After a few weeks, it became clear that the two of them were coming over maybe a bit over half the times Andrea had to work late. I wasn't obliged to be working all that time, so there were chances for me to sit around with them — helping with their homework if they needed it, just generally keeping them company, or whatever.
I used those occasions to begin getting them comfortable talking to me about things; more than just the day-to-day kinds of stuff that usually occupied our conversations. Rather, I was interested in moving things to the point that either of them would be willing to talk to me about more and more personal and intimate topics. I started out by just making small comments about minor things in passing; then I began to include more and more subjects, again keeping my remarks short and casual. Once they were comfortable with that, I gradually drew them into the subjects; by the time I was done, neither of them was the slightest bit reluctant to talk to me about virtually anything — even to letting me know when one of them wasn't going to swim because she was having her period.
While that was going on, I was also getting them used to physical contact with me. Before, I'd always been pretty meticulous about touching either of them — ironically, for the very reasons that I was then trying to get it to happen. I'd always accepted a kiss on the cheek from one of them, or was willing to hold hands, but I carefully and patiently went about increasing the frequency and intimacy of my touches. From simply sitting a trifle closer to them when I helped with their homework, I eventually got them to casually accept a playful pat on the butt from me