“You have no idea. There was one time …”
Maybe I should have stopped their little gabfest. But I knew my mom wanted to get to know Lexi better since she would be with me when I was away shooting movies. I expected that before Mom was done, Lexi would be a willing spy for her. I suspected that was one of the reasons my mom and Tami had bonded.
◊◊◊ Sunday April 23
Manaia dropped me at Greg’s since all the parking spots were full. I knocked on the door, and it flew open. Standing there in a one-piece swimsuit and cowboy boots was Mac, my niece. She had a scowl on her face with her arms crossed over her chest.
“Why didn’t you invite me to your party?”
“Where’s your dad and your brothers?” I asked.
She pursed her lips, and her eyebrows came together. Oh, hell, were we about to have a meltdown before we even left for the day?
“It’s rude to have a party and not invite me,” she persisted.
“It was more of an adult party,” I tried.
“Mama said it was during the day. Adult parties are at night.”
Frick! I was being bested by a three-year-old. Maybe we should lock her in a closet so the boys could all have a play day without any annoying girls around.
“Go get your dad,” I said.
“You’re rude. Mama says you’re mean. She says you’re a bad boy, and you should have to go stand in the time-out corner,” Mac decided.
“I don’t need a time-out. You keep it up, and your mama might need one.”
“Mac, who’s at the door?” Greg called.
“Unca David.”
“Well, let him in.”
Mac gave me a glare as she ran off to her bedroom, leaving the front door wide open.
I stepped in and found Greg helping Nate put on his t-shirt.
“Sounds like they saw their mother recently.”
“She picked up Mac from daycare and took her shopping for summer clothes,” Greg explained.
He gave me a look over Nate’s head that said we would talk about it later. I bent down and smiled at Nate.
“Come give your Unca David a hug, Little Man,” I said with my arms outstretched.
At least someone loved his uncle.
◊◊◊
Somehow, I got stuck in the back, sitting next to my niece on the way to the lake. I found a container of Altoids in a cup holder. I figured that might serve as a peace offering.
“Want a mint?” I asked.
Mac looked at it and wrinkled her nose.
“Daddy says not to take candy from strangers. It might be drugs, and drugs are bad,” Mac said.
“And I’m a stranger?” I asked, amused.
“Mama says you’re strange,” Mac shared.
Angie had started to get on my last nerve, and she wasn’t even here.
“If a stranger offers you drugs, don’t forget to thank them because drugs are expensive,” I patiently explained.
“David!” Greg warned from the front seat.
“You’re overreacting. Mac’s not dumb. She wouldn’t do anything stupid like actually taking drugs. I’m just teaching her to be polite and say thank you if they’re offered,” I said to Greg and then turned to Mac. “You’re not dumb, are you?”
She stuck her tongue out at me in response.
“She’s three,” Greg said. “Mac lives for doing silly things. It’s the mission statement of all three-year-olds—see silly, do silly. She doesn’t need you encouraging her.”
“She looks silly in her swimsuit and cowboy boots,” I observed.
“You need a time-out,” Mac huffed.
“Don’t worry. If your uncle continues to be goofy, that’s what will happen to him,” Greg promised.
Mac stuck her tongue out at me again and then had a self-satisfied grin because I’d gotten into trouble. I was the one smiling when she all but choked on the Altoid. They were curiously strong, after all. Both Nate and Kyle passed when they saw their sister throw a fit. I made a mental note that they needed to toughen up.
◊◊◊
I got the efoil out of the back of the SUV. Then I put on my full wetsuit; I didn’t plan to freeze when I got wet today. As much as I’d like to, I hadn’t mastered the art of stepping straight off the dock onto the efoil without getting wet in the process.
“Who wants to go first?” I asked as I put the board into the water.
I was happy to see Nate raise his hand. He was more adventurous than I’d expected. I got into the water, and then Greg sat him down on the front of the board with his life jacket on.
“Now hold still while I get us going,” I told my nephew.
I got onto the back of the board. Nate’s eyes got big as I started the electric motor, and we lurched forward and popped up out of the water. I stood up and began to wind us around the lake. Nate wasn’t too sure about it all. He kept peeking over the edge because it looked like he was flying above the water.
I took him around the lake three times before I called to Greg.
“I’ll hand him to you the next time I come to the dock.”
When I got close again, I scooped up Nate and handed him to Greg. He was all smiles when he ended up in his dad’s arms. I let the efoil settle into the water with my legs straddling the board. When I got close to the dock, Kyle jumped off the dock for his turn. Lucky for him, his uncle was an athlete, or he would’ve ended up in the drink.
When we started around the lake, Kyle got brave and stood up with me. He had a death grip on my leg, but he was one up on his brother by standing. Once we got close to the dock, Kyle launched himself at his dad. Poor Greg all but fell into the water catching his elder son.
I had to grin because Mac still wore her cowboy boots. Once we got started, I helped her stand up, and then she mimicked me as I made my surfer moves to guide us. She was a natural. If I ever got her out to LA, I would be teaching her to surf before too long. I mean, hey, if dogs could do it …
Of course, Greg wanted a turn. I got off the board and held it steady as he stepped onto it. I guess I might have been growing up because I didn’t tilt it to get him wet. He did that all by himself when he started the motor and promptly fell off the back.
“Damn!” he complained when he came to the surface.
“You owe the swear jar,” I said.
He gave me a look that promised my impending demise when all three of his little ones looked to see his response.
“Yep. Remind me when we get home.”
I had no doubt they would.
◊◊◊
It was too cold to go swimming, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t build sandcastles. Kyle, Mac, and Greg put themselves in charge of construction while I taught Nate how to be Godzilla and stomp on their creations. He had the roar down pat as he staggered towards the mounds of sand.
His two older siblings soon helped him flatten the little town they’d created. I shook my head when the whole process started again.
Greg and I took a seat at the edge of the beach. Since the little ones were occupied, we had a chance to talk.
“Mom tells me you think I dress shabbily,” I threw out to get the ball rolling.
“If you believe that …”
“That’s what I figured.”
“Why was Mom winding you up?” Greg asked.
“If I knew that …”
“Yeah, dumb question,” Greg admitted.
“Hey, I need a favor.”
“Name it.”
“Fritz sent Paul back to LA after I got shot. He’d been seeing Scarlet, and now she worries that there’s no one here for her. I was wondering if you might help her out.”
Greg was the logical choice, so far as I could figure. I trusted him, and, from all reports, he knew what he was doing between the sheets.
“Explain to me exactly what you need me to do.”
I got out my phone and called Cindy.
“Hey, Greg is going to help Scarlet. Talk to him and explain what she needs.”
Greg gave me a pained look when I handed him the phone. I walked over to play with my niece and nephews while they talked.
I figured this would work for Greg because he was currently doing without, so to speak. Plus, I didn’t need Scarlet to get grumpy and decide she had to move away—and take my daughter with her.