Charlotte wasn't sure how Zoe would take the news that she had an aunt and uncle, but as she had no true frame of reference for the difference between blood ties and friendships, she took it in stride.
"Like Auntie Sarah?"
"Yes." Charlotte glanced over her shoulder before changing lanes. They were on their way to Sunday dinner with Theresa and Clyde, and she was nervous. "You can call her Auntie Theresa." She hoped. Theresa might have a different opinion about the moniker, but that could be a conversation for when they were all together.
"And what's an uncle?"
Charlotte had to smile at that. If only Sarah could pin a man down, Zoe would already know. "An uncle is married to an auntie, or if I had a brother, he'd be your uncle."
"Okay." Zoe fell silent, absorbing the information. "Is Alexei my uncle?"
Charlotte nearly choked, turning it into a cough. "No, sweetie. Alexei is--" Oh, jeez. What was Alexei to Zoe? Her 'Grumpy', sure, but that wasn't what she was looking for. Before she could think of a response, Zoe continued talking.
"Because my friend, Stacy, at daycare, she says she has a stepdad, and his name is Caleb and he lives with them, but he's not her dad." A pause. "Or her uncle."
Charlotte stifled a sigh. Zoe wouldn't understand the nuances of an adult relationship. She supposed she could classify Alexei as a stepdad, but she hesitated to slap that level of attachment on him, when she had no idea if they'd go the distance. She could hope all she wanted but that was it for now. She shoved that thought aside before it could give her more anxiety than she needed for the evening.
"Well, that's nice for Stacy. Stepdads and uncles are all great, but Alexei isn't either of those."
"He's not?" Her little voice was confused now. "So he's an auntie, like Sarah?"
Charlotte shook her head and slowed for a red light before glancing over her shoulder at her daughter. "Aunties are girls and uncles are boys."
"So Alexei is an uncle." Zoe sounded so sure it made Charlotte smile.
"He's not, sweetie. He's my--"
Boyfriend, Lover? Revelation?
"--Special friend."
"Oh." Zoe's little nose screwed up as she made a face. "Okay. I can still call him Grumpy?"
"As long as he's okay with it, yes." Charlotte had long ago made peace with it.
Zoe's questions answered for now, she fell silent, and Charlotte drove the rest of the way to the swanky neighborhood her sister and brother-in-law lived in. She followed Theresa's directions and pulled up on their circular drive, gaping at the big brick-faced McMansion.
"They live in a castle!"
Charlotte snorted out a laugh at Zoe's innocent exclamation. Even to Charlotte, it did have some castle-like characteristics.
"Remember what I told you earlier, okay?" Charlotte climbed out of the driver's seat and moved to the back door to unbuckle Zoe from her car seat. "Best behavior tonight, okay? No jumping on things or touching things you're not allowed to touch."
"Okay, Mommy."
Bless her little easy-going heart. Charlotte let out a breath as she set Zoe on her feet on the snowy driveway. It had been cleared from the storm the day before but there were little drifts all along the edges.
Charlotte locked the car and took Zoe's hand to lead the way up to the front door. She half-expected some maid or butler to answer the door. Instead, Clyde opened it with a wide smile.
"You made it!" Clyde hauled them inside with a hand on Charlotte's shoulder and closed the door behind them, swamping them in the warmth inside the house. "I'm so glad you're here. I was a little worried about you driving on those roads after yesterday but Theresa insisted you were more than capable."
"Capable, yes." Charlotte smiled. "But I can honestly say I don't enjoy driving in Chicago after a blizzard."
"Tell me about it." Clyde gave a mock shudder, before turning his blinding grin on Zoe, who had gone shy, tucking herself against Charlotte's leg, her little fist at her mouth. She gazed up at Clyde with wide eyes, one arm around Charlotte's thigh. "And you must be Zoe." He dropped down to a crouch, eye-level with the child. "I've been so looking forward to meeting you."
Zoe pressed tighter to her mom and Charlotte dropped a hand to her head for comfort.
"I'm your Uncle Clyde." Clyde paused, glancing up at Charlotte with a wry grin, as if looking for confirmation that the label was all right.
Charlotte nodded, still rubbing Zoe's hair.
Clyde reached out one hand towards Zoe and she shook it quick before putting her hand back at her mouth. "Yeah, Uncle Clyde. Or you can call me Uncle C, it's what my brother's kids call me."
"You have a brother?" Zoe asked from behind her fist.
"I do."
"I don't have any brothers. Or sisters. Or uncles."
Clyde gave her a gentle smile. "You have one now, don't you?"
