Page 47 of And Then There Was Us
How did Hugh know about this game, and how come I didn’t have a clue about it?
“Did you want that game?” She took the box from Layla and opened it. Then they sat at the coffee table in the living room and set up the game beside Candyland, the drawing and making of a castle forgotten.
Brianna spread the pieces of the game across the board and was surprised when Layla didn’t reach for a single one.
“Layla, did you want this game?” she asked again.
Layla nodded. “Mommy, did Kat give me this?”
Brianna didn’t have an answer ready. “Um, no.”
“Was it really you? Did you get me this? Because if you did, you can take it back. I don’t need it.” Layla’s eyes were so serious it brought Brianna to her side.
“Layla, why would I bring this back?”
“Because Miranda said it costs a million dollars, and we don’t have a million dollars.”
Brianna kissed her forehead, hating that Layla was aware of their financial situation at all, much less that she probably hadn’t told her mother she wanted the game because it was expensive.
“I think Miranda was exaggerating.”But I’ll Google it and find out.“A different friend gave these things to you. He wanted you to have it. Otherwise he wouldn’t have bought it for you.” Part of her worried about Layla receiving an expensive gift. She didn’t want to set up unrealistic expectations, and she definitely didn’t want her daughter bragging to other kids and making them feel bad. As much as she hated adding a lesson to a happy moment, the mother in her wouldn’t let the opportunity pass. She placed the game pieces on the board. “If I were you, I’d be careful how you tell your friends about this.”
“Why?” Layla picked up the figurines and inspected their dresses and tiaras.
“Because maybe their parents can’t afford this game, and you don’t want your friends to feel bad because they don’t have one.” She watched Layla knit her eyebrows together. “How did you feel when Miranda told you she had it and that it cost a million dollars?”
Layla set the figurines down and shrugged.
“Well, you didn’t ask me for the game, so I’m guessing you didn’t feel happy, but maybe a little sad?” She lifted Layla’s chin as Hugh had done so often to her, and the sadness in her daughter’s eyes slayed her. She wanted to pull her close and tell her how sorry she was that she couldn’t afford extravagant gifts and how much she loved her, but instead she used those feelings to teach Layla about kindness. “You wouldn’t want your friends to feel that way, would you?”
Layla shook her head.
“I know you’ll want to tell them about your new game, and that’s okay, but maybe instead of saying,Guess what I got, the second you see them at school, you could tell them that you can’t wait to share your new game with them on your birthday.”
Layla’s eyes lit up. “That’s nicer, and they’ll want to play it, too. I know they will. Miranda said we couldn’t play it because she didn’t want to lose any pieces, but I’m a good sharer. I don’t mind.”
Pride swelled in Brianna’s chest. “The best sharer ever.” She wondered if Layla would ever be okay sharing her with Hugh.
Chapter Twenty-Two
BY SIX THIRTY the dinner crowd had filtered from the tavern into the restaurant, leaving just a few customers in the bar. Brianna was glad for the break. She’d been watching the couple in the corner booth sucking face for most of her shift. They kissed every minute, and that only made her miss Hugh even more.
She wiped down a booth, picked up a tip from another table, and went behind the bar to catch up with Kat, still drawn to the kissing couple. She was mesmerized at how they kissed and pawed at each other. She knew Hugh was being careful with her, but she wanted more. She looked at the couple again.I want that.
“What’s the plan with lover boy?” Kat lifted her eyebrows in quick succession. She wore her blond hair in a high ponytail and her tightest Old Town Tavern V-neck T-shirt.
“We don’t have a plan.”
“Oh no, and what does that do to your overscheduled little brain?”
“This is why I hate you. Do you really have to point out the obvious?”
Kat shrugged.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Go for it,” Kat said, eyeing the couple who were now practically having sex in the booth.
“Can a guy respect you too much?”
