Jeff turned his head from the wall toward the noise coming from his side. Looking down at his right, he saw the blonde hair of his baby girl right beside him. Cami was standing at the toilet next to her father, holding her navel in her hand, much like he was. "What are you doing?" Shaking quickly, Jeff stuffed himself back in his shorts and stared at Cami confusion. "Chase!"
"What?" Chase walked into the bathroom and laughed upon seeing them. Cami's Pull-up was still firmly pulled up on her waist, but she was still holding her bellybutton, and leaning into the toilet the same way Jeff did. Touching her hand to the top of Cami's head, she noticed the toothy grin the little girl gave her when she pointed in the toilet and clapped her hands. "Daddy went pee-pee." Chase signed with a smile. "Yea, Daddy." She clapped her hands along with Cami to praise Jeff.
He was confused beyond all measure. He had been going to the bathroom for thirty-four years and never before could he remember anyone making such a show out of it. "What are y'all doing?"
"We've been working on potty training. She's going potty with you."
Leaning against the sink, he looked down at his daughter who was now making guttural noises as she happily pulled on the handle. "But, she can't pee standing up."
"She doesn't know that. She usually tries to go when I go. I guess she's going with you, too." Taking her daughter by the hand, Chase led Cami to the potty and pulled down her Pull-up, so that she could sit down. Once Cami was seated, Chase handed her a pop-up book and then turned to Jeff. "You need to sit on the toilet until she's ready to get up. She's got to get used to seeing us go to the bathroom, so she can imitate it." At least that's what her mother had done to them when they were little.
"But I don't have to go." This was by far the stupidest thing he had ever heard. Wouldn't Cami just one day know that she had to go and carry herself to the bathroom? That's what he did when he was little, wasn't it? To his recollection he never sat in the bathroom with his parents or Matt and watched them pee before he got the hang of it. "How long do I have to sit here?"
"A few minutes or until she goes. She doesn't like to be on there too long. And if she does go, make sure to clap and make a big deal out of it." Kissing Jeff on the side of the head, Chase waved to Cami. "I've gotta go to class. I'll see you guys later."
Jeff nodded at Chase and then turned his attention to Cami, who seemed more interested in feeling the textured pages of her book than actually trying to go to the bathroom. Maybe if he turned on the facet, seeing the water would make her go. Or better yet, he could put her hand in warm water to get it started. Matt used to do that to him all the time when they were teenagers. It would never fail. If they were had friends over the house and Jeff fell asleep first, he would always wake up in the morning in a wet bed. It wasn't until they were much older did Matt explain that's how he made Jeff pee himself at night.
Seeing as how this could take forever, Jeff grabbed a magazine from the basket on the floor, pulled down the lid on the toilet and took a seat. He flipped through the pages dog-earring the styles that he was interested in when he Cami making an 'oooooh' sound. When he looked up, he saw his daughter standing and pointing at the potty. "Ooooh." She repeated and leaned down as if she were going to stick her hand inside.
Hurrying over to her side, Jeff opened his eyes in surprise. Sure enough, Chase was right. Cami went potty. It was the first time that he had ever known her do something more with the pot than drag it around and use it as a step stool for the sink, or a chair for Scraps. "Yea! You did it!" Jeff bent to his knees and turned Cami around to face him, and to stop her from sticking her hand in it.
He could feel his face break into a smile when Cami wrapped her arms around her neck and hugged him. He hated to break the embrace, but if he didn't soon, Cami would be back over there trying to touch the contents. Jeff leaned back on his legs and clapped his hands in her line of vision.
"Oooooh!" Cami exclaimed as she watched her father dump and rinse the potty, before putting it back under the seat for the next time she had to go.
Jeff picked Cami up from the floor, kissing her chubby cheek and taking her down the stairs. Even if they would be leaving for the zoo as soon as he had his clothes on, and she would have plenty of treats there - probably more than a child of almost two should have, this called for a celebration.
He laughed at that snorty giggle of hers and he carried her over to the cookie jaw. He held on tight as he gave the honor of picking out which cookie, and how many she wanted.
"Hello?" He answered the phone as the soon as he passed it hanging on the kitchen wall. Placing Cami on the floor, he watched as she ran into the living room and pushed the button on the remote to turn it on. "This is Mr. Hardy." Watching Cami from the kitchen door, he cradled the phone against his ear. He could feel himself cringe at the gooey residue that her handprint made when she touched the table and the couch. They would never leave for the zoo if she kept touching things; he'd be too busy cleaning. "I'm sorry? What?"
