Page 114 of What Doesn't Kill Her

Max and Verona were staring. Rae had their attention now.

But this was between Kellen and Rae, and Kellen tried to think of the right answer. “Your daddy is your daddy. He has no other children but you.”

Rae nodded and wiped her nose on her sleeve.

Kellen felt a little thrill; she’d taught Rae to wipe using the nearest sleeve. “I’ll be your daddy’s wife. And I’m your mother. We’re going to be a family.” Kellen rubbed Rae’s back. “I thought you wanted that.”

Rae nodded and played with her spoon. “I do. But we are!”

“A family.” Kellen relaxed and smiled. “We are, aren’t we? We’re a good family together just like we are.”

“Yeah!”

“Your daddy and I don’t really have to get married, do we?”

Max made a muffled sound of protest.

Verona thumped her head onto her palm.

Rae exploded in indignation. “Yes! Yes, you do!”

Heh.Kellen felt the slightest bit smug. “Honey, if we can be a family without a wedding, and a wedding makes you unhappy, then we won’t get married.”

“I want to wear pink!”

Just like that, Kellen had no idea what Rae was talking about. “What? Pink? You wear it all the time.”

“To the wedding. I want to be your bridesmaid, and I want to wear pink!”

Wait a minute... From some depths of forgotten girlhood, rebellion rose. “You can be my bridesmaid, but you can wear pink atyourwedding. That’syourcolor.”

“What’syourcolor?” Rae demanded.

What was Kellen’s color? “Purple!”

Rae’s eyes got big and shiny. “Like ThunderFlash and LightningBug!”

“Purple?” Verona muttered. “She wants purple?”

“Can I wear a purple sash and a purple ribbon in my hair?” Rae asked.

“And carry a purple bouquet,” Kellen assured her.

“That’s almost pink,” Rae said and dug into her stew.

Kellen knelt there on the floor, feeling as if she’d been outsmarted by a seven-year-old. She looked up to see Max and Verona smirking at her. “Oh, shut up,” she muttered and sat to eat while they returned to arguing about a wedding that would take place in exactly two weeks’ time.

The old-fashioned avocado-green kitchen princess wall phone warbled uncertainly like an opera diva whose prime had passed. Verona slid out of her chair and said, “I shouldn’t answer. It’s probably another spam call,” and answered. “Hello? Who? Why? Yes, I remember you. But why? Hmm.” She took the phone away from her ear. “Rae, it’s for you. It’s Mr. Brooks.”

Max and Kellen looked in consternation at each other.

“Yay!” Rae hopped off her chair and sprinted to the phone. “Hello, Mr. Brooks! What did you figure out?”

Verona sat back down.

Max and Kellen leaned forward to eavesdrop.

“Why does that bastard Nils Brooks want to talk to my daughter?” Max whispered.

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