“Jimmy you can take off all the things you found in my closet and put them in that basket. Let’s get into comfy clothes.” She pouted but did as she was told.
I went into my closet and found a lilac pajama shorts and tank top set. I slipped on my robe and slippers. Walking back into the room I saw Jimmy had put on a black nightgown that went down to her feet. Where did you even get a nightgown like that in that small a size? She looked like a goth princess with her black robe and slippers to go with it. I commented on it on the way downstairs and Cleo laughed.
“You’re not the only one who gets spoiled rotten. She has her Daddy wrapped around her finger. If he takes her along to do errands, she always comes back with clothes. I don’t even want to know how much they cost.”
“She’s going to break hearts when she’s older.”
“Don’t I know it. Dallas too. He looks so much like Ethan it’s crazy.”
Once we were in the kitchen, I told Cleo to sit down and relax. She frowned but I wasn’t throwing out any more of my pots or pans. I told her that teasingly, but sternly.
“Fine. Maybe I’ll get some music going. Where’s your stereo?” I pointed towards the far side of the room and while she did that, I got out everything to make brownies for the boys and cupcakes for us.
Jimmy loved helping me. Her and her brother used to help me all the time while I was their nanny.
“Who taught you how to cook so good Aunt Renee?” She asked once the brownies were in the oven and the cupcake batter was prepped and in the liners. We sat down with her mother, who looked up curiously.
“Yeah, didn’t you say you left home when you were young?” I nodded. Realizing that we were just twiddling our thumbs I stood back up and grabbed three wine glasses.
“I did. My old boyfriend’s mom taught me a lot. She was like my own mom on the road. She loved to cook and was usually in charge of cooking for the troupe. Once I had my own kitchen, I started teaching myself more things.” I went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of wine and then realized that I was the only one able to drink it. I put it back and grabbed juice for Jimmy and asked Cleo what she wanted.
“Juice is fine. It’s like wine,” she said cheerfully. I smiled and brought it back to the table and poured three glasses. Jimmy reached for hers first and put her pinky out to drink.
“Do I get to do the toast?” She asked.
“Sure, what are we toasting?” She thought for a minute and then raised her glass.
“To the best sleepover ever!” We clinked glasses and drank our juice.
I checked the timer and saw we still had almost half an hour for the brownies to be done. I looked back at the girls who were realizing the same thing. I thought about other fun things we could do while we waited.
“Do you guys want to paint your nails?” I asked and Jimmy’s hand shot up.
Chuckling I left them at the table to go get my nail cover case from the bathroom closet downstairs. When I got back, I opened it and began unloading the case. While I was traveling with the theatre, I had a slight addiction to nail polish. Most of these were old, but I’m sure they’d still work. I counted as I set them down and stopped at 45 bottles.
I let the girls pick out their colors before selecting mine. Jimmy immediately reached for a black. I looked over at Cleo to see if she approved. She bit her lip as she glanced at her daughter.
“What about a different color?” She suggested, plucking the black bottle out of her tiny hand. Jimmy scowled, but after a moment began looking through the colors. I was starting to pick out my own color when I remembered the show in two days.
“Oh shoot. I can’t color mine. The director would kill me. Eh, that’s okay. I’ll just paint yours for you.” Jimmy looked up from the three colors she was choosing from to stare at me curiously.
“You’re in a show? Like when I did Peter Pan?” I nodded.
“Yep. Just like that. I get to play a crazy woman.” Cleo grabbed a deep red and handed it to me. I shook it and when she laid her hand down on the table, began applying the polish to her fingernails.
“I want to go see it,” Jimmy whined. I shook my head, glancing at the timer on the brownies.
“Not this time. It’s an adult only show. You can come to a different show,” I promised. She crossed her arms and sat back. Cleo sighed but said nothing. I looked up at her and she smiled, rolling her eyes.
“I hope Tot is a boy, for your sake,” she joked. I smiled but said nothing. Jimmy finally picked a bright green and when I finished Cleo’s first coat, I started on hers.
“What do you want Tot to be Aunt Renee?” She asked me.
“Mmm… it’s hard to decide. Girls are fun to dress up and have sleepovers with,” I reached over and pinched her little cheek. She giggled. “But on the other hand, I would love to have a little boy that looks just like Uncle Mark.”
“My mom said Tot is gonna learn music too so he can play with us. Rocky too.” She made a grimace and then looked me dead in the eye. “I really hope Tot is a girl. There’s too many boys.” I burst into laughter by the suddenness and seriousness of her statement. The timer went off on the oven.
I hurried over and quickly took the pan out and threw the cupcake pan in. I went back to the table and started a second coat on Cleo.
