Arianne sat alone in the sitting room, the standing lamp pooling light around her. A tablet rested on the table in front of her, its screen dark. She had picked it up once or twice since returning from the mall, but each time her attention drifted before she managed to read anything.
The house had settled after the twins went to sleep.
Lily had gone down fast after dinner, the day wearing her out before she even finished describing the sweaters she had seen at the mall. Leo had taken longer. He had stayed close beside Arianne while Franz was away, following her from the kitchen to the sitting room and then upstairs again before finally settling beneath his blankets.
Even after he fell asleep, his small hand had remained curled around the sleeve of her sweater for several minutes.
Arianne leaned back against the couch.
