Without more prompting, she bounded to the floor, then turned around to watch as I stood. She stayed underfoot as I walked to the door.
I’d barely gotten the door cracked open before Kayla rushed into the room. “Oh, Randall, I’m sorry we’re late. I was having a horrid time with my hair this morning. It wasn’t cooperating at all. I’m embarrassed to even leave the house.” She looked flawless as always. The pink strip was back to platinum, which was a little sad.
She spread her arms and swept me up in a hug.
“It’s good to see you, dear. Do you mind if I stick around to join you and Bailey for lunch? I could use some time with the only sane Morgan who doesn’t treat me like a child.”
She was saying something about my brother, but I quit listening, instead watching over Kayla’s shoulder as Bailey walked through the doorway. She saw Harper instantly, her blue eyes going huge in excitement.
Before I could give any warning or try to intervene, she rushed over to our feet and scooped up Harper. “Oh! She’s so cute! I love her!”
To my surprise, though her bulbous eyes were bugged out more than normal, Harper didn’t protest as she was lifted off the floor. She kept her eyes on me instead of looking at her captor.
Kayla pulled back, releasing me from her embrace. “I completely forgot. I didn’t even look to see….” Her words trailed off as she looked over at her daughter and the dog that barely fit in Bailey’s thin arms. Kayla let out a small gasp and lifted her bubblegum-pink-tipped nails to her lips. She didn’t look at me. “Randall, is that thing safe with my daughter? Is it a rat?”
“Mom! It’s not a rat. She’s a puppy!” Bailey rolled her eyes like she’d been studying how to be a teenager instead of a second grader.
Harper gave a wet snort.
Kayla glanced toward me, her voice lowered. “Seriously. Have you had that thing checked for rabies or something?”
With anyone else, I would have been offended, despite having the same reaction myself when I’d first met Harper. Not with Kayla. She was my best friend, and I was certain by the time she left, she’d be on the floor cooing over Harper nearly as much as her daughter. “I know, she’s got some tooth issues. But she’s very sweet.”
“Tooth issues. That’s a nice way to put it.” Kayla stretched out a hand and used her nails to scratch Harper on the top of her head, managing to not make any actual contact with the tips of her fingers. “If you were hoping a dog might make boys come over and give you some attention, I think you might have picked the wrong one.”
“I think she’s cute.” Bailey gave the dog a squeeze, causing another snort to erupt, then sat down on the floor, Harper still in her arms. Bailey squealed happily as Harper licked over Bailey’s cheek.
Test passed. Dog and niece had bonded. And no blonde hair nor snaggleteeth were harmed.
WITHIN HALFan hour, the three of us were seated on Tallulah’s patio, taking full advantage of the clear skies and warm late-June sun. Harper’s leash had been tied on the railing so she was technically on the sidewalk, but really she was under the table with Bailey. I could see my niece-and-uncle days had turned into niece-and-uncle’s-dog days.
Kayla angled the wide brim of her hat to partially cover her face as she whispered, “I’m having one of those weeks where I’m this close to walking out. I swear to God, Randall. He’s going nuts.”
Good thing Harper was there to distract Bailey. Kayla was a great mom, but she did have a tendency to bitch about my brother in front of their daughter. Not that I could blame her. “You know he gets like this every time before one of Mom’s big events.”
“Well, it isn’t my fault she and your dad had an affair while he was still married to Dustin’s mom. Why does he always take it out on me? Plus it’s been over thirty-five years. Get over it, already.” She paused long enough to move some of the food around on her plate, then looked back up at me. “Dustin is only a couple of years older than your dad was when he married your mom. I keep expecting Dustin to walk through the doors and tell me he’s been having an affair and he’s leaving me.”
“Would that be so bad? It’s not like he’s nice to you much of the time. And if he has an affair, you could take him to the cleaners.” I kicked myself as soon as the words left my lips. That was the trouble with having a sister-in-law as my best friend. I forgot to filter. And though I loved her, Kayla had a tendency to throw away discretion when she was upset. I could easily see her repeating that to my brother.
“I do love him, Randall. At least a lot of the time. And if he thought I was leaving him, he’d do everything he could to make sure I never saw Bailey again. Just out of spite.”
I glanced under the table. Bailey was rattling on happily to Harper. She wasn’t hearing anything. I returned my attention to Kayla. “There’s no way he could do that. You’re a wonderful mom.”
She gave me an eye roll that matched her daughter’s. “Oh, I’m sorry, Randall. Have you met your family? Let me introduce you to their money.”
A pang cut through me at that. “Touché.” I took a bite of my salad and chewed, trying to figure out a way to support my friend and protect myself from potential family drama. “Why don’t you and Bailey do an impromptu trip to see your folks? You could come back the day before the party. You’d miss all the hoopla leading up to it.”
“You think that would go over well? Leave your mom to do all the planning and oversee the staff?”
I shrugged. “She never likes what you come up with, anyway. She always changes anything you do. This way, you’d both avoid all of that.”
Kayla chuckled softly. Her voice held no menace. “Exactly. It wouldn’t be wise to steal that joy from her.”
She was right. “I love my mom. I really do, but she can be such a….” I glanced under the table again. Bailey grinned up at me before launching into another deep conversation with Harper.
“Yes. She can be. Although, I’m sure it’s not easy on her either, knowing that Dustin is looking forward to dancing on her grave.”
And there she was. Kayla, who spoke without thinking. It often hurt, especially when it was the truth.