What in the hell was this woman talking about? What application? Chase mentioned in passing that The Hearing and Speech Agency had an opening, but she didn't say anything about already filling out an application, much less brining Cami in for an interview. "What evaluation?" The last time they talked about taking Cami for more tests, Jeff had explicated told her no. He specifically told her that he didn't care what that quack doctor thought Cami wasn't having any more surgeries. "When'd you send all this out?"
Taking one glance back in the living room to check on Cami, Jeff moved quickly to the office and turned on the light. There it was. An enrollment package, complete with Cami's physiological makeup…all it was waiting on was his signature and apparently a deposit.
When the hell had Chase done all this? Why didn't she talk to him about it first? "I need to talk to my wife. She'll call you back." Pushing the end button on the phone, Jeff stared blankly at the folder containing Cami's latest test results underneath of the application. "I don't fuckin' believe this."
"Hey Daddy." Using her best little girl voice Maddy opened the door to her mother's house and wandered into the living room. She didn't want to be there, but Randy had gone to work out, and she still had a few hours before meeting Britain at the Blank Canvas to decorate for the bachelorette party. Besides, she hadn't seen her mom in a few months. Maybe with this much time between them this visit would actually be pleasant. She could hope, at least. "Nothing. I'm at Mom's."
Nodding his head at the waitress, Dave handed over his menu and motioned a finger to indicate to Rick that he'd be a minute. "Mom? You're home?"
"Yeah. I came home early to help Britain." She made her way to the back yard to see her mother kneeling in the dirt. That was a good sign. Gardening always seemed to put Emily in a better mood. Waving a hand back to her in acknowledgement, Maddy took a seat on the patio chair.
Resting his cheek against his large hand, Dave blinked doubtfully. Did his daughters really think he was stupid? He could always tell when something was wrong with them. When Chase was nervous, she rambled. When Maddy did something wrong, she was the sweetest little girl on the planet. When Alli was upset, she got quieter, if that were possible. He knew his girls. He loved them. So why did they always play this game as if he didn't know what was going on?
"Pumpkin?" He asked slowly, raising his voice to a question at the end of the word. "What's wrong?"
Taking a huge breath, Maddy closed her eyes. She knew if she did it now, she wouldn't have to repeat the story. The last thing she wanted was for her father to tell her mother or vice versa. They'd both be so pissed that by the time they told the other one they would have made it out to be so much worse than it was. "Daddy…it's nothing."
"Don't do that. I know something's up. Alli won't hardly talk to me. Chase is busy. Don't you shut me out, too." He had learned how to manipulate them, just as well as they could manipulate him. If Maddy wanted lay on the charm, he'd lay on the guilt. No big deal.
She should have tried harder to get Britain to do it. But Britain told her that she was staying out of it. Now Maddy was going to have to face the firing squad, alone. "Well…I kinda. I kinda didn't do so well in my classes."
"Maddy…"
"No wait. It's not my fault. That one class was too hard and that other professor hated me. She always picked on me and gave me extra work. I didn't have time to do it. Even if I had no life, I still wouldn't have enough time to do everything she asked." She paused for a brief moment, but not long enough to let him get a word in. If she let him interrupt her now, she might just keep the rest of it to herself completely. "I met with the Dean and…I think I'm gonna transfer to the University of Florida."
Dave bit the inside of his lip angrily and instantly felt his cheeks get hot. She failed her classes? How the hell hard was it to take two classes, the exact two that she had just taken the semester before, and fail them both times? "Then you're gonna pay for it yourself."
"Daddy, I can't pay for school! I don't have a job!" Great, now her mother was walking toward her and she didn't look all relaxed and gardened anymore. Those piercing blue eyes were looking through her with such disappointment. It was like looking at Randy's eyes when she told him why she was really home. Why in the hell had she started telling people the truth? It wasn't working in her favor. "Transferring is not that big of a deal. Florida has the all the same classes. And, I could save you money by living with you and commuting. Plus, there's a Gamma chapter on campus…"
"Don't talk to me about the Gamma's. You better start thinking about your education, not some stupid sorority. If the Gamma's were that important, they would have help you study or better yet, they'd foot the bill for your transfer." That was it. Dave had enough of this conversation. He hadn't talked to his daughter in two weeks and already he wanted to ring her neck. "I'm so disappointed in you."
"So, how can I make this up? What do you want me to do?" Her voice lowered sadly as her mother looked at her and shook her head before walking into the house.
"I want you to get you to get it together. Either you do what you're supposed to do at Towson, or you come home, get a job and transfer."
