Page 77 of Red Mountain Burning
Thank God for Casseroles
Margot couldn’t believe she’d pulled off the gender reveal without a hitch. As she stood there at the door to the patio, watching this group of forty having so much fun, she reminded herself that she could do anything—with the help of frozen casseroles, that is.
Thank God for casseroles.
A handsome man clapped his hands and drew everyone’s attention to the beautifully wrapped box in the grass. The crowd circled around it dutifully. A little girl with bright-green shoes reached to pull the bow. Margot looked at the mother with her bulging tummy and the father with his proud smile.
This was what life was all about. It was so easy to get caught up in the trivial things. Why worry so much about losing A/C or early and late checkouts? For that matter, why worry about a future stepdaughter who didn’t like her? Life could be worse! She reminded herself to stop sweating the small stuff and remember that she was living her dream and would soon be marrying the man she’d hoped to find since she was a high-school romantic.
The girl with a bow in her hair pulled back the ribbon on the box, and a lone blue balloon rose up into the air. She thrust up her hands and turned to her mom and dad. “I’m going to have a little brother!”
Margot joined the crowd in enthusiastic applause. Moments like these were exactly why she’d created Épiphanie.
Knowing she’d better check on Adriana and the crew, Margot slipped into the dining room, crossed into the lobby, and climbed the stairs. As she looked down the hall, she heard a little boy’s laughter. Was that Zack? She followed the noise and found the cleaning cart holding open the door to one of the rooms.
It was definitely Zack’s laughter. But someone else’s too. That wasn’t Carly, was it? Margot passed the cleaning cart and entered the hallway. Adriana was in the bathroom to the left, polishing the clawfoot tub.
“How’s it going up here?” Margot asked her.
Adriana turned and then pointed toward the bedroom with a smile. “See for yourself.”
Margot crept farther down the hallway and came around the corner quietly. Adriana followed her.
Carly was showing Zack how to make the bed. “Pull that side up, stinker. Not that high. Yep. Nope. Ah, there you go. Now see if you can straighten it some. See those creases?”
Zack straightened the sheet. “Did you know that my mom and Brooks never make their bed? I always make mine, but they don’t do theirs.”
Margot and Adriana smiled at each other but didn’t dare interrupt the moment.
“Maybe you need to remind them,” Carly said. “Or better yet, what if you made their bed every morning?”
Zack’s jaw fell. “Are you crazy? No way, José. I’m the kid in the house.”
Carly laughed as she made one last adjustment to the bed. “You know what I think? Grown-ups still have a lot to learn, don’t they?”
Zack crossed his arms and nodded. “Got that right.” The phrase had to be something he’d learned off a television show, and it was the most adorable thing Margot had ever heard. She nearly fell to her knees watching this exchange. She wanted to freeze this moment and go grab Remi. He needed to see his daughter right now. Was this the real Carly?
Margot finally stepped into the room. “What’s going on in here?”
Adriana was right behind her. “Zack Hernandez, did you just tell someone that I don’t make my bed?”
The kids both grinned.
Carly set two pillows on the bed to finish up. “Actually, Zack just promised he’d make your bed every morning until he goes to college.”
Zack whipped his head around. “I did not say that!”
“Just kidding.” She threw a pillow at him.
He picked it up and threw it back. “Pillow fight!”
“No, no, Zack,” Adriana said. “This is not your bedroom.”
On just about any other day, Margot would have agreed with her. But today was different. She reached for one of the other pillows from the chair and swung it at Adriana, hitting her in the arm.
Adriana put her fists to her waist. “Okay, if that’s how we’re playing it. It’s on.”
All four of them erupted into laughter, and quite possibly the first pillow fight in the history of Épiphanie ensued.
