Page 33 of Marriage & Mockery

“It might be a small thing,” she conceded with a soft smile, “but it’s something I’ve come to look forward to when I come downstairs every day.”

“Good.” It was the only word I could croak out because my throat was suddenly tight.

“I also appreciate that you’re working on the rough cuts from home instead of going into the studio. How are they looking?”

I took her shift in subject as an obvious hint she wanted to move away from emotion and into something safer. “Pretty great, actually. The writers are doing a fantastic job, and the new material is solid.”

“I’m glad.” She took a sip of her latte and leaned a hip against the counter. “Collette mentioned the network was happy with how things were going.”

I liked that she was developing her own relationship with my publicist, in part because it meant Collette would be in a better position to protect Laina should anything ever go wrong again.

The front door opened before either of us had to fill the silence again.

“I’m home,” Lucy called. She appeared in the kitchen a moment later with her overnight bag still on her shoulder. “Shelly’s mom fed us pancakes the size of our faces. I won’t be hungry for at least a year.”

“More like an hour,” I snorted.

Laina’s whole posture softened. “Did you thank her?”

“Yes, Mom.” Lucy rolled her eyes, but there was no real edge in it. She crossed the kitchen and leaned in to kiss Laina’s cheek before glancing at me. “Hey, Dad.”

“Hey, kiddo. Did you have fun?”

“Yeah. We watched movies and pigged out on popcorn and candy. It was awesome.” She dropped her bag on the island and stole a sip of Laina’s latte before her mother could stop her. “Yum.”

Laina shook her head, but she was smiling. “There’s actual food in the fridge if the pancake speech turns out to be a lie in less than the hour your dad guessed.”

“Definitely more than an hour.” Lucy hopped on the stool across from me. “Working from home again?”

“Yup, with the new monitor and headphones, I don’t need to go into the studio to review rough cuts anymore.”

Her smile turned mischievous. “Maybe a setup like that would make my homework easier. Freshman year is way different from middle school.”

“Nice try, sweetie. But we already bought you a new laptop last month.” Laina brushed a piece of lint off Lucy’s shoulder. “Go dump your bag and put the clothes that need washing in the hamper. We’re not starting the week with a pile on your floor.”

“Tyrant,” Lucy mumbled, but she was already sliding off the stool. She paused long enough to give me a quick side hug and then headed for the stairs.

Laina wrapped both hands around her tumbler again and looked at me over the top of it with a soft smile. And I realized that progress sometimes looked like a fourteen-year-old stealing a sip of her mother’s latte and not thinking twice about it.

18

LAINA

Monday morning traffic was already stacking up when I pulled into the school drop-off lane. Lucy had her backpack at her feet and was still half asleep.

“Don’t forget you have practice after school.”

“I know.” She unbuckled and leaned over to kiss my cheek. “Thanks for driving me. It lets me catch a little more sleep than when Dad dropped me off, plus I get to eat a yummy breakfast first.”

“My pleasure, sweetie.”

She grabbed her backpack and started to get out, then paused with the door open. “Love you, Mom.”

“Love you too.”

The door shut. I watched her join the stream of kids heading toward the building and breathed a sigh of relief. The damage between us after the awards night had healed. She was still dramatic about homework, curfew, and bedtimes, but she was even sweeter than before. As though the distance had softened her teenage attitude some.

I waited until she disappeared inside before pulling away. The house was empty when I got home since Bennett had left before we did.