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Charlotte glanced over at Rachel before turning back towards Ivy, who was slowly waking up from the ruckus she'd created earlier. She stroked Ivy’s hair soothingly with one hand. “Ivy, honey, it's time to get up. We are already late for school.”
Ivy peeled her eyes open, one at a time. “Charlotte, you're here!” She sat up and wrapped her arms around Charlotte's waist. It was as if Charlotte had been part of Ivy’s dream.
“Good morning, ladybug.” She didn't know why she called her that, but maybe it was because she always seemed to wear them. If her memory served correct, Bast called her a bug. She was certainly as cute as one. The ladybug variety, not a wolf spider, or her least favorite insect, a cricket. She'd never tell Cricket that, but she had a good reason for not liking them. When she was a child, she got swarmed by them and several got stuck in her hair. It was a disaster from the beginning. First the crickets, and then she ran directly into a spider web, which caused her to panic, so she bolted in the other direction and stepped into a gopher hole and fell, breaking her arm. While she was getting her cast—a pretty pink one—her mom was combing out grasshopper carcasses from her hair. In the end, she went to Dolly's Do’s, where Charlotte was subjected to her one and only pixie cut.
“Can I stay home from school? I'm tired,” Ivy pleaded as she flopped back onto her pillow and pulled the covers up to her chin.
Charlotte smiled, picturing the moments when she was young and wanted to skip school. “No, honey. You need to go, but why don’t I take you out for breakfast before that? Is that a happy plan?” Ivy was behind schedule already, and it was critical to get her to school with food in her tummy and ready for the day and Rachel didn't look up to the task. “I'll give the school a call and let them know we're running late, but that you'll be there.”
Ivy nodded before throwing back the covers and climbing out of bed. Calling her ladybug was perfect as she wore pajamas covered in them and butterflies.
“Will you help me dress?”
Charlotte nodded. “Yes. I'd love that.” She opened Ivy’s closet and found it filled with fun, colorful clothing that made her smile. After laying out an outfit for Ivy, Charlotte helped her get dressed.
Once her teeth were brushed and her long locks put in pigtails, Ivy and Charlotte headed off to the diner for breakfast. Rachel stayed behind to pull herself together.
In Cricket's Diner, they sat below the sign that said,It Ain't Cocky If You Can Show What You Crow. Charlotte looked around the restaurant. The next poster was a rooster and said,Nice Cock. Next to it was another that said,Rise and Shine Mother Cluckers. She hadn't taken in the “artwork” but now that she had, she found most of the posters wildly inappropriate for a family restaurant, but funny.
“What's it going to be?” Cricket said as she approached, pulling out her order pad and pen. She leaned over and pulled on one of Ivy's pigtails. “You're becoming a frequent diner here. Soon enough, you’ll be in the kitchen cooking your own breakfast.”
Ivy beamed at the thought. “Can I?”
“Not today.” Charlotte didn't need to look at the menu. She'd been coming there since she was a kid. “I'll have my regular.” Her regular was bacon and eggs with crispy hash browns and sourdough toast.
Cricket lowered her pad and smiled at Ivy. “And what will it be for you?”
Ivy sat up as tall as she could. Her chin barely cleared the tabletop. “I'll have the regular too.”
Cricket started writing and stopped. “Would that be your regular or Charlotte's?”
Ivy cocked her head. Kids were so expressive. “Is hers better than mine?”
Cricket laughed. “Nope, no chocolate or whipped cream.”
Ivy's nose crinkled. “I'll stick to mine.”
Cricket reached over and gently tapped the end of her nose with the pen.
“She looks good with you. Is there something you want to tell me?”
“I'm the morning driver.”
Cricket looked at her watch. It was the size of a coffee saucer. “I'd say you're late.”
“There was a failure in the system.”
“Charlotte to the rescue?”
“Something like that.”
“Like I said,” she glanced between Charlotte and Ivy. “This whole domestic thing looks good on you.”
“It's temporary. Her uncle will be back soon.”
Cricket leaned in. “He'd look good on you, too.” She pivoted and walked off before Charlotte could respond, but that did not stop her cheeks from flushing at the thought.
Seconds later, her phone rang, and Bastien's name scrolled across her screen. Another flush.
