Page 21 of Blame It On the Lattes

“Be sure to get the ones we can decorate ourselves. I’m sure Kennedy will love eating the frosting and decorations as she tries to put them on the cookies.”

He grinned as he ended the call and put it back into his pocket.

“Oh, you’re so going to pay for all of this,” I warned, trying to stand up but losing my balance again.

“You can make me pay all you want later. But for now, you’re going to take some medicine and go back to bed.”

His hand was warm on my lower back as he guided me back to bed.

Eleven

Sam

“It’s really nice ofyou to do all of this,” Cassidy said, smiling as we watched Kennedy smear more red frosting on her sugar cookie. “But Avery is totally going to kill you when she sees this mess.”

“Then I guess it’s a good thing she’s still sleeping and that I’ll have it cleaned up before she gets up.”

“Do you want me to stay over tonight and help with Kennedy so Avery can rest?”

I shoved a hand through my hair and looked down at the little girl who was now covered in red, green, and yellow frosting. I wanted Avery to trust that I could handle taking care of her daughter, but at the same time, I hadn’t been around a child since Cassidy was little. It was a lot to take in, and I didn’t want to mess things up.

“Would you mind?”

“Not at all. I’m off tomorrow anyway, so it works out. Is Avery scheduled to work tomorrow?”

“Yeah, but I called Piper this morning and let her know that she’s sick. She’s checking with some of the part-time employees to see if anyone can fill in for her.”

“I’m sure she’ll be upset about missing work, but it’s for the better. She’s in no condition to try to do anything right now.”

“Why will she be upset?” I asked, lowering my voice so Kennedy didn’t hear as I stepped back into the living room, hoping my sister would follow.

“She’s trying to get enough money to start her Christmas shopping, so she was really looking forward to her first paycheck.”

“And now it’s going to be short,” I commented, putting the pieces together.

“It’s okay. I’m supposed to get a Christmas bonus next week, so I can always give that to her. It won’t be much, but something is better than nothing.”

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