She wrinkled her nose at him. Truth was, she wouldn’t mind climbing into bed right now. She was exhausted. She ran her hand over her short, lightweight pajamas. They were brand new and made from a pale blue material with flying pigs all over them.
“And don’t pull that face at me, little girl,” he growled.
Her mouth dropped open. How did he see that?
“He can see your reflection in the television.” Aleki plopped down on the floor next to her as Wolfe started braiding her hair into two big braids.
“Damn it,” she muttered.
“You sure you want to do this?” Aleki asked her, looking concerned.
She nodded, holding Piggles tight. “I have to.”
Aleki studied her for a moment then nodded and turned to his laptop which he had on the coffee table.
“Who do you want sleeping with you tonight?” Wolfe asked her suddenly as Caleb walked in.
“Oh, umm.” They were making her decide now?
“I am,” Caleb announced.
She glanced up then back at Wolfe. He was frowning. “She’s slept with you a lot.”
“Yes, but I owe her a reward for today.”
“What did she do?” Aleki asked, sounding like he was only partially paying attention.
“We started swimming lessons.”
Aleki frowned. “Swimming lessons?”
She took a deep breath as Caleb gave her an encouraging nod. She knew she needed to be open and honest with them. “You know how I told you that I didn’t like swimming? Because of how my mom drowned?”
Aleki nodded.
“Well, it was a bit more than that. I haven’t swum since I was six, after I found her. After that, every time I was forced into any water I would start screaming. Therapy helped me a lot, but I never really learned how to swim.”
Aleki stared at her. Was that a hint of hurt in his face? She never meant to cause him pain.
“I didn’t ask you before, but did your mom not know how to swim?” Caleb asked.
“She was actually a good swimmer. My father told me she’d been drinking that night and must have slipped into the water and wasn’t able to get back out. He would get angry when I tried to talk about her so I stopped asking questions.”
Wolfe grunted. “Do we need a professional swimming instructor? I can find one, have them come here to teach her.”
“Hey,” Caleb said with mock-annoyance. “I was on the swimming team at my school. I won a lot of awards.”
“Doesn’t mean you know shit about teaching,” Wolfe said.
For some reason, she giggled at that. Somehow, without meaning to, Wolfe had lightened the mood.
“You could have told me,” Aleki said quietly. “I would have understood.”
“I know,” she whispered. “I’m sorry. It was hard for me to talk about.”
He nodded, sympathy in his gaze. Then he turned to his laptop.
“Ten minutes to go,” Aleki said. “Micah’s guy is walking in now.”