through Sasha. “I have time to deal with the room if you want. I can keep aside the personal trinkets you might wish to keep.” She hesitated. “I understand if you don’t want a stranger to d
o this for you. There is no rule to say you must do this immediately.”
“How did you get so wise at your age?” Max asked, his voice thick, and his eyes now glassy with emotion.
“We have always been wise.”
His brows rose. “We?”
“I mean I,” Sasha said without an explanation. “Also, you haven’t known me for long. It’s understandable if you don’t trust me yet. Think about it. As I said, there is no hurry.”
“I trusted Sheryl since she looked after Noel when my parents were alive. Yet it turns out she’s a drunk and a spy for my grandmother. I had my suspicions, but I wasn’t positive. In the short time you’ve been with Noel, his mood has improved. He’s excited about new things. You’re patient with him, and you don’t treat him like a moron because he’s different. And, you helped a lost child when I’m certain you had other plans.”
Sasha shrugged, discomfort rippling through her. “Anyone would’ve done the same thing.”
“No, they wouldn’t,” her dragon said.
“Not everyone,” Max said. “As a reporter, I see the worst of people. The best too, but it’s the horrid things that stick with me. As my other grandmother used to say, you’re a treasure. Go ahead and clear my parents’ room. I’ll pay you a little extra for the help.”
“That’s unnecessary,” Sasha said. “You’re already paying me to look after Noel. I’ll take a few clothes in exchange. That is fair.”
“He doesn’t realize the freedom and safety he has offered us is beyond any money he could pay,” her dragon said.
“Exactly,” Sasha replied.
Max sighed. “I guess I’d better go since I still have work to do before I can sleep.”
“I might bake some cookies.”
“You’ll find the ingredients in the pantry. If there is anything you need, write a list, and I’ll pick the stuff up on the way home. Talk to you again tomorrow?”
“Definitely,” Sasha said. “Both Noel and I will look forward to it.”
“Goodnight, Sasha.”
The screen flickered, and Max had gone before she could reply.
“He likes us,” Sasha said.
“As he should,” her dragon declared. “We are gorgeous, and we’re smart. We’re also trustworthy. He’d be an idiot not to want us as a friend. We are Sasha, The Lionhearted!”
Sasha grinned and rose, ready to work in the kitchen.
“There’s no reason not to accept the truth because we are beautiful and a catch. Why do you think Bruceous is chasing us so hard?”
As always, her conceited dragon had the last word. Sasha wasn’t about to argue over Bruceous’s intentions and spoil her buoyant mood.
6 – A Family Date
Sasha’s first day with Noel set the pattern for the rest of the week. When Noel wasn’t at kindergarten, she completed tasks around the house and got Noel to help with minor jobs. She took him to the pool for more swimming lessons and ended up teaching three children of the same age as Noel how to swim while their parents watched. One child invited Noel to a birthday party, and Max was as excited as Noel when he learned of the coming event. Sasha was also slowly making friends with mothers she met during kindergarten drop off and at her impromptu swimming lessons.
“Max must be older than you,” Rachel, one of her new friends, said at the outdoor cafe overlooking the pool. “Several of the single women have had their eye on Max.”
“A few years older,” Sasha said with a shrug while her dragon grumbled about the other women. Sasha ignored her dragon.
“That’s such a gorgeous ring. I adore colored stones,” Rachel continued. “Coffee?”
“Yes, please,” Sasha said. “This ring used to belong to Max’s mother.”
Rachel shuddered. “I’m not sure I would want his mother’s ring.”
“Why not?” Sasha attempted to keep the sharp note from her voice and failed. “Max and Noel loved their mother, so the ring has sentimental value for them and therefore for me too. Besides, you’re right. The ring is pretty. I like it very much.” Now that was the truth. She and her dragon enjoyed seeing the envy in the faces of those single women.
“Coffee,” Rachel said. “Let’s grab a seat near the kids so we can monitor them.”
Ten minutes later, Sasha picked up their coffee while Rachel grabbed the plate bearing the slice of chocolate cake they’d decided to split.
“Did you meet Max’s parents?” Rachel asked.
“She’s a nosy one,” her dragon complained.
“It’s best if we answer her questions. She seems like the chatty type who might gossip.”
“Ah, you mean she’ll pass on the information, so we don’t have to repeat ourselves.”
“Exactly,” Sasha said and sipped her coffee before she answered Rachel. “No, I never met Max’s parents. They sound like amazing people. I know Max and Noel miss them dreadfully.”
“I understand Max’s grandmother is suing for custody of Noel,” Rachel said.
“Enough,” her dragon said.
