“You need to practice a little patience,” she told her son as she led the way toward the coffee bar on the side of the store where she would allow them to pick out an after-school snack and a juice pack. “A wedding is a big deal.”
“Not to me. You promised me cake, but I don’t think that’s enough to get me through. I’d rather talk about math homework or going to the dentist than keep hearing the same thing over and over again.”
“I think it’s interesting and fun,” Gentry said, sounding only a little defensive.
Once they’d picked out a table, they went to the display case where they bickered good-naturedly over their snack choice. In the end they decided to split a fruit and cheese plate, along with a large peanut butter cookie. Jax handed over her water tumbler for a refill, then sat with her kids.
“How was your day?” she asked as they dug into the food.
“Good,” Xander mumbled over a mouthful of cracker and cheese. When Jax raised her eyebrows, he covered his mouth with his hand, chewed exaggeratedly, then swallowed. “Sorry. It was good. The Badgers got paid and there weren’t anyunexpected expenses this week.” He sighed heavily. “I thought I’d really like this project, but it’s hard.”
“I know and you’ve been doing a great job keeping the Badgers going.”
“I want to grow up and drive and stuff, but the money thing is yucky.”
“You’ll need to get a good job so money isn’t a problem,” Gentry told him.
Xander looked doubtful. “But I don’t know what I want to be.”
Jax smiled at him. “That’s okay. You have a few years before you have to decide anything.”
He nodded and opened his juice pack.
“How about you?” Jax asked her daughter. “Any excitement today?”
“Not really. We had a quiz in social studies, but I’m current on the reading so I did fine. A couple of kids hadn’t read the chapter, so they were really upset.” She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t get it. Mrs. Kelly gave us a reading schedule and warned us there would be pop quizzes to make sure we were following it. It’s not like they didn’t know.”
“Maybe they didn’t believe her,” Jax said.
“I guess.” Gentry reached into her backpack and pulled out a bridal magazine. “Shawna gave me this so I could look at dresses. She wants to start shopping this summer, when school’s out.” Gentry flipped to a dog-eared page. “I think this one is really pretty.”
Jax eyed the one-shouldered fit gown doubtfully. “That’s a lot of dress.”
Xander snorted. “You can’t wear that. You’re still a kid.”
“Could too.” Gentry looked at her. “Shawna said whatever we decide, we have to wait to order it because I’m still growing. But if we wait too long, we might not be able to get it in time.” She worried her lower lip. “I need to wear the right dress, Mom. I can’t look different from the other bridesmaids.”
Jax found herself mentally agreeing with her son that there was way too much wedding talk.
“Take a breath. It’s all good. Shawna will know how late she can order the dress. Trust me—she and her mom will absolutely make sure you have the right one. If they’re concerned about you growing, they’ll get it in a bigger size, then have it altered so it fits you perfectly.”
“You promise?”
“I do. A good alteration person can work magic.” She smiled. “You’ll be a beautiful bridesmaid.”
Gentry beamed. Xander made a gagging noise in the back of his throat, then quickly stopped when Jax gave him “the look.”
Gentry reached for her half of the cookie. “Last week Shawna was talking to Dad about her bachelorette party. It’s going to be in Las Vegas. When I asked her about it, she said I couldn’t go because I was too young. Can you talk to her for me? Next summer I’m going to be twelve.”
Jax tried not to choke on her water. “No, I won’t talk to her. You’re not going to Las Vegas.”
“But, Mom!”
“No but anything. I wouldn’t let you go if you were sixteen. It’s not anything you need to be a part of.”
“But they’ll be having fun without me.”
“Yes, they will and you need to deal with the pain.” A bachelorette party? Not on this planet or any other.