Tears pricked the back of her eyes at the stern tone he was using with her. He was always stern with her. Let Chase do anything he'd coddle and baby her. Of course Alli was perfect, so no one ever got mad at her. It was only her. Apparently, she was the bad seed. "Fine." She pouted and hung up the phone on her father. She knew she'd have to hear his mouth about that, too. But right now, she was pissed. And since she wouldn't take it out on her father, and Alli wasn't there, her mother had to do.
Making her way into the kitchen, Maddy stood in the doorway with her hand on her hip. "I don't even get a hello? All I get is you shaking your head at me? I knew you wouldn't understand. I knew you wouldn't support me. You never do."
"What do you want me to do, Maddy? Apparently you're failing out of school and instead of talking to me about it, you run to your father." Emily spoke calmly as she poured a glass of lemonade for herself. It was always like this. Every time she saw Maddy they would end up in a fight. It was no wonder was felt a sense of dread as soon as her daughter stepped out onto the back porch. "I hear one side of a conversation and you expect me to take your side? Why when all you're doing is twisting situation around until everyone feels sorry for you." Taking her cup in hand Emily headed toward the back door. "You screwed up. And for once your daddy's not running to your rescue. You made this mess. Deal with it."
She didn't know why she was so angry at her mother. Was it because her father had told her to get a job, or was it because just once she wanted her mother to back her up? Either way, this visit wasn't going like it was supposed to. They were supposed to see each other after two months and talk about what was going on in each others lives. Even if was fake and superficial, it would have been nice just to once have a somewhat normal conversation with her mom. "Oh, don't act like you didn't expect it. You never thought I could do it. I've always been the screw up, right? That's the only time you ever notice me is when I do something wrong."
"Oh you're one to talk. If it doesn't involve you being popular, you don't give a shit about anything else." If nothing else Emily was brutally honest with her children. Who cared if Dave and Britain didn't like the things she said to them? It was a harsh world and they had to get it straight from the hip from somewhere. "It never matters with you where the attention comes from, as long as you're the center of it. You couldn't get it here, so you moved in with your father. When you got with Randy, you damn near refused to school to stay in his bed. When you hooked up with those little whores at school, you stopped going to class and started doing God knows what. You're an attention junkie. You've always been. That's why I didn't think you were ready for college. There's no room for an education anddoing whatever it takes to make people like you."
It was like being slapped in the face. How dare she? Her mother didn't know her, not like she claimed too. All she knew was her perfect other daughters. "You think I'm just gonna do whatever with whoever just for attention? That's what you did. I'm not like you." Walking past the island, Maddy felt her arm being yanked to pull her back.
Emily gritted her teeth as she looked into the hurt and frightened eyes of her daughter. Sometimes looking at Maddy made Emily sick to her stomach. Why couldn't she just understand that she was doing this for her own good? She had been Maddy years ago and she saw her making the same mistakes she did. "You are exactly like me. Only I had dreams and a plan. By the time I met your father, I already had Chase, but at least I had my shit together. I fell of all of his bullshit about how he was going to take care of me and how I was gonna want for nothing. Next thing I know, I'm pregnant again. Only this time I had to drop out of school to take care of his ass and the two of you. He didn't do shit. I worked. I paid the bills and in the end, he left me. I put my life on hold to make sure that you had everything you needed you ungrateful little brat."
Yanking her arm back Maddy squared her shoulders. "You don't have to approve of me or anything I do. I don't care. I don't live my life for you. You keep blaming us for what happened with Daddy. Maybe he realized how much of a miserable bitch you are and that's why he left you. He didn't love you. He found someone better that he loves and you hate that. Well, ya know what? Randy loves me and he's not going anywhere. Jeff loves Chase, and he's not leaving her, either. And when your dyke daughter realizes how much of troll you actually are, she's gonna leave you, too. We don't need you. And we're gonna leave you to be alone and miserable for the rest of your life!"
Without thinking Emily's hand contacted with Maddy's cheek. It was a reflex. Her words hurt. Maddy just put all of her fears out in the open. Watching her daughter walk toward the front door, Emily quickly followed to tell her what else was on her mind. "And for the record, the only difference between us is you're not knocked up…yet. And if that's your big career plan, than I wish you a daughter that give you just as much grief as you give me."
Smoothing her hands over her gym shorts, Alli stopped short of the door to the restaurant. What was she doing there? To date this was the worst idea she had ever had, but Layla had a way of making Alli make stupid choices. Not that anything she'd done so far had been bad for her. It's just that Layla was always pushing her out of her comfort zone. She mad her excited to try new things. She'd made her dress sexy, and wear make up. She bought her her first porn. And now, she was about to go on her first date.
