With Tiana in her arms, Briar politely bids Dave and his daughter farewell before carrying Tiana to the car, happily chatting.
"I thought that you wouldn't come!"
"Hah, if I don't come, who do you want to come? Or maybe I shouldn't come next time!" she teased the little girl.
Upon hearing that, Tiana exclaimed as she hung tighter on Briar, making those who were still watching muse on how good this nanny was at the kid.
The two bantered with each other into the car and all the way to the next school, where Lyra and Cade were studying.
On Friday, school closes at 2:30 pm. So, when they arrived, there was still time remaining.
While waiting for the kids, Briar texts them about where the car was parked before taking Tiana to the nearby cafes.
It was hot and getting something refreshing since it would take a while before they got home and ate something. Briar decided to buy a few things or two.
Tiana clutched Briar's hand, chirping like a bird as she skipped merrily.
Those who saw them thought to themselves that the pair of mother and daughter were very close.
Briar took Tiana to the nearby shops where the two of them had fun, as always.
Walking along the convenience store aisle, Briar was busy watching as Tiana happily picked snacks from the shelves as she chirped like a bird, her mouth always busy.
"Second mother, brother will love this!"
"This one! Um, I have seen my sister looking at it the other time. Let's get it!"
"Second mother, you love this. Let's take it as well!'
"Do you think that Dad will like this? It doesn't matter. I will pick this one!"
Briar didn't need to add a single word, as Tiana did both jobs for her. She asked herself and answered easily.
It didn't take long before the trolley was full of snacks and drinks.
Seeing that everything had been picked, Briar pushed the trolley and Tiana to the till, where she paid for everything using the card Logan generously gave her before.
The two of them left the shop with several plastic bags in hand and looking at the number of snacks they had bought, she couldn't help but grimace.
'Let's hope that he won't see it!' she thought as she brought everything to the awaiting car.
When they arrived, most of the plastic bags were put into the boot, leaving just one bag in the car.
While Briar was busy with the snacks and thinking of which type to pick and start eating as she waited for the two eldest, the students at Hillcrest High School were also packing their bags, ready to leave for the weekend.
In Lyra's class, Lyra was already done packing her bag as she waited for her other friends to finish with theirs.
"So, you aren't coming to school on Monday?" a close friend of hers asked as she looked at her.
Lyra nodded as she slung the bag over her shoulder, replying, "Um. It's Dad's birthday, so won't be coming."
Eugene, upon hearing that, looked at Lyra with a puzzled expression and asked, "Isn't your family hosting the birthday banquet this Sunday?"
Lyra chuckled lightly as she listened to that.
"We are indeed hosting it on Sunday, but that isn't the actual date, after all," she responded with a shrug.
The girls nodded at hearing that and continued with their packing. Moments later, they were all done and ready to leave.
On their way to the gate, where their guardians were waiting to pick them up, the girls were happily chatting, and recently Lyra was the one with the most interesting stories. After all, her family recently got a stepmother.
"How is it going between her and all of you?"
"She didn't make any moves on your dad, had she?"
The girls were very worried about the stepmother's position in the family.
They all grew up knowing how evil these people were. If Lyra got too relaxed, she might wake up and find herself kicked out of the family. They didn't want that for her.
Lyra, this time, didn't feel upset when she heard her friends' questions. She knew that they had good intentions, so she was quite relaxed when she responded to them.
"Actually, I am starting to get worried about my dad. I think that she might not be interested in him at all!" Lyra dejectedly told her friends as she recalled what she had been seeing lately in the house.
When the friends heard that, they all exclaimed in shock before bombarding her with questions.
Lyra was expecting that, so she told them exactly what she had seen in these two days.
"You should have seen how reluctant she was to move into the master bedroom. Instead of spending time with Dad, she is freer with us. If you see the look on my dad's face, Haha, it's simply hilarious!" Lyra couldn't help but laugh heartily as she thought of the time when Tiana wanted to hoard the second mother to herself.
The way her father reacted was priceless.
The friends were quite dumbfounded by that news.
"Are you sure that she isn't faking it?"
"These people tend to hide their tails until they get what they want!" Eugene, however, wasn't buying it. She couldn't help but say that out loud.
Lyra felt her temples throb hearing her friends still suspecting her second mother.
"I also thought like that before, but when she moved into the master bedroom. We helped her pack. What do you think I saw in her bags when we were doing so?" a sly smile hung on her lips as she asked her friends that.
The friends didn't know what Lyra wanted them to say, but every woman who wanted to climb the social ladder would always have a few tricks or so.
"Sexy lingerie!"
"Books on conquering men!"
"Nothing!"
Lyra smiled when she heard the last answer. She couldn't help but look at this friend of hers, Dorica, and nodded her head, agreeing with her. "Nothing. No sexy lingerie, no books. Just what we were used to seeing her wearing was all that I could find. She even slept with my dad wearing her famous long gowns. You have seen them before, haven't you?"
This revelation quite dumbfounded the friends. They felt as if they were being played.
As Lyra's friends, they knew the nanny now turned into a second mother pretty well. That woman was a good nanny, and they were quite envious of Lyra and her siblings. After all, it wasn't easy to find someone who truly cares for you, the way Briar did for Lyra and her siblings.
However, when she turns into a mother, that becomes another issue.
How was it possible that she didn't have any designs on Mr. Logan? That man was a fine man. Even their mothers and sisters love talking about it.
Could it be that there was some conspiracy?
"Anyway, just be careful and make sure you check thoroughly before getting convinced. We don't want you crying when her true colors are revealed," Eugene still didn't give up, and concernedly warned Lyra as they reached the gates.
Lyra nodded, accepting her friends' requests. It wasn't like she wasn't going to check for herself one last time. She just needed a venue to do so.
And she knew the right place to check her assumptions.