Looking down at the fancy meal before us, I guess pop tarts are off the list. I’ll have to do some research on healthy eating and step up my game a little bit, maybe pull Ma into the mix. I don’t want to make Lillie unhealthy.
Finally we’re done, and I lead my little charge up two flights of stairs to her elaborate bedroom. It’s like a room in a palace with an ornate headboard and thick, fluffy duvets and loads of pillows.
She’s bathed and dressed in her Elsa nightgown, searching for a book to read as I pick up her clothes and put them on hangers.
“You’re old enough to hang your own clothes now.” My tone is gentle, and I pull the sleeves of her coat out of the body. It’s when I notice a crinkly ball in the pocket.
Reaching inside, I pull out three packets of ketchup. The kind that comes from fast-food restaurants. “What’s this? Where did you get these?”
The minute she sees me, her face flushes with shame. She runs to where I’m standing and takes them from me. “Don’t tell Gigi. She’ll never let me get a puppy.”
My mouth drops open, and I watch as she reaches under her bed for a plastic, heart-shaped box. It looks like the one the evil queen gave the huntsman for Snow White’s heart, and I pause for a moment to consider just how gruesome that storyline is for children.
She opens it, and it’s stuffed with ketchup and mustard packets. I’m completely bewildered by all this new information.A puppy?And what the hell is up with all the condiments?
“Where did you get all of these?” I rake my finger through the little foil pouches.
She shrugs, taking one out and squishing it in her hand. “Feel it.” We sit together, and I give one a squish. She squishes hers back and forth in her little fingers, whispering, “Gigi says I can’t have them.”
Pressing my lips together, I think about what a little scientist she is. Or a little weirdo. “You need to mind your Gigi.” Her brow falls, and I lean closer. “But I’ll let you keep them. Don’t get them in your bed. They might pop, and that would make a huge mess. We’d probably have to get a whole new bed.”
She jumps forward, throwing her arms around my neck. “I love you, Ruby. You’re my best friend.”
It pretty much seals the deal. “I love you, too. Now put these up and get in the bed.”
“Maybe if I get all stars I can get a puppy for Christmas like Darling inLady and the Tramp.”
Chewing my lip, I look around at all the super nice furniture. I think of the polished wood floors. “Have you talked to your dad about getting a puppy?”
“Gigi says puppies are a lot of work. She says they’re babies that never grow up, and I’m the baby for now.”
I think about this a minute, and as much as I hate to say it… “She kind of has a point. Dogs are a lot of work, and you might be too little to help walk it and teach it to do tricks.”
“Would you help me?” Her little hazel eyes go round, and I won’t lie, it squeezes my heart. How can I say no to that?
“This isn’t like the ketchup packets, Lil. You’re going to have to ask your daddy about this one.” Her little shoulders drop, and I tuck the blankets tight all down her sides. “Now you’re a well-rolled dumpling.” She nods slowly, her eyes still downcast.
I exhale a sigh. “Tell you what. If your daddy says you can have a puppy, I’ll for sure help you with it.”
Her expression flips to excitement so fast, I start to laugh. I’m pretty sure this little con artist knows exactly how powerful her own set of puppy-dog eyes are.
We read a quick story and finish the night singing “Bella Notte” fromLady and the Trampbefore “Now I lay me” prayers and turning out the light.
I’m standing out on the landing trying to figure out how to handle this situation when I notice Remi on the floor below looking up at me. My heartbeat picks up, and I walk down to where he’s standing.
“Don’t you have work to do?” I can’t resist teasing him.
“I’m at a stopping point.” He grins and that dimple makes a special appearance. “I like listening to you sing with her. She never sang so much before you came here.”
“The songs are the best part of those movies.”
“Want to have that glass of wine now?”
It feels like a risky suggestion, but hell if I’ll say no. “I’d love it.”
10
Remi
