Cecilia Adler looked shocked. 'It must be ten o'clock by now, right?'
'Even without farm work to do, they can't just sleep in this late.'
'This family is just too lazy.'
'Aren't they hungry?'
She asked sympathetically, "Isn't it tiring to look after two kids by yourself? Where's the older one?"
"I'm used to it. The older one is playing at a neighbor's house." Charlotte Dalton called out her son's name loudly. "Rex!"
The boy appeared in a flash, skipping and hopping as he ran toward them.
Charlotte Dalton pulled him over. "Say 'Aunty.'"
"Aunty."
Cecilia Adler reached out and gently pinched his cheek. "You've gotten so tall."
"I'm almost three!"
Smiling, Charlotte Dalton led Cecilia Adler and Ian toward her house.
Strangers rarely came to the village, so everyone stared over with curiosity.
"Hey, Dalton, are these relatives of yours?"
"A childhood friend from my hometown. This is Cecilia, and this is her partner, Ian."
