Page 2 of The Third Girl

“Dan, you could have put her down here with me.” Mom’s gaze shifts quickly from the empty seat beside her to Dad, then to me. She bites her lip, closing her eyes for a second, clearly regretting having said anything.

That chair sits vacant because Terri is gone. She always took that particular seat to be near Mom because they shared a special bond. It’s not so obvious when Logan and Laney join our crew for dinner because they fill the space and then some. I heave out a sigh.

Dad’s deep voice jars me from my thoughts. “Claire, you know you’d have been helping her through the entire meal if we put her down there. I can’t have you hurting that shoulder of yours any worse than you already have.”

Kennedy sets down her fork, blotting her mouth with her napkin. “Claire, do they have a surgery date set yet?”

“Yes. April 5. Early that morning.” She draws in a deep breath. “I chose a date I thought the three of you kids would be able to get away for a bit to sit with your dad.”

“I’ll be fine,” Dad grumbles, “we’re worried about you, not me.”

Mom winks at him, then turns to focus on Kennedy and Travis. “Hopefully, I’ll be feeling okay for the wedding.”

Travis shakes his head. “We’ll hope so, but don’t worry about it. We want you to feel better as soon as possible, so I’m just glad you’re not waiting until after the wedding.” He glances at Dad. “Found a sub to work the front desk yet?”

Our police department runs as smoothly as it does because Mom handles everything at the reception desk with ease. Having her out will be… interesting to say the least.

Dad shakes his head. “Nope. I’m working on it.” He points his fork toward his wife at the other end of the table. “I see it on your face. Do not worry about it.”

The department will get a small taste of what it’ll be like after Dad retires when he takes some vacation time to help Mom through her rotator cuff surgery. I know the day he decides to retire is coming. Trav and I are both struggling with that eventuality. Honestly, the entire Brookhaven Police Department will be lost without him at the helm and Mom at his side.

For a few minutes, we’re quiet, and that’s exactly when Sailor decides to provide some entertainment. She whips the headband off with one hand, waving it around, then picks up a handful of her mac ’n’ cheese with the other and dumps it directly on her head. Internally groaning, I open my mouth to speak, but Dad puts his hand up.

“Sailor, what are you doing? Mac ’n’ cheese doesn’t belong in your hair. Aunt Lucy made that special for you.” He pokes her in the side, eliciting a giggle. This turns out to be an error in judgment because now she thinks it’s funny and picks up another handful, this time mashing it into her hair and rubbing it around for good measure.

I clear my throat. “Sailor, you know better, baby girl.”

Hearing my stern tone, she blinks those blue eyes at me, her lip wobbling.

From the end of the table, Mom speaks up. “It’s okay. She can have a bath at Nana’s house.”

Kennedy gets my attention from across the table. “I’ll take care of it if you want.”

I shoot her a grateful look, my head bobbing in acceptance. “Yeah, if you’re up for it.”

Travis laughs. “Are you kidding? She says she’s in training with these two kids. She’d love to.” He gives me a reassuring look. “It’s all good.”

After dessert, Kennedy takes Sailor with her, Travis following along behind. Maybe he thinks he should be in training, too. I can’t imagine they’ll wait to try for kids. Hell, the way they are with each other, I don’t know that they’re even waiting for the wedding. They’ve been making up for lost time ever since they got back together.

In the kitchen, I help Lucy rinse dishes and load them into the dishwasher. It only takes us a few minutes, and then we’re left with the bigger pots and pans. My sister shoots them a stink eye. “Let’s let the rest of this soak. I’ll take care of it before I go.” She sighs heavily before whispering, “Hard to believe this is probably the last Morello family dinner we’ll have for a while, unless someone else steps up to host.”

I grunt at that, unsure what to say. I’m probably the least-prepared Morello to host a dinner. Both of my younger siblings have their shit way more together than I do right now.

She pats my arm. “No one expects it to be you. Don’t worry.”

I shrug, but murmur, “I keep thinking it would have been if—”

“Yeah. Terri would have stepped up immediately.” She wraps me in a hug. “I know you miss her like hell.”

“I do.” I draw in a ragged breath. “Let’s not talk about this right now.”

She smiles sadly. “Okay. But I’m here. Anytime you want to talk.”

I can’t do more than nod.

Back at the table, my sister and I sit down, and Mick, Mom, and Dad fall silent. Glancing around, it dawns on me that they’ve likely been discussing the huge elephant in the room—aka the fact that I’ve yet to find a childcare solution for Sailor.

Mom’s surgery means she can’t watch Sailor overnight like she has been. I’ve purposefully taken graveyard shifts so I can be with Sailor as much as possible, which means I sleep for a few hours in the evenings after she goes down for the night before my shift and then nap when she naps during the day. If I can also get some good dozing in duringPeppa PigorCarl’s Car Wash, then I’m usually able to get through the day (with the help of a shit ton of caffeine, too).

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