Sasha’s mouth firmed. “I don’t know anything about that.”
Rachel looked as if she didn’t believe Sasha, but she ceased her probing questions. “What are you buying Tiffany for a birthday present?” she asked instead.
“For the party?”
“Yes. That child has everything. It’s difficult to know what to get her.”
“Max said he’d pick up something in Edinburgh,” Sasha said.
“Lucky you.” Rachel pulled a face. “My husband would never offer to help in that way. You’d better enjoy it while you can. Men change after marriage.”
Sasha knew nothing about that, so she merely smiled and sipped her coffee again.
“I like this coffee stuff,” her dragon said. “It’s much tastier than those fishes’ fingers.”
“I have to agree,” Sasha said absently.
Their chat turned more general, and Sasha listened carefully as Rachel mentioned the various things that were happening in the area. Apart from birthday parties and school events, there was an upcoming agricultural day and a concert plus a garden party. Sasha stored the information and ignored her dragon, who was asking enthusiastic questions. They needed to save their curiosity for Justine since the lady in the computer seemed knowledgeable regarding everything.
With the coffee and cake finished, Rachel stood. “I guess it’s time to get back home. I have laundry and a million other jobs I’ve been putting off. What about you?”
“I’m cleaning a room each day. I expect Noel will want to go to the beach. We end up going most days. We both enjoy the walk there and the sea air.”
“Have you seen the dragons everyone is talking about?”
“What dragons?” Sasha asked.
“Dragons?” her dragon asked. “We have seen none.”
“A group of teenagers saw one the other night. Secretly, I suspect they were doing drugs, but who knows? It’s all over the district, and each night people are hanging out in the beach car park to look for dragons.”
“I see,” Sasha said. “Is it safe to go to the beach?”
Rachel snorted. “The day I see a dragon flying through the sky is the day I cut back on drinking.”
“I’m tempted to help Rachel to reduce her drinking,” her dragon said immediately. “Where does she live?”
Sasha barely contained her hilarity because she’d experienced the same yearning to scare this opinionated woman. She pushed her coffee cup away and rose. “It’s time for Noel and me to move. I need to put on the chicken for dinner.”
Five minutes later, they were on their way home.
“Why do we walk?” Noel asked.
“Two reasons,” Sasha said. “I can’t operate a metal box, and exercise is necessary to build our muscles.”
“Car or vehicle,” her dragon corrected.
“Car, right,” Sasha said aloud. “I can’t drive a car.”
“Me neither,” Noel said.
They turned i
nto the driveway to find a car parked in front of the house. Sasha inhaled, and her pulse raced faster at the familiar scent.
“Max is home,” she said.
Sasha opened the front door for Noel.
“Max. Max!” Noel shouted.
“In here, champ,” Max called.
Sasha sucked in a quick breath as eager to see Max as Noel. They’d spoken each night after Noel had gone to sleep, and she liked him a lot.
“Enough to practice more kissing?” her dragon asked.
Heat surged to Sasha’s cheeks, but she didn’t hesitate in her answer. “Yes.”
When she entered the kitchen, Noel was talking so fast Sasha had problems keeping up. Max grinned and winked at her.
“Wow, you’ve been having lots of fun. How would you and Sasha like to go out for dinner tonight?” Max glanced at her as he asked.
“I’ve taken out a chicken to roast, but I can cook that tomorrow night.” Sasha bounced on her toes, keen anticipation at the treat filling her chest with lightness.
“From what Noel tells me, you’ve been cooking a lot. He says your chocolate chip cookies are delicious. He’ll be getting a fat tummy.”
“I don’t have a fat tummy.” Noel lifted his T-shirt to peer at his stomach, his tongue sticking out as he stared at his belly.
No longer a pasty white, his skin was pale gold, and the child had lost a little weight. Sasha thought Noel looked happy and healthy.
“No, you don’t,” Max confirmed, the corners of his eyes creasing with silent laughter. “I thought we’d have fish and chips and mushy peas. Have you had that before?”
Sasha shook her head. “Is it tasty?”
“Yes. And afterward, we could walk on the beach or maybe around the castle grounds.”
“Yay!” Noel shouted. “I like the castle and the beach.”
“Why don’t I get you showered and changed?” Max asked. “Sasha can have some time to herself and a leisurely shower. We’ll leave in about an hour. Is that all right with you?”
“Perfect. What should I wear? Oh, and while I remember, did you get Noel a present to take for Tiffany for her birthday party?”
“Jeans or something casual is fine,” Max replied before pulling a face. “I forgot the present. The shops will be open when we go into Bamburgh. The bookshop might have something suitable. What do little girls like?”
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