Page 37 of Spotlight
“Hi, baby girl.” I lie in the small space next to her and wrap my arms around her.
She cuddles right into my chest and falls back asleep. And so do I.
* * *
I wake up with a groan.
“I’m hungry.” The volume in which Greer speaks does not account for our close proximity or the early time.
I crack open one eye. Her face is inches from mine, making her green eyes look like one big eye.
“Me too. You should make me an omelet,” I say, voice thick with sleep. “Oh, and some yogurt with strawberries too, please.”
I roll over and pretend to go back to sleep.
Greer isn’t fooled for a second. “You said I can’t use the stove, remember?”
“Right.”
She giggles and climbs onto my side. Her blonde curls fall into my face as she peers down at me. “I want pancakes!”
“How about cereal for both of us, then?” I suggest, sitting up and rolling my neck. I slept in my clothes, including my shoes, and there’s a painful kink when I move my head to the right.
“Okay!” She bounds from the bed and out of the room. She has endless energy, but she’s such a happy, easy-to-please kid.
With a groan, I rub at my sore muscles and get up a lot slower than my daughter had. I follow her into the kitchen and help her get her cereal.
Ruby is already gone. The blanket is folded neatly and laid over the arm of the couch, and she made a pot of coffee before she left. Bless her.
I pour myself a cup to take with me as I get ready for the day. By the time I’ve showered and changed and finished my coffee, I almost feel human again.
When I come out of my bedroom, Greer is sitting on the floor in front of the TV. She’s changed out of her pajamas into one of her many princess costumes. Today she’s Belle in the big, yellow dress and gloves, complete with a tiara on top of her head.
“Are we going to the nursery?” she asks when she spots me in my pink overalls.
“Yep. Do you want to wear that?” I ask.
She nods quickly as she gets up and twirls. “Can we get roses like in Beauty and the Beast?”
“We’ll see.” I laugh quietly. “Find your shoes.”
I take my empty coffee cup to the sink, rinse it out, and then put it in the dishwasher.
The doorbell rings as Greer is coming back out of her room with her sparkly tennis shoes in hand.
Greer looks to me like I can see through the door better than her.
“Maybe your Aunt Ruby?” I move to the door and open it, smiling when I see who it is.
I glance back at Greer and then slowly inch it wider to reveal Sabrina.
“Aunt Brina!” Greer has perched herself onto the couch and she jumps up and down.
Before I can tell her not to stand on the furniture, she’s already launched herself off and is coming toward us.
“What are you doing here?” I ask my best friend as my daughter wraps her arms around Sabrina’s waist.
“I missed my favorite girls.” Then she looks at me. “And I heard you had an interesting night.”