Zoe nodded, her shyness fading by the second. Charlotte watched as Clyde helped Zoe out of her winter coat and boots before he straightened to his full height again. He helped Charlotte with hers, hanging everything in the front hall closet as Theresa appeared beside them.
"Hi, sorry I wasn't here to greet you," she said, coming forward to give Charlotte a hug, far less awkward than their embraces at the event the week before. "I had to wait for the oven to ding."
"Of course." Charlotte stifled her surprise that Theresa was cooking. Then she berated herself for assuming anything about Clyde and Theresa and how they lived, no matter what their house looked like. She knew as much about them as they did her. "Zoe, this is your Aunt Theresa."
"I have an auntie." Zoe glanced between Theresa and Clyde. "She's Sarah."
"That's wonderful. It's always good to have more than one auntie or uncle." Clyde put an arm around Theresa as he spoke.
Zoe's eyes widened. "You can have more?"
Charlotte exchanged a grin with the other two adults. "Oh yes, sweetie. Some people have half a dozen or more."
"Really?" Zoe's amazement was adorable. "So I can keep Auntie Sarah?"
They all chuckled before Clyde shuffled them out of the front hall and into the great room where the scents of dinner cooking surrounded them.
"Now, Zoe, what is your favorite drink?" Clyde crouched down to her level again. "Do you like juice, or milk?" He leaned closer with a cheeky grin. "Or beer?"
Zoe burst into giggles and shook her head. "That's a grown-up drink, Uncle C."
Charlotte watched as Clyde absolutely melted at the way Zoe said his new name.
"You're right, Zoe. Juice it is!" And he swept her up into his arms to further giggles and carried her into the kitchen to get her drink.
Charlotte turned to Theresa, who was also smiling at her husband's behavior. "He seems like a really good man, Theresa."
Theresa nodded. "He's the best. I feel so lucky every day."
Charlotte knew that feeling. She cleared her throat and looked around the big, open room. "Your house is lovely. How long have you lived here?"
"Oh, not quite a year. We were a few miles away before we got married, and then started looking for something a little bigger after we got married."
"A little bigger?" Charlotte smirked as she glanced around again.
"Well, we've been talking about starting a family ourselves."
"Really? That's wonderful." And Charlotte meant it. The idea of being an aunt herself had never occurred to her before now.
"Anyway." Theresa brushed a hand through her hair, a darker auburn than Charlotte's own red waves. "Can I get you something to drink?"
"Just water, thanks."
Once they all had drinks in hand, they sat down around the living room. Clyde kept Zoe occupied with discussions of princesses and the merits of happy songs versus sad, leaving Theresa and Charlotte to chat on the couch opposite.
"So what do you do for work?" Theresa let out a breath. "I'm ashamed to say I don't even know that."
"Why would you?" Charlotte smiled and shrugged. "The last time we talked, I was still in college. I've been working at a store called Heart and Home." She described the store and the things they sold.
"I'll have to stop in there sometime." Theresa looked as if she meant it, so Charlotte nodded. "I'm always looking for accent pieces for this place. There are a couple whole rooms that are basically empty still."
"I can imagine." Charlotte looked up around at the lofted ceiling and the fireplace burning on low. "You'll need five kids to fill this place."
Theresa's smile twisted and she looked away, sipping her wine. "Would you like a tour? Perhaps you can give me some ideas in the empty spaces?"
Charlotte wasn't sure what ideas she'd have but she nodded anyway. Clyde and Zoe were chattering away still, reminding Charlotte of Alexei's first interactions with her daughter. Clyde was very similar in the way he spoke to Zoe, without talking down to her in the least.
Theresa led the way through the house, down to the developed basement where there was a pool table and an enormous screen with a projector mounted on the ceiling across from it. There was a spare bedroom and bathroom downstairs as well, mostly being used as storage. Upstairs, the master bedroom and en suite were nice and well-used, and there were three additional bedrooms as well.
They stood in the middle of an empty one and Charlotte turned in a slow circle, looking around, her gaze catching on the beginnings of a mural on one wall. It was a parade of animals, all with cartoonish features, and all very familiar.
"You painted this." She walked over and lifted a hand to one comical giraffe.
"Yes." Theresa sounded as though she didn't want to admit it.
Even if she'd have denied it, Charlotte would know. She knew these characters. Theresa had always been artistic, drawing and sketching through evenings and weekends when they were kids.
"They're adorable." Charlotte cast a smile over her shoulder at her sister, who stood near the door, wringing her hands together in front of her. "I assume you're intending to turn this into the nursery when it's time?"
"Yes. That's the plan."
