“Well.” Tanika got closer to the phone, then whispered, “You don’t have to use your words to thank him properly.”
Jackie couldn’t stand Tanika’s thinly veiled innuendo…even if the thought had maybe crossed her mind for a millisecond. “Girl, if you don’t put my baby on the damned phone! I’ll never let you two puppy-sit ever again!”
“Fine, you ol’ meanie!” Tanika pouted. “Here he is now! Come here, sweetie! Come talk to your sexually repressed Mama! And you better not lick the screen again!”
Jackie could hear the comforting jingle of the bells on PeeWee’s Swarovski crystal collar. Yes, it was a bit excessive, but Jackie loved PeeWee more than words could express. Nothing was good enough or too expensive for her baby. Besides, he was the only baby she would ever have. Human kids didn’t fit into her vision of her life. They required way more emotionally than she could possibly handle. Plus, kids grew up and left the nest. Fur babies were ideal. PeeWee was just perfect for her.
As soon as PeeWee’s pristine marshmallow-colored face came into view, Jackie’s smile brightened. “Hey, Mama’s baby! How are you!”
PeeWee answered by giving her an enthusiastic bark.
“You having fun with Uncle Gid and Auntie Tanika?”
PeeWee’s tongue wagged, his head shaking from side to side.
“Are they feeding you all your snacks? Taking you for walks?
To that, PeeWee gave a little whine. Knowing Tanika, she was probably overfeeding PeeWee, just like she did Gideon. Her cousin had gained a nice amount of “happy relationship” weight in the months since being with Tanika.
“And are you being a good boy?”
“Hell no!” yelled Gideon in the background. “With his spoiled-rotten self!”
PeeWee whimpered shamefully, as if he understood the accusation. He turned his head away from the camera. Tanika howled with laughter.
Gideon bent down in front of PeeWee and held a chewed-up burgundy sneaker up to the camera. “I just got these Adidas! You owe me $200, Jackie!”
Jackie rolled her eyes. “It’s okay, PeeWee. Nobody likes a snitch! You’re still a good baby, right?”
PeeWee barked brightly. Jackie was beyond amused.
“Well, Mama is so happy to see your gorgeous face! You made my sucky day a lot better! I’ll be home soon, okay?”
PeeWee licked the camera lens. His image was smudged now, obscured by saliva.
“Boy! I told you not to lick my screen!” yelled Tanika as she ran to pick up the phone. Jackie chuckled as she watched Tanika’s hazy form grab paper towels and disinfectant to clean her screen.
When she was done disinfecting it, Tanika positioned the phone back on the counter. “Girl, you owe me, too, for keeping your dog! And you know what I want!”
Jackie had a good guess. Tanika was now the VP of Programming at WWSN, promoted from her former position as star reporter, and she was hungry for exclusives. “Listen, just because I’m an agent doesn’t mean I’m the supplier for interviews for your network, Miss Thing. Though, I do miss seeingyourface on my TV—”
“Baby, my face is officially retired from being on camera. I mean, unless it’s Jalen Hurts. I’ll come out of retirement for him. That boy is fine!”
“I heard that,” called Gideon as he passed by.
“Not as fine as you, baby!” Tanika said. She turned and smacked him on the butt.
“Girl, don’t start nothing you can’t finish up in here,” Gideon replied.
Jackie frowned. “I’m going to let you two go. Nik, we’ll finish this conversation later. Because if you all start getting freaky, I’m going to barf.”
Gideon picked up PeeWee, and all three of them got on the camera. He lifted a paw and waved. “Tell your Mama bye-bye so your auntie and uncle can get busy in their new bed!”
Tanika laughed, petting PeeWee lovingly on the head.
“You two are disgusting.” Jackie shook her head. “And you better not have my baby anywhere near your illicit activities! Bye!”
Jackie let out a cleansing breath. For the first time all day, she felt relaxed. Talking to her family and seeing PeeWee always put her mind at ease. She’d picked up the room service menu and begun browsing the selections when her cell phone began to ring. Marilyn Dawson was calling; Jackie braced herself.
