Chapter 13

Sundays belonged to the Voss house on the hill, the way they had every week for three years since she was announced CEO. It was always a much needed breather she always looked forward to.

Kate was already in the kitchen when she let herself in, with her sleeves rolled up and flour on both cheeks , fighting a losing battle with what appeared to be a pie crust.

"You're early babygirl," Kate said, not looking up. "Which means either something's wrong or you actually missed us."

"Can't it be both?"

"With you, it's usually both." Kate nodded toward the counter. "Wash your hands or nobody is getting to eat this pie "

“Oh it’s a pie” Seraphina said as she washed her hands which earned her a glare and she took over. Kate watched her for a moment.

"You look happy today," Kate said. "Different happy. Not board meeting happy."

"I bought a red blazer yesterday."

"That's not an answer."

"You asked and I answered Mum. Take it or leave it.

Kate laughed, the same warm laugh Seraphina had come to love more than she ever expected to, back when she first arrived in this house with nothing left of herself but a plan and a borrowed name. Kate had asked what she needed, listened to what Marcus Devereaux had done without flinching, and given her a home anyway. Since Kate and Jude they took her in they were Mum and Dad. She didn’t mind it. They reminded her of her dead biological parents.

Jude wandered in twenty minutes later, reading glasses pushed up into his gray hair, a newspaper folded under one arm even though he found newspapers boring. Jude liked getting his news the way everyone else did. Scrolling on your phone and you see a gossipy headline which snags your attention. He claimed he liked the ritual of carrying a newspaper around.

"There she is." He kissed the top of her head on his way past, the same greeting he'd given her every Sunday since the very first one. "How's the empire?"

"Growing."

"Naturally." He settled into his usual chair, unfolding the newspaper he didn’t actually care about. "And Devereaux? Behaving himself?"

"He's progressing exactly as planned, if that's what you're asking."

"That's not quite what I asked." Jude peered at her over his glasses. "You've mentioned him three Sundays running now. Not the plan. Him."

"I mention a lot of things."

"Not like this." Kate slid the pie into the oven and wiped her hands on her apron, exchanging a look with her husband that Seraphina caught and pretended not to notice. "You get a certain look when you say his name."

"I don't have a look."

"You absolutely have a look." Jude's tone stayed light. "Just be careful, that's all we ask. We don’t want our babygirl hurt.”

"I know what I'm doing."

"We know you do." Kate reached over and squeezed her hand. "We just get to worry a little. It's the one perk of the job as your parents ."

Seraphina smiled at that, gratitude coursing through her chest.

They ate at the kitchen table the way they always did, Jude still not reading his newspaper, Kate declaring the pie crust a personal triumph despite all evidence to the contrary, and Seraphina let the afternoon stretch out slow and easy, in no hurry at all to get back to the version of herself the rest of the week required.

"Stay for dinner too," Kate said, later, already knowing the answer.

"I have work tomorrow."

"You always have work tomorrow." Kate squeezed her hand once more. "Stay anyway."

She stayed.