Or was it a date? She and Layla had been out for food before. But, that was before she knew about Layla's crush. How was she supposed to act now? Would Layla expect her to be flirty or something? What if Layla tried to flirt with her?
Alli stepped inside the pub and noticed Layla waving at her from a table in the back. She looked so pretty with her brown curls gently dancing around her face and hanging loosely on her shoulders. She was wearing a pink tank top and a little blue skirt, making Alli feel completely underdressed. Perhaps she should've opted for something other than nylon gym shorts and an Old Navy t-shirt. Upon approaching the table she could make out Layla's ultra girly shoes complete with painted toe nails. They were so much more than Alli's Nike socks and sandals.
"I shoulda dressed nicer." Alli spoke as she stood next to the table. Pulling her hair from out of the ponytail that held it back, she ran her hand over the rat's nest on top of her head and tried to look presentable. "Do you want me to go home and change?"
Shaking her curls as she laughed, Layla patted at the bench for Alli to sit down. "You look great. Sit down. I'm starving."
Nervously, Alli took a seat and stared blankly as a glass of water and a menu were placed before her. She couldn't think about food, only about Layla's perfume. Why didn't she think to wear perfume? And if she did would it smell that nice on her? She wondered what it was called and if she should get a bottle of it for herself. "You smell nice."
Raising her eyes from her menu, Layla nodded her head. "Um, thanks." Why did this feel so awkward? If she hadn't have told Alli about her crush, she wouldn't be looking for things to say now. All day at practice Alli had avoided her, asking Shane if she could spar with James instead. And to top it off, Alli seemed to be so nervous that she looked like she was about to cry. "Alli look. We got to put this thing behind us. We're friends. I don't want there to be any weirdness."
"Me either." Alli answered quietly moving her straw around in her cup. "I just don't know what to do. I've never been on a…a date before. This is a date, right?" She was the biggest dork on the planet. How could she not know if she was even on a date? Why was Layla interested in her again?
"If you want to think of it as a date, than sure. If not, it's just an early dinner. We've hung out plenty. This should be the easy part." Alli looked up and nodded at the waitress stood before them. Ordering a salad and bread sticks, she smile widely as Alli ordered a burger and fries. "I wish I could eat like that. God. I haven't had a burger in ages."
"You can have some of mine." Alli looked up hopefully, wishing to hell that she didn't sound desperate. "I don't usually eat meat that often. But I've been working out a lot lately. I ran four miles today and I worked out extra after everyone left. But I won't eat it all. You could have some…if you want."
Shaking her head, Layla placed her hand on Alli's. "Exercise and meat consumption? Really? We're going to talk about this? Let's talk something fun. Like, how good drop kick is getting. Or what about you going to Smackdown. That's a big deal, to see how it works backstage. Aren't you excited?"
"No. My dad's gonna be there. I haven't exactly told him yet."
"Alli, you said that you were going to. You didn't tell him about school yet, either, have you?" Taking a large sip of her soda, Layla shook her head. She loved the way that when Alli got uncomfortable she slumped her shoulders and played nervously with her fingers. Judging by the way she was picking at her the cuticle on her right thumb, Alli was scared shitless at the idea of telling her father. "Even if you don't tell him about school, just tell him you're learning to wrestle over the summer. How hard can that be?"
A cynical chuckle escaped Alli's lips. "You really don't know him, do you? My dad's not rational when it comes to us. He flipped because I didn't want to go to basketball camp this year. I can't even image what he'd say if he knew I gave up camp to wrestle."
"So don't tell him. Tell him you're just there to see him." Layla quickly scrunched her face after the words were out of her mouth. "You can't do that. Patrick and his big mouth would ruin it. No, you should be honest. Just tell him. Or better yet, get Chase to tell him for you."
"No, I'll do it. I just don't want to see that look in his eyes. He's got this disappointed face. It kills." She didn't want to think about her father right now. She just wanted her burger so she'd have something to divert her attention away from the soft curls playing around Layla's face.
Licking her lips carefully, Layla tucked a loose curl behind her ear. "Well, if it'll help you out any, I can be there when you tell him. Just so you'd have something else to focus on…if you want."
"No. That's okay. The last thing you want is for him to be mad at you, too. I'll handle it."
There it was again. That determined look in Alli's eyes. The way she lifted her chin and breathed in deeply when she had her mind set on something, that was the most attractive thing about her. If only she could see it. "You're really pretty." Layla wasn't sure where the words came from. But they were out in the open now. It wasn't even on topic, but just looking at Alli right then, it demanded to be said. "And you're really smart." Recovering quickly, she swirled the ice around in her glass. "I'm sure you'll do what's right, when it's right for you to do it."
