Fairplay, Denver Cereal Volume 6 by Claudia Hall Christian

hours in the NICU. I’m looking forward to being
bored.”
    “ We need to meet with the
priest,” Sandy said.
    “ Catholic classes to get
married,” Aden said. “Yes. MJ said they’ve had trouble getting a
date at the Cathedral. He thinks if we get married together we
might get a spot. What do you think?”
    “ Good thinking,” Sandy
said. “Noelle wants to be baptized. She’s the only one who isn’t
Catholic.”
    “ Does she want to be
Catholic?” Aden asked.
    “ She doesn’t want to be
different from everyone else,” Sandy said. “That’s the same thing
when you’re ten.”
    “ Eleven,” Aden
said.
    “ At the end of the week,”
Sandy smiled. “Teddy goes home on Sunday.”
    “ It’s a lot,” Aden
said.
    “ Aren’t we only worried
about one day at a time?” Sandy asked.
    “ One day at a time,” Aden
said. “Yep.”
    He looked up to see Sam waving him over.
    “ This is the call.” Aden
kissed her cheek and went to join Sam and Blane to take a call from
one of their board members. Valerie sat down next to
Sandy.
    “ Don’t you have to go with
them?” Sandy asked.
    “ There’s a lot of boring
gadget chat at the beginning of these calls,” Valerie rolled her
eyes. “They won’t miss me. I wanted to ask how it went with the
FBI.”
    Sandy shrugged.
    “ That good?” Valerie
asked. “Should we get the lawyers involved?”
    “ It feels like it’s never
ever going away,” Sandy said. Hearing Sandy from across the aisle,
Heather and Tanesha moved over to sit next to her. Mack was sound
asleep on Heather’s shoulder. Gesturing to Heather and Tanesha,
Sandy continued, “These guys have been hearing about this stupid
stuff forever. Now it’s filtering into Charlie and Sissy’s life. I
hate it.”
    “ I think some things are
just like that,” Valerie said. “Did they find your Mom’s
locker?”
    “ Sissy told you?” Sandy
asked.
    Valerie nodded.
    “ They’re waiting for ‘the
right’ warrant. Whatever that means,” Sandy said. “They think they
can get forensics finished tomorrow and Tuesday. They want me to go
through it on Wednesday. Seth will go with me if he’s feeling all
right, but he’s still pretty sick.”
    “ Can you do that?” Heather
asked. “I thought you were back to work next week.”
    “ Just in the mornings,”
Sandy said. “I’m meeting them at one. Can you go?”
    Heather nodded. They looked at Tanesha and
she nodded.
    “ You’d have to kill Jill
not to be there,” Heather said.
    “ How do you feel about all
of this?” Tanesha asked.
    “ Disgusted,” Sandy said.
“Exhausted. I wish it would just go away. I feel like I need a
vacation from our vacation.”
    The women laughed.
    “ Aden wants me to spend
the afternoons ‘recovering.’ That’s what he says,” Sandy said. “At
this rate, I need the afternoons to do laundry.”
    “ Why don’t we ask Rosa for
more help?” Valerie asked. “She’s been dying to take care of
Rachel, but she’s not sure you wanted her help.”
    “ I feel kind of guilty.
She helps me so much. She cleans up after our piggy kids and even
fills the fridge. She’s wonderful,” Sandy said.
    “ You need help,” Heather
said.
    “ Especially with this
legal storm brewing,” Tanesha said.
    “ Could you guys be my best
friends?” Valerie chuckled.
    “ Sure,” Heather and
Tanesha smiled at Valerie.
    “ Can you introduce us to
hot, hunky, single, nice actors?” Tanesha asked.
    “ I think that Jeraine is
very sexy,” Valerie said. “And when he sings?”
    She fanned her face and gave them a dramatic
sigh. Sandy and Heather laughed while Tanesha scowled.
    “ There’s Dad,” Valerie
said. She waved to Sam. “I’d better go. If you need any help with
this, Sandy, you let me know. I’m available on Wednesday too. I’ll
be there!”
    “ Thanks,” Sandy said.
Valerie touched Sandy’s shoulder and moved over to the men grouped
around the conference phone.
    “ How are you?” Heather
asked.
    “