Page 13 of A Little Naughty

“Hey, you two!” Cass pops out of the kindergarten room as soon as we enter the building. “You look adorable. I love those shoes!”

She points to Nikki’s white, thick-soled tennis shoes, and I whisper in her ear as she hugs me. “Thanks for putting money in my account.”

“Thank Alex. You know he’s a girl dad—every little girl could be Pinky in a few years in his mind.”

Cass married Adam Stone’s second brother Alex, who is the total middle-child overachiever. He’s the richest man in town, a sexy bourbon distiller with a tornado of a five-year-old daughter Penelope, who everyone calls Pinky.

“AJ, you’re back!” Pinky runs out of the classroom, squealing and throwing her arms around my legs in a big hug. Cass taught her to call me AJ instead ofAunt… you know. “You missedeverythingat Christmas. Fudge made his bed in Baby Jesus’s manger, and Daddy said we should just dress him up in swaddling clothes and let him be the star of the show, since he clearly wants to be.”

“Who’s Fudge?” I frown at my sister.

“The cat?—”

“Ryan’s cat—don’t you remember?” Pinky interrupts, shaking her strawberry-blonde head like she’s so disappointed in my memory, until Nikki catches her attention. “Who are you?”

I look up at Nikki, who’s watching us curiously.

Cass steps over to wrap her arm around Nikki’s shoulders. “Penelope, this is Nikki. She’s staying with AJ in Aunt Piper’s old house.”

“Are you going to be my cousin now, too?” Pinky frowns up at my little friend. “Ryan was just my friend, but now he’s my cousin because Aunt Piper is going to marry Uncle Adam. Will Fudge be my cousin too, Mamma Cass?”

“You are very obsessed with Fudge these days!” I boop my little step-niece’s nose. “I have a friend coming for a visit, and she has a pink poodle you are going toadore.”

“A pink dog?” Her eyes widen, and I think I blew her mind.

I give my sister a wink that saysyou’re welcome. I happen to know Cass does not want to get a cat, but Ryan’s stray isn’t helping her case by being the star of all the town’s misadventures.

Pinky takes Nikki’s hand. “Mama Cass says we’re going to have a baby instead of a cat, but it’s taking alongtime. Come on. I’ll introduce you to Ryan and Owen. They’re my other cousins.”

Nikki looks up at me, and I smile. “I’ll be right there, okay?”

She looks down at the pink tornado holding her hand and seems slightly less anxious.

They take off down the hall, and I turn wide eyes on my sister. “I don’t care how much money Alex Stone has, I don’t think I couldever?—”

“I know you’re not about to say something negative about my Pinky.” Cass arches an eyebrow.

“She’s a little…” I fumble to find the right word.

“She’s five.” A wry smile crosses my sister’s face. “And I happen to remember another sassy five-year-old who grew up to be a Taylor Swift impersonator.”

“I only wished I had that much personality at five.” I peek into my sister’s classroom at the little kids milling about, waiting for the bell to ring. “They look like babies.”

“Aren’t they the cutest?” She steps up beside me, surveying the room with warm blue eyes. “It’s their first exposure to school. For most of them, I’m their first teacher, their first chance to learn the confidence they need for twelve more years…”

“Is this the start of a Disney movie?” I shake my head. “Do woodland creatures help you get dressed in the morning?”

“Shut up.” She pushes my shoulder.

“Seriously, you must be every mother’s dream of a kindergarten teacher.”

“I hope so.” Concern lines her face. “I remember how terrified I was when we dropped Pinky off for her first day.”

“You werenotworried about Pinky going to school.”

“I was. Not everyone appreciates her big personality.”

“Trust me.” I pat her arm. “Pinky will be fine.”

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