Page 31 of A Little Naughty

“Oh, shit, where’s Nikki?” My stomach drops. “Was she worried?”

“She’s fine. She’s watchingSpongeBobwith Ryan and Fudge.”

I jog down the short hall behind the kitchen, and peep through the door to see them sitting on the wood floor in front of the television, facing each other. Fudge is stretched out on the bed, but Nikki is teaching Ryan to play jacks.

“The trick is not to throw them too far apart when you get to the bigger numbers.” They’re practically head to head, and her hand is moving fast, scooping up two rounds of fives.

“Hi, guys, how’s it going?” I walk over to sit beside Fudge on the bed, and Nikki hops up to walk around and join me.

“Mr. Adam made boiled shrimp for dinner, and he taught me how to peel the tails!”

“I noticed it smelled like crab boil in here.” My stomach rumbles, and I give her a hug. “How was school today?”

“Great! I taught Heather and Claire to play jacks, and Owen and Ryan learned, too.”

The soft noise of the pink ball bouncing punctuates the scoop of metal over the floor. “I got it!” Ryan calls, and she returns to where he’s sitting.

“You did tens?”

He nods. “I didn’t throw them so far apart like you said.”

They high five, and all the drama of this night fades away. I’m happy to see her having fun, playing with Ryan, finding her place in the group.

“Ready to head home? You’ve got school tomorrow.”

“Okay.” She takes my hand and gives him a little wave. “See ya tomorrow, Rhine-o.”

“Not if I see you first, Neek-o.”

My eyebrows pop up, and I purse my lips.Okay!

My sister is still in the kitchen talking low to Piper when we return. When I enter the room, Piper straightens, smiling at us. “We’re all set to meet with Alex tomorrow night at the distillery to discuss your Mardi Gras idea.”

She seems to have forgotten all about the drama of tonight as well, and I decide to let it go. “I’ll see if Monay can watch Nikki.”

“Oh! I want her to come and help us plan.” Piper walks around to hand me a plastic container of what looks like shrimp and grits. “Adam made this for you.”

“Aww!” I look around, but only Cass is still in the kitchen. “Tell him I said thanks. I’ll get Monay to come to the office one day and help us.”

“I wonder if she’d be interested in reading to my kindergarten class.” Cass walks with me to the door. “I have a Little Golden Book about Dolly Parton, and she could come in costume. The kids would love it.”

“I’m sure she’d love it, too. I’ll give you her number.”

We hug Piper goodnight, and Cass, Nikki, and I head out the door.

“Need a ride?” My sister asks.

Alex’s large house is on a big stretch of land farther out of town—too far to walk unlike everywhere else.

“That’s okay. It’s a pretty night.”

“I think it’s cold.” She shivers, and I step forward to hug her.

“Don’t call the sheriff on me again,” I say in her ear.

“Don’t give me a reason.” She lightly pinches my arm.

I exhale a little growl. Welcome to small-town life, I guess. Cass leaves in Alex’s Tesla, and Nikki squints up at me. “Why did she call the sheriff on you?”

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