Debbie kept her own smile in place but remained silent.
Finally, Cheyenne handed Dallas and Cody their gifts. They tore into them without hesitation.
“Cool!” Cody cried as he pulled out a Star Wars BB8 Sphero Robot. The kind that needed a smartphone or other bluetooth device to operate it.
“Oh no,” Austin said, rubbing his forehead.
Dallas’s brow wrinkled as he pulled the box from his bag. “What is it?”
“What is it?” Incredulity filled Cheyenne’s voice. “Only the best and most expensive virtual reality headset available.”
Dallas looked at his mother like she was speaking a foreign language. “What do you do with it?”
“Wha—”
“Cheyenne!” Austin interrupted her exclamation. “My boys get a very limited amount of screen time that they have to earn. They do not have phones or any other kind of smart devices to run those things.”
“Well, why not?”
“Because young boys with the kind of energy they have don’t need those kinds of…toys. They need to run and play and just be kids.”
“Well, all kids nowadays have smart devices.”
“Not all kids,” Debbie said as she slid her hand into Austin’s. Her own sisters resisted getting their kids phones until they were teenagers.
Cheyenne turned to Tucker. “I knew we should have just bought them the iPads.”
“No, you shouldn’t have.” Austin said.
Tucker shook his head. “We should have gotten them dart guns, like I said. Austin’s right. Young kids don’t need expensive electronics.”
“Since when do you know anything about kids?” Cheyenne glared at Tucker.
“Well, obviously you don’t know your own kids very well.” Tucker returned her stare for a long moment before shaking his head and looking back at his empty plate.
Apparently, there was trouble in Cheyenne’s paradise. Maybe Tucker was tired of her spending all his hard-earned money on over-the-top, frivolous things.
Tension thick enough to cut with a knife filled the air. Debbie searched for a way to ease it, yet do what was best for everyone involved.
“Why don’t I take the boys’ gifts to my house. Then after they are done with their homework on Monday, instead of playing the Xbox, they can use my iPad to play with their new toys.” She squeezed Austin’s hand and gave him a pleading look, begging him to agree so things didn’t escalate any further.
After a long, tense moment, Austin finally nodded.
Dallas shrugged and set the VR box on the table. “Can we play soccer now?”
Before long, Austin and his kids had spread out on the grassy field. Austin and Cody against Savannah and Dallas. Debbie didn’t think Savvy was all that interested in playing soccer, but she obviously preferred it to talking with her mother.
Debbie closed the remaining pizza box and cleared the table before heading onto the field.
“Wait, where are you going?” Cheyenne asked. “You’re not actually going to play soccer, are you?”
Feeling peeved and not wanting to spend any more time with Cheyenne than necessary, Debbie propped her hands on her hips as she turned back. “I came to spend the day with the kids, so if they want to play soccer, then I’m going to play soccer.”
“But what are we supposed to do?”
Debbie walked over and propped her hands on the table, leaning over until her face was only a foot from Cheyenne’s. “If you want Austin to consider letting you take the kids to Florida, you’ll get out there and play soccer too.” When Cheyenne jerked back, her face filled with disgust, Debbie went on. “I don’t care if you hate every second of it. You will make the effort to get to know your kids.” She shifted her gaze to include Tucker. “Or you can say goodbye to your raise.” Again, Debbie started to walk away.
“But I can’t play soccer in heels.” Indignation filled Cheyenne’s voice.
