"My Mom was here?" Susie's brows furrowed as she looked at Susan in confusion.
"That's where I was last night," she said. "I met her so we could talk."
"She didn't want to talk to me?" Susan reached across the table and picked up one of her niece's hands.
"She doesn't know what to say to you just yet," she said. "But she promised me that she would stay in touch with us. She won't just disappear again."
"So...she is just going to leave me here?" Susan nodded. Susie thought for a moment and then shrugged.
"Okay," she said brightly. She squeezed Susan's hand quickly and then stood up.
"Is it all right if I go over to Heather's house? She has some more summer camp brochures to check out." Susan glanced at Chuck and then nodded. Susie bounced toward the door and then turned around.
"Um...Aunt Susan..." she said as she leaned against the door jamb. Susan looked up.
"You know how parents have to have a plan for their kids in case something happens to them?" Susan shook her head.
"Nothing is going to happen to us, sweetie."
"Oh, I know," Susie said quickly. "But what would your plan be?" Susan looked at Chuck and shrugged. He raised his eyebrows and shook his head.
"Um...well," Susan said finally. "There's Grandpa...and Chuck's mother. But if you were old enough we would want you to be Cosmo's guardian." Susie nodded.
"And if Grandpa couldn't take care of you, I suppose we would ask Abby and Luka to do it." Susie smiled brightly.
"That's what I was hoping," she said. "I won't be too long at Heather's." She turned and left. Susan frowned at Chuck.
"That's it?" Susan said. "No reaction?"
"Don't go looking for problems, hon," Chuck warned her. "Let Susie deal with this in her own way."
"But do you think she really is dealing with it?" Susan asked him. Chuck stood up and shrugged.
"I don't know. She did refer to us as her parents...sort of. That's something," he said. "You might want to tell Abby about this conversation though, before Susie starts emailing Luka with specific instructions about how she wants to be raised." Susan chuckled and rolled her eyes.
It was several hours later when Susan sat at their table with Heather's mother waiting for Susie and Heather to join them.
"I don't know about you, Beth," Susan said as she set her tea mug back on the table. "It makes me nervous to get a 'summons' to a meeting with Susie." Beth laughed.
"She has been so good for Heather," she said brightly. "She has really taught her how to organize herself." Susan laughed.
"Is that all?" She said. They both looked up as the girls entered the kitchen and sat at the table across from them. Susan exchanged looks with Beth. Susie straightened her glasses and Heather flipped her long dark hair over her shoulder.
"Aunt Susan," Susie said.
"Mom," Heather said at the same time. The girls looked at one another and Susie shrugged. She nodded at Heather.
"Susie and I would like to discuss what we want to do for our summer vacation." Susie slid a camp brochure across the table toward them.
"We want to go to camp together," Heather continued. "We've been looking for one that has the things we like to do and found this one."
"It's in Michigan," Susan said slowly as she read the brochure cover.
"Only five hours away," Susie said quickly. "Just on the other side of Chicago. And it's only for two weeks." Beth shook her head slowly.
"I don't know, honey," she said. 'You've never been that far away from home for that long - alone - before."
"I won't be alone," Heather said. "Susie will be there."
"And this camp has everything that we want," Susie explained. 'We've looked at dozens of them."
"I know you have," Beth said. "The brochures have been coming in our mailbox. But still..."
"Mom, this camp has a special diet allowances and a full time nursing staff. We made sure of that," Heather stated firmly. "I'll be okay."
"I still think you need to look into getting an insulin pump," Susie said to Heather.
"I told you, not until after summer," Heather said. "I like swimming too much." Susie shrugged and Susan bit her lip to keep from laughing.
"How much does this camp cost?" she asked as she cleared her throat.
"Well, we have half the money we need in our tutoring account," Susie said. "We just need to float a loan to cover the rest until we can pay you back...with interest, of course."
"Of course," Susan nodded. "I guess then, you aren't planning to go to summer school again?" Susie shook her head.
"I only went because I didn't have anything better to do," she said. "This summer I want to go to camp...and then there's the kids' play with the theater group. I want to audition for that." Heather nodded.
"And if we don't get a part we want to work backstage," she said. Susan's eyes were dancing as she took in the dismay on Beth's face.
"Um...well...you girls have presented your case very effectively," Susan said. "I just think we need to talk it over with Uncle Chuck and Heather's dad before we give you any kind of firm answer."
"But?" Susie tipped an eyebrow quizzically. Susan looked at Beth who shrugged.
"It sounds like a good idea to me," she said. Heather and Susie grinned and high fived one another. They stood up from the table and hurried out of the kitchen toward Heather's bedroom chattering excitedly. Beth shook her head and then looked at Susan.
"What just happened here?" she asked. Susan laughed.
"Prepare yourself," she said. "I think they are already talking about which colleges they want to attend." They both laughed softly and shook their heads.