Not a mystery for today though.
Emma’s fixing Bash a plate. Watermelon, burger without a bun, carrot sticks, and baked beans.
“Little guy need anything too?” I ask her.
“Already got his juice,” one of the triplets says behind me.
Emma flashes me a fake smile. “Thank you.”
“Can I get your plate?” I ask.
“I’ve got it,” Laney says.
They’re brutal.
No, Jonas, we do not need you in Emma’s or Bash’s life. We’ve been taking care of them just fine for years, and we’ll continue to do so. You’re superfluous.
I reluctantly like it. Mostly because I don’t think they’re doing this for my benefit.
I think they do this for each other all the time.
One of the triplets tossed beers to his brothers and Theo already. Theo grabbed a corn cob, disappeared inside, and came back out with a pile of corn on a plate, the cob gone, and handed it to his dad. Zen’s passing plates behind them to Sabrina and Grey, who are waiting in line too.
I’ll be last to get lunch.
So I grab a raspberry kombucha for me and a lemon kombucha for Emma, taking my time digging around so that I can trail her to her seat.
She takes one of the Adirondack chairs and balances Bash’s plate on her knees.
Both of the dogs lift their heads and sniff.
“Don’t even think about it, or I’ll let Fred out,” she tells them.
Jitter whimpers and puts his massive head down between his paws.
Duke snorts, then also turns away.
“Who’s Fred?” I ask as I take the seat beside her and put her drink in the cupholder built into her chair.
“Fed a bad titty,” Bash says.
“He’s not abadkitty. He’s anadventurouskitty who thinks he’s as big as a mountain lion and doesn’t know boundaries.”
Bash eyes her. “Dat a big wood.”
“I know.Adventurousis averybig word.”
“Aduwus.”
“Adventurous. Good job.”
“Booties.”
“Boundaries?”
Bash grins and shoves a spoonful of beans into his own mouth with a Bash-sized orange plastic spoon, smearing bean juice at the edge of his lips. “Booties.”
He’s so cute it’s making my heart cramp.
