“Come in,” I called, delighted that my sweet Sloane was looking for me. Sloane had mostly been keeping to her house for the past few days.
“Mom,” Sloane said, her face pure white. “We have an emergency.”
My heart sank. I couldn’t handle another emergency. Not now.
I shot up in bed. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s the boys,” she said.
I flung the covers back and had my shoes on before she could even whisper, “They have lice.”
I shook my head. “Sloane, for heaven’s sake. You had me panicked.”
The color was rising up her cheeks now. “Mom, they havelice.And Vivi and Emerson babysat for them all day yesterday.”
Oh, Lord. Thiswasa problem. I sat down on the edge of the bed. “OK. Let’s not panic.”
What did you even do for lice? None of my kids ever had lice. I was horrified, and if I was honest, I wanted Sloane out of my clean, un-liced house. But then again, if Vivi and Emerson had it, we were all goners.
I heard a shriek from down the hall, and I went running. I burst into Vivi’s room, where she was holding her hair out like she had stuck her finger in an electrical socket.
Sloane and I shared a glance.
“Gransley, help me!” she cried.
“It’s OK,” I said. “Calm down. It’s just lice.”
“Just lice?” she asked. And then, her voice louder, “Justlice? Are you kidding me with this? That is the nastiest thing ever!”
“Well, actually,” Sloane chimed in, “lice only infest very clean hair.”
Vivi glared at her. “From now on, I will only babysit while wearing a shower cap.”
Sloane looked sheepish. “I’m so sorry, Viv. If I had known about the outbreak at Mother’s Morning Out, I never would have asked you to babysit.”
“Emerson,” Vivi whispered now, as if she were saying the name of an apparition.
“Just pray,” Sloane said. “It’s our only hope now.”
Vivi nodded.
Emerson was, um, how should I put this nicely? Worked up about her impending wedding. This might put her over the edge.
“Look,” I said. “I’m going downstairs to call Sandra. She told me about this lice service that comes to your house and treats you and makes it safe to come back home.”
Sloane scrunched her nose. “You know, Mom, I read that you really don’t even need to treat the house, that all that is an expensive racket.”
I glared at her. “Sloane, your sister is getting married in one week. One week. Would you like to take the chance that the house is still infested, or would you like to do everything we can to ensure that her entire wedding party isn’t scratching their heads down the aisle?”
At that exact moment, another piercing scream came from down the hall. Vivi, Sloane, and I whispered simultaneously, “Emerson.”
Good luck, I mouthed to Sloane as I beelined downstairs for my phone. I hadn’t been the one to start this, but I knew I’d better fix it—and fast. As I picked up the phone and dialed Sandra, I had a feeling that at least for today, Jack’s role in her life and in our family would be the last thing on Emerson’s mind.
TWENTY-SIX
emerson: prom queen
The wedding was a week away. And the mothers were driving me crazy. Mom was freaking out about every detail. I knew she wanted it to be perfect, but honestly, I just wanted them to handle it and leave me out of it. I needed to look beautiful and relaxed on my wedding day, not stressed and exhausted.
