“Not the chicken dance,” put in Travis.
Everyone agreed. The coffee table was moved and the kids donned their Santa hats. Mia didn’t last long and sat down on the sofa, but Travis and Will made a chair and picked her up and started dancing with her.
When you’re too tired, let your friends carry you, Sunny thought. Another good life lesson.
The day wrapped up with the kids opening presents. To Sunny’s delight, Bella actually smiled and thanked her for the retro boho embroidered shoulder bag.
“Do you like it?” Sunny asked. Good grief, she sounded like an eager loser, hoping to win points.
“I do,” Bella said. “And Dylan and I have a gift for you.” She hurried to her backpack and dug out a small package.
“For me?”
“Well, for the baby,” Bella clarified.
Sunny opened it to find a colorful play rattle designed to look like some sort of bug.
Now it was Bella asking, “Do you like it?”
“I do, and so will the baby.”
“I’m not gonna have to change diapers, am I?” Dylan wanted to know.
“Real men change diapers,” Travis said, and Dylan made a face.
“I’m sure we can find something for you to do to help that doesn’t involve poop,” Sunny told him. “Thanks for this, you two.”
With that, it was time for more food. To Sunny’s surprise and Arianna’s delight, the baked apples were a hit. Which was just as well since they’d lost Molly, who was down for the count with a nasty cold. Poor Molly. It was too bad she had to miss out.
Theraflu instead of apple crisp. What a lousy substitution. Molly gave the pillow she’d dragged out to the couch a punch and pretended it was the unknown germ spreader. Why didn’t people stay home when they were sick, anyway? She sneezed and her cat, Marlow, who’d been on her lap, gave a start. It was probably loud enough to be heard all the way down the street at Arianna’s where everyone was partying without her.
She sighed and selected a fresh movie to watch on TV. A rom-com? Hmm. No, that would rub it in that she wasn’t with Reggie and make her grumpy.
“You go to the party without me and have fun,” she’d said.
“It won’t be any fun without you,” he’d argued.
“Sure it will. Anyway, one of us ought to be able to enjoy the festivities.”
“There’ll be more.”
There would. Colds didn’t last forever. A week and she’d be up and running again. Okay, not exactly running. Running wasn’t something she did anymore. But trotting. Darn, she hated to miss the fun, though. What a party animal she’d turned into!
Her doorbell rang and she frowned. Everyone knew she was sick, so it couldn’t be anyone she wanted to see standing on her front porch. She’d ignore whoever it was.
The doorbell rang again. And then again.
No, not coming to the door in fleece jammy bottoms with smiley faces on them and my hair sticking out every which way and no makeup. She was no fashion model like Sunny, but she wasn’t a total slob, either. Even though being sick made slobs of everyone, she didn’t want to show that face to the world.
Her cell phone rang. Reggie.
“Answer the door,” he said. “There’s a delivery for you.”
“A delivery?” she repeated.
“Come on, open up.”
“Oh, all right,” she said.
