and his wife couldn’t get time off from work to watch their daughter. Long story short, I ended up leaving my job and watching Kaylee full-time. I wasn’t happy where I was working . . . and it was only supposed to be until they found a replacement. That was three years ago. I’m completely in love with my niece and it’s never been a hardship to care for her. But—well, let me get back to the events of the day before I go there.
My extended family is very . . . vocal.
All those words worked. She described the embarrassment that had been the family luncheon, intentionally leaving out Chloe’s comments. What body shape do I have and what should I be wearing? She pondered that while she filled in her ghastly story. Spinster quarantine. This poor soldier reader. Sara knew it was time to lighten things up a little more. She continued with:
Don’t worry, we’ll have loads of fun playing shuffle board and bingo. If you play your cards right, I’ll let you take my scooter for a ride. That sounded rather risqué.
Risqué? Who even used that word anymore . . . She was so out of practice writing letters.
If you’re a woman, this must sound even more insane.
Sara stopped writing for a minute and wondered who would be the lucky recipient of her letter. But did it matter? If it brought a moment of cheer . . . She added a few more lines and then thought about how to sign off her note. Sara Ryan? That seemed too boring. Sara the nanny? Oh Lord. Even worse. She rolled her eyes and cursed the lack of good coffee in her life. Putting pen back to paper, she wrote:
Take care and be safe,
Sara the spinster—and future cat lady
She hesitated for a moment, then on a whim, included her e-mail address. A reply was doubtful after the letter she’d written, but it could happen. She addressed the envelope, then slid the letter inside the card and added a stamp that she found in her wallet. She also used a few Charlie Brown stickers that Kaylee had left in the car. There was a mail drop on her way home, and she hesitated only a moment before dropping it inside. What did it matter? The person who’d receive it didn’t know her, nor was she likely ever to hear from them. She was simply attempting to combine a little self-therapy with spreading cheer to a stranger.
Oddly enough, she was in better spirits. She even found herself humming along to the radio as she pulled into the driveway of her brother’s home. Her good humor ended abruptly when she crossed the threshold and heard screaming. She hurried in the direction of the noise and found Kaylee on the floor of the living room throwing a tantrum, while Nicole and Chris stared down at her. “I’ll let you have anything you want from Walmart if you’ll be a good girl,” Nicole coxed. To Sara’s amazement, Kaylee went quiet. It was as if Nicole had flipped a switch. When her brother high-fived his wife, Sara couldn’t resist the urge to roll her eyes. She’d just witnessed exactly why they had no control over their daughter. Kaylee was a very smart little girl, and she knew how to play them. Naturally there are times that many parents resort to a little bribery to get some much-needed peace, but Sara had a feeling this was not the exception but the rule where they were concerned.
When Chris spotted Sara, he released an audible sigh. Nicole turned to see what had gotten his attention, and frowned down at her watch. “Where have you been? Joan said you left the reunion over an hour ago.”
Sara felt the usual irritation when dealing with her snooty sister-in-law. Yet was it really Nicole’s fault that she allowed herself to be treated like a doormat? “This is my day off, Nicole. And since that doesn’t happen often, I had things to do.”
“Sarie!” Kaylee called out as she raced across the room and hurled herself at Sara’s knees. “I missed you lots.”
“Hey, munchkin,” Sara murmured as she let her hand rest on top of Kaylee’s head. “I see you’ve been a good girl while I was gone,” she added wryly.
Kaylee moved back a few inches to look up at her. “Mommy got mad ’cause I was playing in her girlie stuff.” She did a perfect rendition of Nicole’s scowl before adding,