Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

"Leo, this is a bit of a mess. Let Grandpa break it down for you."

"Hey, nephew, keep an eye on Naomi, okay? Don't let her sit around by herself."

Meanwhile, on the phone, there were a mix of voices: "Big brother!" and someone sobbing, "Waaah!"

Leo groaned. "Can you five just pick a spokesperson? I've seen less chaos at a county fair."

With everyone eager to talk but no one willing to take the lead, the phone just got passed around—whoever had it, spoke.

"Hey, Leo, it's your grandpa."

"I figured as much. You don't sound anything like Grandma."

Hansen piped up, "Watch that smart mouth, kid. Say that again and I'll come over and knock your front teeth out. See if you can sass me then!"noveldrama

Mia jumped in, "Dad, focus. Stick to the point, please."

Hansen got back on track. "Right, so here's what happened last night..."

He got through part of the story before the phone was handed off to Mia, who picked up the thread: "...and then Naomi got upset. Big brother tried to smooth things over, but honestly? He just made it worse." She was starting to realize why Leo, good-looking as he was, had never had a girlfriend-he was clueless when it came to feelings.

She used to blame her husband for raising Leo to be so straightforward, but now she saw it ran in the family. Nature before nurture, she thought.

Trying to reason with someone when they're angry, and laying it all out so bluntly? Maybe wait until Naomi cooled off a bit before you start explaining everything.

When Mia finished, it was Molly's turn. "So now Naomi thinks Big Brother actually liked that girl back in college, and only turned her down because he had to. She's convinced he's been holding onto that old crush all these years and only stayed with her out of obligation."

Mia raised an eyebrow. "Did Naomi actually say that?"

Molly replied, "She didn't need to. That's definitely what's going on in her head."

Leo leaned back in the driver's seat. "I don't see what Dad did wrong."

He was honest. Straightforward. Nothing to hide. But somehow, his mom had managed to turn it into a whole production.

Just then, Mia spoke up, "Naomi's at that age-hormones, midlife, all that. Don't leave her alone to stew in her thoughts."

"Exactly, Leo. If you're busy, Mia and

I can go over and keep her

company," Melly chinted in. "Faffaly is important right now. Someone needs to be with her so things don't get blown out of proportion."

Henry was in the background, craning his neck, waiting for his turn with the phone.

But the grown-ups just kept talking over each other.

Leo finally asked, "How do you all know Mom's at that age where menopause kicks in?"

"Do your research, genius."

"And how do you know not to leave her alone?"

Mia grabbed the phone, "The three of us just spent thirty bucks talking to a doctor online."

Leo was left speechless.

By the time the call ended, Henry still hadn't gotten a word in with his brother. He grumbled and stomped around, clearly annoyed.

Mia tugged his ear, "Hey, little man.

You're just a kid, but you've

got your

dad's temper already. Planning to

outdo Andre when you get older?"

"Maybe I will. Let Andre see what it's like when I'm old and grumpy," Hansen added, laughing.

Since little Sam hadn't said a word, Mia called Andre and handed the phone to Henry He tucked himself into the corner of the stairs, hugging the phone as he chatted with his dad for over half an hour.

Andre was about to head into a meeting, but his son kept going, "Dad, Dad..." unloading all his frustrations.

So, Andre put in his earbuds and went into the conference room-half listening to

his son's complaints, half running his meeting.

But what could he do? With these two kids at home, sometimes you just have to let them have their say, tantrums and all.