"You think I'm pretty?" Who cared about that other stuff? No one had ever told her that she was pretty before. "I don't look like Chase or Maddy or anything. I mean, Maddy and I look alike. But she's like you. Really girlie. She's way prettier than me and she has dimples."
"Why do you always do that? Compare yourself to your sisters?" Ducking her head down to try to catch Alli's eyes that were pinned on the table, Layla spoke softly. "I'm sure they're great. But you're not them and their not you. I bet you they you they compare themselves to you, too. Stop selling yourself short."
Was she blushing? Shit. She hadn't planned on blushing. "Are you gonna try to kiss me after dinner?"
Layla spit her soda across the table and coughed as she tried to clear her throat. "Where in the hell did that come from? Have I ever tried to kiss you before?"
"No. But you said I was pretty and this kind of a date. Are you expecting something?"
"Are you?" Layla asked in surprise. There was something so beautiful about how naïve Alli was. She wasn't jaded or just pretending to be an airhead. She honestly had no idea of the effect she had on people.
Shrugging her shoulders, Alli looked around the restaurant for the waitress. Why couldn't she keep her foot out of her mouth? If she were eating right now, she wouldn't be making an ass out of herself. "No. I don't think so."
"Well how 'bout this. If you decide that you want to kiss me or for me to kiss you. Then tell me and we'll talk about it. If you decide you don't, then it won't happen. No pressure." No pressure for Alli maybe, but now Layla would spend the rest of the night wondering if Alli would..
"Thanks for helping me out. I didn't know who else to call." Britain smiled as she handed over the diaper bag to Jess. She hadn't expected to get a call from her agent so soon.
Taking the bag from her friend, Jess nodded. "I'm the godmother. That's what I'm here for." Turning her head at the sound of something falling to the floor, she placed one hand on her hip. "Ash, get off of that." She turned to face Britain quickly. "I gotta go. Can't keep the natives restless for too long."
"I'll be back in a couple of hours. Then I'll pick the boys up, so we can go over to the gallery and decorate."
"Just leave them here. They're in good hands. Besides, Ash likes to have boys to play with. Even if they don't know what a Pokémon is." Placing the diaper bag on the floor, while balancing DJ on her hip, she reached her free arm out for Mikey. "What time is the party again?"
"It's at six. I hope I can everything done today. Tomorrow is gonna be crazy as it is. But at least my parents will be here to help." Blowing a kiss to both of her sons, Britain turned around to face the street. "Oh, and Jess? Don't tell Jericho, yet. I don't want him to talk to Dave before I get a chance to. Be good you, two. I love you."
Britain pulled her sun glasses down over her eyes and headed back to the car. The drive to Wexler Studios was a short one from the Jericho residence, and if she could avoid traffic on the highway, she would be there with plenty time to spare. She couldn't believe that she was going through this shit again. It had been years since she felt this kind of nervousness about a job. But she could do it. She had been doing it practically all of her life. So, she was a little older, and maybe a little hippier than she used to be. She still looked good and her husband appreciated her post baby body.
But was she ready? Everything seemed to be happening so fast. It was only a few days ago that she had told Kepper the she may be interested in going back to work, and she'd be damned if she didn't already have two go-sees this afternoon. They were nothing big. One was for a spokes-model at a local boat show and the other was for a fashion show at a trendy new boutique that recently opened. Neither job was the of the caliber that she used to model, but she had to start small. Being out of the game for almost two years was hard for any career, modeling especially.
She could feel herself cringe at the thought of how many beautiful, young girls that would be there. She was once like them, fifteen, dressing up to look every bit of twenty. She hated having to spin around like a trained dog in front of a panel of people who judged her solely on her looks. But she had never done anything that she wasn't one-hundred percent comfortable doing. Her mother had made sure of that. And no matter how much it bothered her at times, the payoff was unbelievable. It gave her a comfortable life, and all of the amenities she could want. It provided her with a comfortable nest egg that she invested and continued to grow. That was thanks to her father's financial savvy.
And though she knew that neither she nor her children would go hungry anytime soon, she knew she had to do something with two college tuitions, two children that would soon need primary school educations, and a husband on the brink of quitting his job.
Pulling up in front of the studio, she turned off the engine and sucked in a breath. If the butterflies would just stop, she could nail this audition. She reached over to the black attaché case on the passenger seat and ran her fingers over the gold monogram: Britain Weis-Batista. "Here goes nothin'."