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Alice finally looks over at Audra, her grin getting bigger. “Is that her?” Alice whispers loudly to me.
Laughing, I nod. “Alice, this is Audra. Audra, this is Alice, the birthday girl. She's six today.”
“Neil! I'm seven!” Alice pouts about my intentional mistake.
I kiss her cheek. “Oh, yeah. I remember now. Sorry I got it wrong.”
“It's okay. Are you going to come play with me and my friends?” She looks at me with big, hopeful eyes.
“Yeah, let me go find your parents first, okay?” I set her back down and she runs off, happy with my answer. With a glance at Audra, I take her hand and lead her through the house to the kitchen. Mrs. Lanier is the only one in there. Mr. Lanier must be in the other room with the kids. “Hey,” I say to announce our presence.
Mrs. Lanier turns from the counter to look at us with a wide smile. “Neil, I'm glad you're here. Alice was driving me crazy every five minutes, wanting to know where you were.” She walks over to give me a hug before turning to give Audra one as well. “You must be Audra. It's so nice to meet you. We're glad you came today.”
“Thank you for letting me come with Neil. It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Lanier,” Audra replies.
“Of course. You're welcomed any time. And please call me Sandra. I don't know why Neil won't, but you certainly can.” She looks down at Audra's stomach. “How's the little one doing? Neil said you were having a girl.”
“She's fine. Moving around a bit.”
“Is she moving now?” We turn at the sound of Alice's voice.
“Aren't you supposed to be playing?” Mrs. Lanier asks.
“I was coming to get Neil. Is she?” She looks to Audra, who nods. “Can I feel? Please, please, please!”
Mrs. Lanier opens her mouth to chastise Alice, but Audra says, “Sure. Hurry before she stops.”
Alice doesn't need anymore convincing before she rushes over. Audra takes her hand and places it on her stomach. I can tell the moment Alice feels it because her face transforms into pure wonder.
“Woah. That was cool.” And just like that, her attention is back on me. “Are you coming to play with us?”
“Yeah, I'm coming. Can Audra play too?”
Alice nods, so we follow her into the other room where four other girls and Mr. Lanier are having a tea party. I hold back my laugh at seeing him sitting at the small table. After introducing him and Audra, Mr. Lanier excuses himself with my presence to go help Mrs. Lanier finish setting out the food. There's only one seat left. Mr. Lanier offers to get another, but I tell him it's no big deal as I pull Audra to sit on my lap.
This isn't my first tea party, so I know what Alice likes for me to do. One of which is to be really proper and speak in a terrible British accent. Audra and the girls can't stop giggling at me, which makes me wa
nt to be even more ridiculous. Whatever weird mood I was in yesterday dissipates with the laughter around me.
“Where's the bathroom?” Audra whispers in my ear.
“Down that hallway, second door on the right.” I lift her hips as she goes to stand to keep her steady. She disappears down the hallway behind me and I lean in, gathering all the girls attention. “What do you think? Is she a keeper?” I ask in my fake accent.
The girls glance at one another before Alice speaks. “She's really nice and plays with us, so yes.” The rest of the girls echo the answer and nod their heads. “Does she have a name yet?” Alice's eyes light up. “Oh! Can I name her?”
“I don't know. What names have you come up with?” I don't want to shoot her down outright, and she might actually have some good ideas.
Alice's shoulders sag. “I haven't thought of any yet. Do I get to play with the baby when she finally gets here?”
“Want to know a secret?” I ask instead. Alice nods her head vigorously. All the girls lean forward when I do. “You can be her aunt Alice if you want.”
“Really?”
I sit up in my seat again. “Yep. You could be her first friend. It's a serious job, though. Are you sure you can do it?”
“I can! Promise, Neil, I can do it.”
“Okay then. You're on the job.”
