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The friends laughed together, loving their absent friend and understanding her plight. They were all exhausted.
“The dilemma is, do we invite Calista? No one likes Austin,” Katrina said.
“She just had twins, so I doubt they’re going anywhere anyway,” Maggie said. “I’m going to ask. I can’t exclude her. Plus, she’s babysitting for Annie while she works on her master’s degree. I don’t want to put Annie on the spot, either.”
“Oh god, the politics of friendship are a pain in the ass.”
“How’s the little dude doing?” Maggie asked. “I can’t wait to see him.”
“About the same since the last time you saw him, yesterday. He’s wonderful.” They laughed. “I’m enjoying every second until I go back to work, which I’m dreading.”
“I’m so sorry, Kat. I know you are excited about your new job.”
“I’m so-so about it now. I have a plan to do this for five years, and then I can quit with my pension intact. Then I’ll freelance. I might do contract work now. We’ll just have to see.”
“Nothing like a goal! How’s Dave adjusting?”
“I nurse the kid, and he takes over. It’s hysterical. He’s got ten more weeks of unpaid paternity leave, and I don’t know how he’ll go back after this. He loves being home. How’s Justin?”
“He walks into the cottage and takes over. By six, I’m ready to give her to the trolls, so his timing is perfect. We’re still adjusting. She’s in our room for now, but her little bed is on wheels, so if we want some private time without an audience, we just wheel her out into the nursery. Once we accidently left her in there overnight, and at seven the next morning, Brulee came in whining. The baby was awake but not crying. I’m ready for her to stay over there, but Daddy isn’t.”
Commiserating, they laughed about the joys of parenthood.
“I’ll see you on soon.”
“I’ll see you for sure. If we don’t get kidnapped by the headless horseman, we’ll see you.”
“Oh, man, creepy!” Maggie cried out, laughing.
Planning for the party gave her some of the old joie de vivre she had missed since motherhood took over her life. It proved there could be a balance between sharing her life with her friends and solitude.
As soon as she was able, she was going to rig up a floatation device for baby Tina so she could go in the boat with Maggie. Independent trips into town would be the first thing she added. She had a six-week-old baby. How old did she have to be?
Taking the baby around horses was another matter altogether; too many stories of horses kicking to even consider that for a few more years. When she wanted to work in the barn, the baby stayed in the carriage outside the fence or, if Justin was home, inside with him.
He’d taken to wearing a Baby Bjorn with a live baby in it when he was out in the clinic seeing his smaller patients. Justin was so hot looking with a tiny little baby hanging off his chest, the New OrleansPicayunegot wind of it when a client sent in a picture of the handsome, tattooed veterinarian and his baby, and the paper sent a reporter out.
Because of the press, business picked up so much that Justin was forced to hire another veterinarian, this time, amalenew grad who was thrilled at his good fortune to land a full-time job. The job even came with an apartment at Chastain Clinic in town. Complicated surgeries were still scheduled for Justin, but Harvey always assisted. Since he’d performed spay and neuter surgery for a shelter while a student, he was already proficient doing those by himself. Soon, he’d be on his own for most surgeries.
Grace came in on Wednesdays, and Doc Chastain was always available. He enjoyed the new vet’s company because Harvey constantly picked his brains, so was probably in the clinic now more than he had been for a long while.
The day of the party, Dave and Katrina, traveling down the dirt trail from town, began to encounter jack-o’-lanterns about a mile away from Bayou Cottage.
“My brother has been busy,” Dave said, pointing. “Look, they’re even lit!”
“I just love this.”
The deeper they got into the swamp, the more jack-o’-lanterns they encountered, with groups of them set up in dioramas, like little families. They arrived at the open gate, the yard fully decorated with skeletons and scarecrows.
“My brother is insane,” Dave said, laughing.
Maggie waited for them with baby Tina in her arms.
She went right to Katrina’s door and opened it. “Look at you. Not an ounce of fat.”
Katrina hugged her, speechless. Maggie was her champion at all times, but especially post-partum when she really needed it. “Where is he?”
Katrina nodded over her shoulder; Dave was already getting the baby out of the seat, so they walked around to the other side. “Here’s the king,” Dave said, laughing.
