Hello all! It's Friday finally. Good Friday, in fact; the best of all the Fridays (lame joke, sorry). I actually have literally nothing to say today. Besides, of course, thank you as always for your feedback! It literally never gets old. I mean, I keep waiting for you guys to lose interest in this story, but you haven't yet! Thank you, you're all the best and I wouldn't be here without you guys.
The chapter title is from "All The Pretty Girls" by Fun. Legit one of my favorite songs. It has a great beat and an old-timey feel and it's really fun to rock out to at literally anytime. But mostly on Saturday nights. Listen and you'll see why. ;)
what's a boy to do when all the pretty girls can't measure to you?
"Mommy, you look so pretty!"
Spencer grins at her daughter through the mirror, the curling iron slipping through her hair fluidly. "Thank you, Gracie."
"What dress are you wearing?" She wonders, resting her elbow on the bathroom counter, her chin in her palm. "The red one?"
"I was thinking about it," Spencer considers. "Why?"
"'Cause," Grace shrugs. "You gotta wear the black one. It's prettier."
"It is, huh?" Spencer smirks. "You're a fashion expert, now?"
"Yes," Grace nods matter-of-factly. "It looks better with your sparkly shoes. And daddy will like it more!"
"You've been spending too much time with Hanna," Spencer teases and Grace giggles.
"I mean it, mommy," Grace insists. "The black one. Wear the black one!"
Spencer places the curling iron on the counter, switching it off and unplugging it in one fluid motion. She instructs Grace not to touch it as she touches up her mascara, adds a bit more eye shadow and blots at her lipstick. Turning for approval, she asks her daughter, "What do you think?"
"Good," Grace nods. "You know how it would be better?"
"With the black dress?" Spencer replies amusedly and Grace laughs.
"Yes! You need it!"
"Alright, alright," Spencer agrees, shooing her daughter from the bathroom. "Let me change. Go find your father and tell him I'll be ready in ten minutes."
Grace scampers out of the room and Spencer shakes her head, that gleeful smile still adorning her features. This evening, Spencer's practice is being honored with an award of excellence from the American Psychological Association and their reward is a ceremony in town hall that she and Toby will be attending. It's a huge honor that she never quite thought she would be a part of; she always did what she did because she felt like she needed to give back to her community. She had received a boatload of psychological assistance in her youth and nothing felt better to her than tending to the young minds that needed an outlet much like she once had. This award is nothing more than a bonus; a result of her and her colleagues' hard work and dedication.
The ceremony is adults-only, so Grace will be staying behind. When Toby and Spencer first discussed who could watch her that evening, Grace had requested her beloved and "fun" Uncle Jason. It's unfathomable how much that little girl loves her Uncle Jason; Spencer's not exactly sure what they do when they're together- she imagines he lets her eat all the sugar she wants and have free reign over their leisure activities- but whatever it is, Grace simply cannot get enough. When she had called and asked, Jason had agreed and that nearly sent Grace into an elated spiral. Spencer hears the doorbell, then, and an excited shriek; he's arrived.
She slips into the black dress upon Grace's insistence, zips the back and straps on her dressy heels. Giving herself the once over, Spencer's mostly satisfied; although she'd much rather stay home in pajamas, as she was most comfortable on Friday nights doing. When she descends the stairs, she can hear jovial conversation between her husband and brother and some kind of flashy music emanating from the television. As she enters the living room, she recognizes it as Princess and the Frog and Grace is intently focused upon it. Toby does a double take at the sight of her and Grace takes a moment's break from her movie watching to cheer triumphantly.
"I told you," She beams. "The black one's the best!"
Toby approaches her and curls his hands around her hips. "You look so beautiful."
"Thank you," Spencer smiles warmly and accepts the kiss he places upon her lips eagerly. When they pull apart, she plays with his tie a bit, complimenting, "You don't look too bad yourself."
"Well, I have stiff competition I have to keep up with," He tells her, pulling back to admire the view once more. "You went with the black."
"Yes, Grace gave me no other option," Spencer informs him and he chuckles.
"It was the optimal choice."
"So you like it? Grace knows you well."
"I like it very much."
