“He’s a great grandpa.”
“Yeah. And Jenn is such a great grandma. Well, she’s a great Mimi.”
I loved the fact that Payton had chosen to call my mom Mimi and was getting used to calling Dad Papa. It was everything to the family that Mal and his son had fit in as well as they did.
“So, you had an idea?” Mal got us back on track after a moment of pleasant silence.
“I don’t know if Crew told you that I’m not big on the event normally, but I had this idea and I might need Jaina for it.”
“Oh?” Mal began to give the big mare scratches. It was clear how much the two of them loved each other.
I explained to him the basic gist of it. The paint and the skeleton stuff.
“I was thinking, if we coordinate with Fern and everyone else who’s organizing it, and figure out the best route, we could have Humphrey and Jaina run from one point to another in the dark at the end of the night. All spooky and stuff,” I concluded my thought process.
Mal grinned. “That sounds cool. If we figure out a safe location and can train them a few times, they’ll easily do it in the dark, too.”
“That’s what I was thinking. They’re well-trained and trust us. If we can find a route for them where people can watch them run, and have them kind of vanish out of view, maybe behind one of the buildings or something, then…,” I trailed off, imagining it in my head.
“Yeah, exactly. Okay, we should start on this as soon as possible.”
“Right. Let me just….” I took my radio off my belt. “HH to Base, Dad, Russ, CH, FH, and whomever else is responsible for the Halloween party. Can we have a coffee meeting at the house in an hour? Mal and I have an idea. Over.”
One by one, they confirmed that they could get away from their various tasks.
When I put the two-way back, Mal rolled his eyes at me.
“What?”
“Youhad an idea.”
“Originally, sure, but you filled in details and are going to help me.”
Jaina nudged me next, and I gave her some love. “You’re a clever girl, and you and Humphrey will bring so much joy to everyone, huh?”
She lipped at my hand ever so gently until I found a treat for her. Then she deemed the petting done and went back to the weanlings.
Mal snorted. “We’ve been dismissed.”
“See you in an hour?”
“Yup!”
We went our separate ways to do whatever we could in an hour. Luckily there was always something to do in a business like ours.
“Here, grab a baby,” Demi said as she plopped Phinneas on my lap.
I adjusted my grip and smiled at my nephew. He looked at me with wide, innocent eyes, and for a moment I thought babies weren’t that bad. Then I felt the massive fart against my palm that was supporting his butt, and I grimaced.
“Still not a baby person?” Russ asked knowingly from the chair next to mine.
I made a face. “Wanna hold him?”
He grinned. “Nah, I’m good.”
Everyone gathered, and Phinneas fell asleep, so I used my free hand to drink my coffee.
“That’s an excellent idea!” Fern looked excited as hell. “Why hadn’t I thought of that before?”
