“How was last night?” she asks.
I nod. “It was fun. Thank you for asking.”
She nods and grabs plates, setting them on the table. Nikki comes down minutes later and surprisingly doesn’t argue with her sister over the fact that she’s wearing Nikki’s sweatshirt. Hopefully that’s a good sign.
“Bacon?” Jed joins us ten minutes later and steals a piece from the paper plate.
“Can you get the milk and juice out of the fridge?” I ask.
“Sure thing.”
“I’ll get the cups,” Nikki says.
I look at Posey, who is manning the pancake station with a spatula that looks bigger than her head, and smile. In the year and a half since the divorce, we’ve found our groove. Then I frown when I realize I’m about to throw a boulder in the middle of the road for us. For a moment, I ponder just letting us have this day, but I worry they’ll hear my news from someone else.
Once we’re sitting down to eat, we go around the table and play a game of Guess Who. You tell three facts about anyone from a celebrity to a sports figure to an everyday person we all know and see who guesses the right answer. Although Posey and I sometimes play, the older kids stopped being interested around the time of the divorce. I chalked it up to them growing older and too mature. So it’s nice to enjoy the game with them again.
Jed finishes eating first, rising from the table and announcing he’s going to meet some of the guys from the football team at the movie theater.
“Wait, Jed. Can you sit back down?”
He places his dish in the sink and he must hear something in my voice because his eyebrows draw down. He slowly returns to the table, folding himself back into the kitchen chair, eyes on me the entire time.
“What’s wrong?” Nikki asks. She has every right to assume the worst. These family discussions only really happen when their lives are about to be upheaved.
“You’re scaring me. Is it about Daddy?” Posey asks.
I shake my head.
“Are we moving again?” Mandi pipes up.
I shake my head again. The words are on the tip of my tongue, but they won’t come out because I have no idea what will happen when they do. “We’re staying in Sunrise Bay. Hopefully we’ll be in our own house before Grandma and Grandpa return. Dad is fine in Arizona. I’m sure he’ll make his weekly call tonight.”
“Then what?” Jed asks.
Posey slides into the chair closest to her brother, and he puts his arm around her as though he’s going to protect her. The comforting move puts tears in my eyes because I haven’t seen that side of Jed since we moved up here.
“As you all know, I’ve been seeing Hank Greene for a bit.”
Nikki rolls her eyes. “We know, and I hope no one has seen you guys because he’s kinda related to you.”
I pat her hand. “He’s not related to me. He’s your dad’s cousin, which makes him—”
“Our cousin once removed, but not Mom’s,” Posey says.
I point at her, assuming she’s right. I don’t know why I always find figuring it out so confusing.
“Still, he’s related to us. It’s weird,” Mandi says.
All the children nod except for my sweet Posey.
I shake my head. “He’s not related to me.”
Own this, Marla. You are their mother and you deserve to be happy. This isn’t the end of the world. A happy mother only sets a better example for her daughters.
“Anyway, I’m not young anymore, and I’m not interested in dating around and playing the field.”
Jed releases a huge breath. “Thank God. So you’re done with this dating thing? I mean, I don’t really care if you date, but you chose the one guy in this town who has the same last name as us. It’s creepy.”
My head falls forward and I massage my temples.
“Jeez, Mom, I was ready to say I wanted to live with Dad,” Nikki says.
My head whips in her direction. That’s not even an option. No matter who I date, she’s not living with him and his girlfriend. “Listen. Stop with all these comments. Hank is your dad’s cousin, therefore I am not related to the man. If I had chosen to take back my maiden name after the divorce, he and I wouldn’t even have the same last name. Can we please all agree on that?”
They nod, though hesitantly.
“I am only going to date Hank Greene. I love him and he loves me and we’re going to explore a relationship with one another. What I’m telling you is that this is serious between us.”
Jed groans.
Nikki’s head falls to the table with a quiet bang.
Mandi’s eyes widen.
Posey sits there beaming at me.
“I know you all have your concerns about this, but I didn’t say we’re getting married or anything like that. But I refuse to hide from you the fact I’m seeing someone. You’re all old enough to understand why I might want some companionship in my life. It might work out or it might not, but Hank and I are grown-ups. We are the parents.”
“So that’s it? It’s done? We don’t have a say?” Jed asks, Nikki’s head bobbing in agreement. I see they’re going to be the hardest to win over.
“I understand that you’ve never seen me with a man who wasn’t your father, so it will be hard for you. And I’m not suggesting you have to be happy about it, but I would like it if you were happy for me because Hank makes me happy.”
“Did you two, like, really date in high school? Is this like one of those Hallmark movies where you always loved him, but you married Dad?” Nikki asks.
I almost laugh because it sounds like the rumors were already spreading about us even before the radio station