"As much as I'm enjoying you drooling over my sister," Jason cuts in. "You should probably get going. You don't want to be late to your own party, right?"
They agree, each bending to kiss Grace goodbye and elicit a promise from her that she'll be on her best behavior. Spencer thanks Jason on her way out the door and then they're gone. Jason turns to Grace and says, "So what'll it be, kiddo? We're just watching a movie? That doesn't seem like you."
Grace turns and gives him the most devious and mischievous smile he's ever seen in his life. From that small action, Jason can tell he's in for quite a night.
The ceremony lasts a good few hours and Spencer has to make an impromptu speech she wasn't planning on, but otherwise, it goes swimmingly. The APA presents them with a large placard to hang in their office, all their names embossed in gold across the shiny mahogany. When she departs the stage to thunderous applause, she's pretty sure Toby's cheering the loudest. He embraces her tightly when she reaches the table, pressing a kiss to her hair and proclaiming just how proud he is of her. They dine and mingle with her colleagues and truly have an enjoyable evening. It had been awhile since they'd had a night out and they are just beginning to realize how much they'd desperately needed it.
It's a little after eleven by the time they pull into their driveway. All the lights in the house are dark save for the living room, but the porch lights are on, welcoming them back. It's dark and they're just slightly tipsy, but they make their way to the living room mostly unscathed. There they find Jason, wearing a look of unparalleled exhaustion. Spencer asks, "Jason? You okay?"
"Oh," He startles. "I didn't hear you get in."
"Yeah, we just got back," Toby comments and Jason nods.
"Your daughter," Jason sighs. "Is a maniac."
Spencer sits in the armchair beside him, removing her shoes. "Why? What did she do?"
"Ask me what she didn't do if you want a shorter list," Jason informs her and Toby frowns.
"We told her to behave."
"Oh she didn't misbehave," Jason shakes his head. "I think you misunderstood me. She has so much energy… She's so tiny! Where does she store it all?"
"Oh my god," Spencer's hand comes to cover her heart in relief. "I thought she did something awful."
"No she's just…" Jason begins to elaborate. "We finished watching Princess and the Frog, which I'd never seen before and it was much better than I'd expected. Anyway, she told me she wanted to be a princess so she runs upstairs and comes back down in her Belle dress. She tells me I have to be the Beast and all of a sudden, we're waltzing around the living room!"
"I would pay big money," Toby laughs. "To see you waltz."
"I should've recorded it and uploaded it to YouTube, because I'm sure it was quite the spectacle," Jason agrees. "Anyway, when she decided she was done with that, she wanted to make a band, so we gathered a bunch of pots and pans from the kitchen and lined them up. She banged on those things so loud."
"Oh, rookie mistake," Spencer comments. "I could've warned you."
"Yeah, a warning would've been nice," Jason frowns. "When the band took a siesta, we played flashlight tag outside, which is really ridiculous when there's only two people. I also obtained at least a dozen mosquito bites, but that's beside the point. We came in and she wanted to make ice cream sundaes, which sounded calm to me, so I agreed. But the sugar… She bounced off the walls and ran around like a crazy person until finally, I decided it was bath time."
"But that's where all the fun began," Jason continues. "Because the bath tub became a pool and she wanted to show me what she learned in swim lessons. But it was impossible because the tub is so obviously not a pool. Didn't stop her from trying, though. When she was done, I got her dried, dressed and then we played hide and seek. I'm not going to lie to you, I legitimately thought I lost her for a minute there. She was hiding in the laundry separator! Who thinks of that?"
"So after that heart attack, I pretty much read her entire library to her," Jason concludes. "And then she crashed. See what I mean?"
"Yeah," Spencer nods, amused. "That sounds pretty exhausting."
Toby smiles knowingly. "Welcome to our lives."
Jason shakes his head and starts for the front door. "More power to you."
Spencer opens the door for him and when he's on the porch she says, "Thank you, though. We really appreciated it. I understand if you don't want to do it again, but-"
"Are you kidding?" Jason shakes his head. "I love that little kid. She may have won this time, but next time I'm coming prepared."
Spencer grins. "Really?"
"You bet," Jason states adamantly. "Gracie hasn't seen the last of her Uncle Jason."