Chapter 22
"Amanda, I don't know how you make it all look so easy," Debbie Ann laughed as she watched Amanda carrying a large bowl of pasta salad outside.
Amanda looked around at the gathering of friends and family in the backyard, a bit confused. "What, bringing out the rest of our lunch?"
Debbie Ann laughed again, "No, you look fabulous for having two and a half week old twins. Me, I looked like I was still very pregnant when Christopher was that age. And you're running around here, arranging everything… what's your secret? You can tell me. I promise I won't tell anyone."
Amanda reached over and took her friend's hands. "There is no secret. I'm just very lucky, I guess. I have a lot of help around here, and now that Lee figured out how to get the girls to sleep more than two hours at a time, it's amazing how much better we all feel."
"Your husband figured out how to get the girls to sleep? Is there anything he can't do?" Debbie Ann gasped. "Michael could barely figure out how to change a diaper, never mind anything else."
With a smile, Amanda focused on the back of the yard where the boys and Debbie Ann's daughter, Aimee, were kicking a soccer ball around while little Charlie was doing his best to try to follow them. "Hey, fellas, watch out for Charlie. He wants to play, too," she called loudly. Without turning around, Jamie gave her a clear thumbs-up as he stopped the ball and gently pushed it in Charlie's direction. He was rewarded with a hearty giggle and Charlie's little voice bellowing, "Bahl!"
"See, that's what I mean! You've got everything under control. Even your teenage boys listen, whereas Christopher would just as soon kick the ball away from him than try to play," Debbie Ann reinforced her earlier comment.
Amanda tipped her head slightly and stated, "You have to remember, Mother's been taking care of Charlie since Christmas, so they're used to him. If you watch, I bet Phillip goes and gets the smaller ball just for Charlie." Just as Amanda predicted, Phillip sidestepped the game and quickly found the little soccer ball they kept for the toddler. He made a show of kicking the ball over to Charlie to get his attention away from the other kids. His plan worked, and soon, Lauren was on her feet along with Tom Edwards, gently tapping the ball between them to keep Charlie occupied. "See. That's the newest game Charlie enjoys. He will play that for an hour, just chasing the ball between two people," Amanda grinned. "He just started walking not all that long ago, but as soon as he figured it out, all he wanted to do was run after the boys."
Debbie Ann put her arm around her friend and gave her a squeeze, "I still don't know how you do it."
"Amanda? Does Lee need those steaks yet?" Dotty called from the back door.
Amanda glanced over at Lee, standing at the grill. He was animatedly talking to Billy and Leatherneck, waving a long grilling spatula in his hand. "I'll check," she replied with a grin.
"I better go see if Michael wants a drink or something. He's been talking to Lee's uncle and Curt since we got here. I'm sure he's thirsty by now." Debbie Ann gave Amanda another squeeze, and they parted ways.
Amanda made her way over to Lee, smiling at everyone she passed. She was pleased to see Francine and Emily, along with TP, Harry, and Christina, sitting together. Joe and Carrie were keeping Aunt Lillian and Aunt Edna occupied in a shady corner of the yard. Amanda slipped her arm around Lee's waist to get his attention. "Enjoying yourselves?" she asked.
Billy smiled and with a nod, "You've done a fine job, Amanda. I hope it wasn't too much on you both."
"Thank you, sir. I was just telling Debbie Ann, it's all about the help. And sleep. Now that Lee figured out how to get the girls to sleep longer, it's almost amazing how much we can get done," Amanda admitted.
"Lee figured out how to get the girls to sleep longer?" Billy lifted his chin at Lee as he awaited an answer.
Lee opened the grill cover and shrugged his shoulders, "Well, yeah, I guess you could say that. The day you called to tell me about Sorenson, Dotty and I were talking, and she reminded me of something I read in one of the parenting twins' books."
"Is this the little trick you played on them?" Billy chuckled. Amanda raised an interested eyebrow immediately.
"It wasn't exactly a trick. I just put the two of them together in the same bed, that's all. Turns out, it worked. The book explained that twins are comforted by each other in the same space, so I figured it was worth a try. To be honest, I had forgotten all about that part until Dotty mentioned they were all alone," Lee stated as he focused on the hamburgers.
Amanda laughed lightly and added, "Well, we are all thankful you did remember. Otherwise, we'd probably still be a bunch of walking zombies. And speaking of Mother, she wants to know if you are ready for those steaks yet."
Lee surveyed the meat on the grill and nodded, "I think so. The burgers and hot dogs should be done in another minute or two, so sure. Are the girls still sleeping?"
"They should be awake any time now. As a matter of fact, I'll check on them when I go back inside to let Mother know," Amanda smiled.
Leatherneck took a sip of his beer and added, "You should see if Francine wants to help you. She's been talking about how she was practicing holding a pillow and walking around." Three heads snapped in his direction and stared at him. "But I didn't tell you that. That was on a need to know basis only," he swallowed another gulp of beer.
Amanda nodded and ran her fingers across her lips, "My lips are sealed. I didn't hear a thing."
"Didn't hear a thing about what?" Francine interjected from behind Amanda.
"Um, nothing, Francine. Leatherneck was just telling secrets about how to…" Amanda gave Leatherneck a panicked look, knowing Francine couldn't see her face at the moment.
Leatherneck cleared his throat and quickly stated, "Secrets about how to get the best sear on the steaks she's going to get from Dotty. Nothing like a good sear to keep the juices in, isn't that right, Billy?" Leatherneck tipped his beer in Billy's direction.
Billy coughed nervously, "Yes, that's exactly what he was saying. We don't want Scarecrow to screw them up and ruin a good steak."
Francine blinked several times before she replied, "No, we don't want that. And what's this I see… beer? My, my, my, how things have changed, Scarecrow. No Chateau Petrus? Or what about Penfolds Grange Hermitage? I heard the '51 might be coming up on the auction block again."
"Ha-ha, very funny. Red wine does not go with hamburgers. The steaks, maybe, but there's nothing like an ice-cold beer to keep you cool on a summer's day. And speaking of steaks, if we want to eat them any time this afternoon, we should probably get those, don't you think, Amanda?" Lee retorted.
Amanda gave Lee a quick wink before she turned and asked sweetly, "Francine, can you come inside with me to check on the girls?" She barely paused to take a breath when she began to ramble, "They should be awake any time now, and I'm sure everyone is excited to meet them. I know the Colonel and Harry have been at us since they got here, but now that the girls are finally sleeping more than two hours at a time, we don't want to wake them if we don't have to. Which is why we should probably go check on them and see if they are awake because it's been almost four hours, and they are going to need their diapers changed and probably a quick bottle before we bring them outside for everyone to see them."
Francine held up her hand to stop Amanda's ramble. "I get it, I get it, Amanda. I'll come inside with you," she laughed. Amanda turned with one last wink in the men's direction, and the two women headed toward the house.