“What happened?” I ask.
Matty sighs, exhaustion softening her features. “Well … your nephew here”—she gestures toward AJ—“still isn’t sleeping through the night, and he wants to stay latched on to my boob like I’m an all-night buffet.”
Shelby bounces him lightly. “He’s a growing boy.”
“He’s a nocturnal menace,” Matty mutters.
I laugh.
Matty continues, “Caison and I were up half the night with him, and apparently, sometime around five this morning, we both fell back asleep.”
“Oh no,” I say.
“Oh, yes. And we slept straight through the alarm.”
Shelby looks down at AJ. “Did you hear your mommy blaming you for her tardiness?”
AJ makes a noise that sounds like a cross between a laugh and a coo.
Matty points accusingly at him. “You’re not funny, mister,” she says, and he starts kicking his little legs again.
Matty rolls her eyes, but her lips curve faintly.
“So, I got here late, took care of a few things, and then took an hour-and-a-half nap in Daddy’s recliner while Grandma bathed AJ in the kitchen sink after he had a diaper blowout.”
“Sounds like your day was about as productive as mine,” I say.
Matty sighs, and despite the exhaustion written all over her face, there’s a softness beneath. A quiet happiness that wasn’t there a year ago.
Being back at work. Having AJ. Having Caison.
Then she straightens, and her eyes come to me. “How was your first day at the Belicourt?”
I shrug. “It was okay.”
Matty’s brow furrows. “Just okay?”
Shelby glances over, too, curiosity lighting her face. “Uh-oh.”
I lean back in the chair and let out a long breath. “Well … I might have kind of gotten off on the wrong foot.”
Matty sighs. “Harleigh.”
“What?” I protest. “It wasn’t my fault.”
Shelby grins. “I bet it was your fault.”
I ignore her. “I wore the wrong thing.”
Matty blinks as she looks down at my outfit. “What do you mean, wrong thing?”
“They have this … signature Belicourt blazer.”
Shelby snorts. “Of course they do.”
“And apparently, it’s mandatory,” I say.
Matty nods slowly. “Okay …”
