Denial (11 page)
“Josh, please make sure it’s no more than two days,”
Amy
said, hugging him.
“I promise.” He kissed
Amy
then headed for his car.
Amy
waved goodbye and wondered absentmindedly if that was all Josh did—sort software glitches. She was sure the company he worked for would never release this software, as there always seemed to be a problem with it. When she told him that grumpily this morning, he laughed and told her the business he worked in meant that even when it was released they would still have problems.
Closing the door,
Amy
frowned. She didn’t understand how his company could spend so much time and money sorting something that probably would need to be sorted again when released anyway. In her business, when you built something, you tried to ensure it was built right the first time.
Amy
smiled at the ruffled sight of
Celeste
and the two boys coming down the stairs. Moving toward the kitchen, she called over her shoulder, “Let’s have a decent breakfast before we head out this morning.”
Eventually, after a few false starts and lots of running around,
Amy
and
Celeste
managed to pack the Jeep with the boys, the puppies, and their accoutrements, and get going.
Amy
laughed at
Celeste
’s incredulity over the amount of stuff they needed to pack.
During the drive, the excited noise from the boys about seeing their grandparents encouraged the pups to bark. Within the hour, Celeste asked Amy if she had any headache tablets.
On arrival,
Celeste
asked, “How do you cope?”
The boys asleep,
Amy
started to unload things from the Jeep quietly. She looked at
Celeste
in surprise then teased, “Ask my therapist.”
Laughing, Celeste said, “You’re a Scot, Amy. The Protestant work ethic surely doesn’t allow time for a little therapy.”
“Okay, you got me there. Only therapy I get is retail, and that’s usually in the boys’ department.”
Celeste
helped
Amy
unload the Jeep. “This is good. I need the practice. Motherhood is seriously tough.”
Amy
looked at her quizzically. “You want to share something?”
Celeste shook her head. “No jumping to conclusions, Amy. It’s not what you think.” Her eyes twinkled. “Forget the twenty-six miler,” she said, heaving a bag out the back of the Jeep. “There should be an Olympic award for endurance with motherhood, don’t you think?”
“You’re not kidding,” Amy replied. She smiled. “Especially with my two ragamuffins.”
“Are you planning any more?”
“
What!
”
Amy
exclaimed. “You have met my kids, haven’t you? She laughed. “Don’t you know what motherhood does to a woman?”
Celeste
smiled. “You want to tell me the horror stories?”
Amy
grinned. “Just remember at the thousandth story you asked first, okay?”
“Remind you at the thousandth story, got it.”
“Where do I start?” Amy said, scratching her head. “Oh yeah. A couple of weeks ago, Josh and the boys met up with me after I was finished at a hair salon I use. We’d made plans to take the boys somewhere that afternoon. When I went to pay, Ryan decided just at that moment to release some pent-up energy and run amok. Josh gave chase, of course, and I got so distracted that instead of asking how much it was for a shampoo and blow-dry, I asked how much it was for a shampoo and a blow job.”
Celeste
grinned.
“
A blow job!
”
Amy
turned beet-red. “I asked my hairdresser how much for a blow job.”
“Wasn’t on special that day I take it?”
“Blow jobs aren’t a service they offer apparently.”
Celeste
laughed. “Okay, point taken. Note to self,
Amy
would rather hit her head until unconscious than have any more kids.”
“You’ve got it.”
Amy
looked toward the house. “You sure your folks said they wouldn’t be long at store when you spoke to them? They haven’t decided to run out on us since the last time they had the kids?”
“Nope, from what I’ve heard Mom’s over insisting Ryan eat his vegetables.”
“He puked you know.”
Celeste
smiled. “I know.” She tried not to laugh. “He puked in a restaurant, right in her lap.”
Amy
nodded. “He had the cheek to insist he told her carrots made him sick.”
“They’re here,”
Celeste
said as her parents’ car pulled into the drive. “If you want them to hang around, don’t ask for a blow job anytime soon.”
Amy
smiled. “It’s a deal, but only if we both make an effort to check the oven for teddy bears, next time your dad volunteers to make brownies.”
“Who was it?”
“Chris. He thought the teddy would help his Papa with the cooking.”
Celeste
grinned. “Insurance job?”
Amy
nodded.
“You gotta deal.”
Getting out the car, Camille called out to them.
