“I heard that, Momma!” CeCe’s oldest daughter said from the far side of the kitchen.
“Good,” CeCe shot back. “Let that keep you on your toes.”
“If Ben liked Leah, then why did his best friend date her?” Akira asked.
“Sebastian didn’t start dating Leah until Ben demanded he do so. And thank goodness he did. Sebastian was very lonely, before Leah. The two of them fell in love and they’re perfect for each other, and Ben knows it and supports them. But now it’s high time that Ben moves on. I only have six grandkids.”
“Six sounds like a lot.”
“Well, it’s not! I gave birth tofour children. I’ve spent the last forty years parenting, and that sucked most of the spunk right out of me.”
If CeCe had any more spunk, she’d be a Chihuahua.
“Six grandkids isn’t a good return for four kids,” CeCe stated. “I want and deserve more.”
“Yeah,” her big husband said as he walked by and stole a cookie. “More grandkids.”
“Steal another cookie, Hersh,” CeCe said to him, “and you’ll lose a hand.”
“I really hope my mom isn’t talking to you about wanting me to procreate,” Ben called from the punchbowl.
“She is,” Akira called back.
“Mom,” Ben said, “this is the first time Akira’s agreed to go anywhere with me. To get her to come, I had to assure her that we’re just friends. I don’t think she’s ready for you to pressure her to go forth and multiply.”
“Keep an open mind,” CeCe told her. “It doesn’t make a bit of sense for you to push away a man whowillbe good for you because you’re afraid he won’t be good for you.”
Ben entered the room. “The punch is done.”
“Did you add twice as many frozen sherbet balls than the recipe calls for?”
“Mom. I wouldn’t dream of adding the amount the recipe calls for. I’ve known since I was five that pink party punch needs twice as many sherbet balls.”
“See?” CeCe said to Akira. “Lifetime guarantee.” She then handed them two brooms and commanded them to make a final sweep of the hardwood floors.
“It’s a good thing this isn’t a date,” Ben said as they progressed into the living room. “Sweeping the floor and a sermon from my mom would have made me really hard to resist.”
“You’re so right. We’re not vacuuming next, are we? I can’t help but have a crush on men who ask me to vacuum.”
“Then I definitely won’t ask you to vacuum. I’ll stick to asking you to scrub tables and wash dirty dishes.”
They’d reached the foyer when all the lights suddenly dimmed. Since the sky outside on this Sunday evening was rapidly darkening, the effect emphasized the votive candles flickering on every surface. The atmosphere instantly turned romantic.
“Ten minutes before showtime,” CeCe hollered.
“I can no longer see the dust,” Ben said.
“Neither can I. How come we just swept if they planned all along to make the dust invisible with mood lighting?”
His smile threatened to obliterate her defenses. “A word to the wise—that kind of logic won’t serve you well with my mother.”
She snorted.
The front doorknob turned. A handsome dark-haired man and a blond woman entered.
“Once again you’ve managed to arrive after all the work is done,” Ben said teasingly to the man.
“CeCe didn’t give birth to me. She’ll harass me a little, but she won’t take my head off.” He extended his fist to Ben.
