“Sure. Let’s go kids.” He guided the children toward their bedrooms, watching Lilly run happily to choose her books. Looks like you’ve lost your heart to her too, little one.
He tucked his son in and read a couple of stories before turning off the light and saying goodnight. Del’s voice was animated as she read aloud, and he stood outside the door listening to her encouraging Lilly to read. After a few seconds, he smiled to himself and headed out to the lounge. Searching for some late news, he channel-surfed until footsteps alerted him to company in the lounge.
“She sounded pretty happy, Del. I think this is the best she has reacted to any of the help we have had.”
“Lilly is a pretty special little girl.” With her hands clasped tight in front of her, Del faced Blake. “There is something that is concerning me though, if you don’t mind me mentioning it?”
He turned off the television and gave her all of his attention.
“Remember the other day when Royce said she was mucking around and couldn’t read at all? That she was faking it.”
“Yes.” A knot formed in his stomach.
“Well, I think he could be right. Look, I’m no expert in children—we both know that—but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to test out the facts when they are right in front of you.” She moved closer and took a seat on the edge of the couch, tucking one foot under her butt as she faced him.
Blake crossed him arms and watched her, the skin on the back of his neck prickling.
“I think she has an Eidetic memory, which in itself is a good thing. She remembers the stories from being read to aloud and is guided by the pictures, but when I point out simple words I would expect her to know, she can’t read them.”
He bristled and lashed out without thinking. “You’re right. You don’t know what you’re talking about. You hardly know children, so how can you suddenly become an expert after hearing one little boy pick on his sister. It was nothing more than sibling rivalry.” He ignored the look of sadness and hurt that filled her eyes.
“You’re right—of course you are—but Blake, I think she has a problem, not as far as reading goes because she is still only little. But I wonder if her sight is what it should be. It’s just that I noticed her squinting at the book. It’s worth getting it checked, don’t you think?” Her knuckles showed white as she gripped her hands in her lap, but he refused to be swayed by her discomfort.
“Are you saying my daughter has issues of some kind? Because if you are, I do not appreciate it.” He stood, his earlier happy mood fading. “Let’s agree to disagree here, shall we? There is nothing wrong with Lilly that a bit of time with the right person—who knows what they are talking about, I might add—won’t fix. I think it’s time I called it a night.” Before he could say something he might regret, Blake walked from the room.
Chapter 11
Delilah sat on the couch, shocked and hurt at his outburst. Understandably, he would want his child to be perfect and not have any problems, but what she was going to suggest was nothing evil. A simple eye test would show if the poor child would benefit from having glasses for reading. Anybody would think it was the end of the world the way he reacted.
Del turned off the lights and headed for bed. Tomorrow was going to be stressful enough without adding lack of sleep and a wounded heart to the mix. She would let Blake simmer over his anger and see what happened in a few days when he’d had time to think about his reaction to a minor affliction.
Going to sleep was another matter. His logic defied her. Surely, if your child had a problem you would be only too happy to sort it out? When the clock ticked over at 2.30 am, the thought still ran through her head. When she finally drifted off, it seem like only moments later that a thump sounded on her door followed by Blake calling her name. “Delilah, you’ve slept in.”
“Argh…coming.” The blankets landed on a heap on the floor before her feet made contact with the carpet. Hell, the last thing I wanted was this. Damn, damn, damn! She hurried to the bathroom and turned on the shower. Hopefully the cold water would wake her up and do something with the bags under her eyes that normally resulted from a bad night’s sleep. This was going so wrong, just as she knew it would. Bloody get-togethers and the farming community. La la cozy and super friendly is so not my thing.
The breakfast dishes were piled on the side of the sink when Delilah walked out. Lilly sat on the couch, watching with a shy smile. “Morning, chicken. Sleep well?” The kettle was still hot, but she flicked the switch anyway while she dumped a big spoon of coffee into an oversized mug.
“Yeth.” The word made its way out of her mouth, hampered by the ever-present thumb. Although the constant thumb sucking had been mentioned in passing, Blake had told her the counsellors thought it was more than likely Lilly’s coping mechanism over her mother’s death and it was something they both ignored.
Delilah watched the men and Royce outside in the yard while she stood at the sink. First a coffee and then a quick whip around the house to make sure it was clean before she made the sandwiches. Bluey had instructed her on the correct procedure to ensure they were fresh and not soggy by the time the ladies arrived. It was all a welcome distraction to keep her mind off Blake and his outburst last night. She would deal with that later when everyone was gone.
The first sip slid down her throat and took seconds to kick her sluggish
