#bergen_county

Eyebrow higher.

"And Anne Marie.. she didn't!" Tove says "I thought she liked me"

Offended!

"Of course she likes you."

"But Torin's lonely."

"Dad's not lonely" Tove says "he has me, and Jaymes, and you... and he teaches Spencer, and he talks to the boys... "

Oh my goodness.. it's that same face Dagmar got more than once when having to share

Dagmar may choose to ignore this fact

Jaymes sits down after the last grocery bag, and sits next to his wife... and shakes his head gently.

"What? He's happy.. he's..." She stares as he just keeps shaking his head softly and gently

"he's not happy?" She says startled

"he's lonely" A grunt.

"Why didn't anyone tell me he was lonely?" Tove says with a huff.

Jaymes shoots his daughter an sympathetic look

Dag chews on her lip.

"It's not anybody's fault."

"I... suppose" She says unsure "but I've always taken care of him" True "And I tried to make sure he had everything he needs" True "So in a way I feel..."

"Of course you did and do."

"I.. guess.. how'd I miss this?"

"Well..." A look at Jaymes.

"Dunno, maybe you see what you need and not always what he needs?"

Jaymes says "Also.. trolls hide feelings well. Even to ones they love"

"And you need him... but there's stuff you can't give him"

"Well, I feel foolish and..selfish and a bit angry at myself" Her mother says

"Well... you aren't any of those things, so you shouldn't be angry."

"Thanks" She says then she sniffs the air "Is just me being pregant or does that smell like Lutefisk gone wrong?"

Jaymes looks hapless, then just says it "I dont' think Dagmar and I ever knew Lutefisk could be RIGHT"

"I mean, it just sort of smells like old guy?"

"Hurumph" (There will be a terrible terrible price for this if I don't forget about it after a long sleep) She mmurmbles

it registers as a lie. She'll let it slide because she loves them