“Medithine is gwoss.”
“She wasn’t impressed with the Pepto I gave her,” Mama added.
Sasha chuckled. “Yes, it is, but you’re not.”
Hailey grinned and snuggled against her.
As we approached the table, Mama watched us, looking a little too curious for my comfort. I tried to ignore her attention as I pulled out Sasha’s chair and tried to take Hailey. My traitor of a daughter still wouldn’t come to me.
“I’m sorry. She’s never acted like this before.” Of course, we’d never had company before, but I was usually Hailey’s favorite person on the planet. She’d never refused to let me hold her, not even when she was mad at me for making her put away her toys and go to bed.
“Kids love me,” Sasha said, patting Hailey’s back. “I don’t mean to brag, but I was probably the coolest babysitter in all of Vegas. Literally all my high school weekends were booked.”
“You lived in Vegas?” I asked, intrigued to find out more about her.
“I grew up there. Got my bachelor’s in criminal justice at UNLV.”
“And you spent your weekends watching kids?” Mama asked, bringing the food to the table. I stood to help her.
“Yep. I was a real party animal. I like kids. They’re a lot more honest than adults.”
Mama smiled. “They sure are. How long have you been in Seattle?”
“Four years. I was accepted into the police academy and landed a job on the Seattle PD. I’ve been here ever since.”
“You’re a cop?” Mama asked.
Sasha looked to me like she was requesting permission to answer. I nodded. “Yes ma’am. What about you, Ms…” She looked to me for an answer.
“Watson,” I said at the same time Mama said, “Doris is fine.”
Mama eyed me, surprise written all over her face. I couldn’t blame her. Watson wasn’t our real last name, but it was Alex’s, and I didn’t share those kinds of details with people. But Sasha was different.
“Ms. Watson,” Sasha finished. “I still can’t get over how different Tap looked last night. I used to think I was decent at makeup, but your artistry is at the drag queen level of impressiveness. How long have you been doing it?”
The two of them launched into a conversation about contouring and highlighting while I sat back and watched them interact. Hailey was perfectly content on Sasha’s lap, and although Sasha had to move Hailey away from her ribs a couple of times, she didn’t mutter one word of complaint. Hailey took a couple bites of her soup before asking Sasha to feed her. I wanted to object since my daughter had been feeding herself for a year, but Hailey’s eyes were glassy, and she was moving like a limp noodle. Besides, Sasha didn’t seem to mind one bit. She fed Hailey while talking to Mama, occasionally pausing to take a bite of her own.
After lunch, Sasha and Hailey stretched out on the sofa while I putThe Incrediblesback on. I left the two of them to watch the movie and went to help Mama in the kitchen.
“I like her,” Mama said, starting in on me with a meaningful look.
I chuckled. “You just met her.”
Mama’s eyes softened. “She makes you smile, Alex. I haven’t seen you smile like that in a long time.”
“Hailey makes me smile all the time.”
“That’s a different kind of smile.”
I thought about that as I retrieved the rest of the dishes from the table. Setting them down in the sink, I said, “I like her too.”
Mama looked awfully smug. “I know.”
“And Sasha thinksI’mcocky? Wait until she gets a load of you.”
“How long will she be here?”
“I don’t know. She’s a good cop, trying to do what’s right, and that’s earned her some dangerous enemies. The club is working on a plan to help her out, but time is against us. There’s these missing girls, and Sasha’s afraid if she waits too long, something bad’s gonna happen to them. But she can’t rescue them by herself. I’m afraid she’s gonna get impatient and bounce. The first fight did a number on her. I don’t know that she’ll survive round two.” I didn’t usually talk shop with my mother, but the thought of Sasha leaving was twisting me up inside. I needed her here, safe, and I needed advice on how to make that happen.