Amy
smiled. “You get the boys, I’ll get my in-laws.”
Once they unloaded the Jeep and settled in the house, Fraser had gifts for the boys.
“I’ve brought some kites back for the boys,” he said, showing
Amy
kites from large to small.
“They look great,”
Amy
replied, pleased and grateful that Josh’s parents were such a thoughtful couple. Wherever they went, they always returned with wonderful gifts for their grandsons.
“Kite flying was a childhood hobby of mine,” Fraser said, unraveling the string from a small kite. “I know these days kids are into everything hi-tech, but nothing can beat feeling the wind at your back and flying a kite high. What do you say boys, wanna go fly a kite?”
As Ryan and Christopher whooped with excitement, Fraser encouraged everyone onto the beach.
The afternoon was fun and passed quickly.
Amy
didn’t quite master kite flying, but enjoyed it anyway. Eventually, they decided to quit when the boys began squabbling, and the pups more than once brought them all crashing down.
Back at the house, Amy
was preparing the boys for a nap when
Celeste
mentioned to Camille she was going for a swim. Camille looked at
Amy
. “Why do you not go too?” she asked. “I will put the boys to bed.”
Amy
looked at Camille. “I thought you were cooking?” She raised her eyebrows teasingly. “Don’t tell me Fraser is cooking now?”
Camille laughed. “Yes,” she replied. “We have now agreed on a barbecue, and Fraser can’t go wrong flipping a burger.”
“I’m not so sure, Mom,” Celeste teased.
“Go…now…both of you,” Camille said, smiling.
Amy
shrugged her shoulders and turning to
Celeste
asked, “Is that okay?”
Celeste
nodded.
“Can we try the kites again?”
Amy
asked enthusiastically. “Let’s take the big kite. I’d like to give it another go.”
Celeste smiled, and picked up the kite that Amy had difficulty with earlier. Together they strolled onto the beach.
Removing her shorts,
Celeste
challenged. “First to swim to the buoy can forget eating Dad’s burgers and have takeout.”
“You’re on,”
Amy
replied. Stripping off furiously, she raced after
Celeste
.
After their swim, which
Celeste
won by a mile, she flew the kite demonstrating to
Amy
how easy it was.
For the last two weeks, Celeste had worn her hair in a ponytail. Today was the first time she had worn it down. Amy noted she had pulled back the top and sides into a braid; the rest hung below her shoulders. It was much longer than she remembered, but the shine was still as deep.
“So, do I really have to eat your dad’s home cooking?”
Amy
asked. Stretching out on the sand, she propped herself up on her elbows.
The kite flying high,
Celeste
pulled the cords together, “Yup,” she replied. “Unless you have a talent you can show me.”
Amy
blinked. “Like what?”
“You know, useless talents like whistling through a curled tongue, wiggling your ears, standing on your head, juggling with your feet, that kind of thing.”
“I don’t think I can do any those,”
Amy said then
laughed. “How about vacuuming and using a Dustbuster at the same time?”
“Maybe,”
Celeste
replied, grinning.
“What can you do?”
“I can do the alphabet backward and forward.”
“Oh…I see,”
Amy
replied, enjoying the challenge. “Uhmm…” She raised her eyebrows. “Okay, I carry a huge cache of commercial jingles in my head, particularly ones aimed at kids under five.”
“Wow.”
Celeste
laughed. “Now that is useless.” She squared her shoulders. “Okay, I can contract my eye muscles and make them shake.”
Amy
clapped her hands. “No way.”
Celeste
nodded. “Yes way.”
Amy
grinned. “Show me.”
Celeste
fluttered her eyelashes then demonstrated.
Amy
laughed hard. “Okay, you win.”
Celeste
smiled. “Good, because wiggling my ears is something I only do as the last resort.”
“No way.”
“Yes way.”
“You can wiggle your ears?”
“You betcha.”
“Your dad always burns everything.” Amy
pouted. “I’m going to have to eat his food, aren’t I?”
“Aww, poor baby,”
Celeste
teased. “Don’t forget there is a doctor in the house if things get serious.”
Amy
stuck out her tongue.
Celeste
laughed.
After a few moments,
Amy
pointed to the kite. “You’re good at this.”
A brisk wind pushed
Celeste
, who struggled, but kept her balance. “Dad loved taking us kite flying as kids,” she said, gaining control.