Chapter 13 #4
“Parking the car,” Fifi rasps. “He’s, uh…” She gestures away. “We drove up at the same time, and Mia was in a rush to come in, so—”
“I’m here!” Fletch, being Fletch, barges in amid noise and chaos and a little sweat beading on his brow.
He takes a moment to study the scene spread out ahead of him, to zero in on our little grouping, then he circles the other crowd, the one with Bishop and Griffin and Corey, and comes to us.
Smirking, he peeks down at Elle and Claire and chuckles low on his breath.
“Wow. They look nothing like you, Soph.”
Lies. They’re basically her clones.
“Do you have two moms and one dad?” Elle asks. She was named for her Aunt, I suppose. Curious, she points my way. Then to Fifi. “Two? That’s pretty lucky.”
“Naw.” Giggling, Mia takes my hand. “This is my Aunty Minka.” Then she tilts her head the other way. “This is Fifi. ‘Cept, she prefers her proper name, which is Seraphina. My dad calls her Sera sometimes.”
“Alright, cool!” Fletch claps his hands dismissively. “Is dinner served yet, or…?”
“Wait. You call your mom by her first name?” Elle leans closer, like doing so could somehow exclude Soph from the conversation. “My mom is super nice to me and Claire, but I still don’t get to call her Soph. That would get me in trouble.”
“Fifi’s not my mom.” Dumping me like last week’s dinner, Mia drops my hand and wraps both around Fifi’s. “She’s my friend. She takes me shopping, brushes my hair, and does lots of fun things wif me. I have a different mom; her name is Jada.”
“Oh, God,” Fletch wheezes. I swear, I think he’s on the verge of bending at the hips and panting through his relief. “This is okay. It’s not a complete car accident yet.”
“My mom’s dead,” Mia chirps. “She lives in Heaven now.”
Is that the sound of screeching tires and shattering glass I hear, or…?
“Janine?” Fifi breaks away with a squeak and noisy exhale. “Can I help you offer drinks? Who wants a drink?”
She wants a drink.
Finally, Soph turns back to the crowd and singles out a completely unfamiliar face.
“Lucy.” She gestures the young brunette closer and brings her focus back to Mia.
“This is Lucy, and for as long as I’m in Copeland working, Lucy’s hanging out with my babies and June.
She’s a ballerina too, did you know that? ”
Mia gasps. “A real ballerina?”
“A real ballerina. In fact, did you know the Russian Ballet tried to buy her from me?” Soph tut-tut-tuts her displeasure. “How dare they?”
“How dare they!” Mia exclaims. “Why would you wanna go to Russia anyway? They wear weird hats, and your hair is already so pretty.”
“Oh, well…” Warmth fills Lucy’s cheeks as she drags her long, brown braid around to the front of her shoulder. “Thank you. I love your hair, too. My best friend in the whole world has super-duper crazy wild curly hair, and I’ve had straight hair my whole life. Yours is kinda in the middle, huh?”
Thrilled, Mia reaches up and strokes the woman’s hair.
“It’s not crazy curly,” Lucy continues. “But it’s not straight either. I think you got the best hair of all, because you can choose each day which kind you want.”
“Thanksssss.” Mia practically dances with glee. “Is Soph your mom?”
“How old do you think I am?” Soph grunts. “Geez, kid.”
Lucy playfully scrunches her nose. “No. My mom’s name is Isabelle, and she’s at home taking care of my big dumb dog while I’m out of town. He’s a bit silly, so he needs as many babysitters as possible.”
Mia throws her head back and laughs.
“Did you know Lucy is not only a real-life ballerina. But she’s a real-life fighter, too?”
Just like that, Mia’s laughter cuts off with a gurgle, and her eyes swing to Soph. “W-what does that mean?”
“Like…” Lucy lifts her hands the way boxers do during a bout, then she gently extends her arm forward in a jab. “Like this. My daddy used to be the world champion.”
Awed, Mia leans closer. “No wayyyyy.”
“Way. My uncles were champs, as well. And technically, I’ve won a couple of belts, too.”
“A ballerina and a fighter,” Mia breathes. “That’s so cool!”
“She’s pretty cool,” Soph agrees. Then she looks at Fletch.
“She’ll be safe with Lucy while we have dinner.
Ya know, in case you wanted to eat without little eyes watching every single thing you do.
Oh! And Justin?” She turns and searches for him in the crowd.
“Did Jen tell you about these new meds she’s been working on? Affectionately known as M&M’s.”
“Really?” Proud as any father could be, he beams for his daughter. “This is a brand-new development?”
“No.” She flattens her lips and shoots a glare my way. “I’m having a little trouble getting through trials, though. My recipients aren’t participating in the spirit with which they should.”
“Here.” Fifi presses a glass of wine to Soph’s belly, forcing her to take it, then a tall glass of beer to Fletch’s. “Take these. Cato just arrived, by the way. And Archer.” She swings desperate eyes to me. “I saw him pulling in.”
“Thank God!” I blow straight past Jen and Justin’s whine-fest about ungrateful, unnamed trial recipients.