“It must be a NIGHTWIND thing because King is likewise unaware, and Jon, well, he’s just blind as a dingbat. Probably a good thing because we don’t seem like the type who’d put up with a wandering eye.”
Word. If Arnie ever so much as looked twice at someone else, she’d have to turn homicidal.
“I can’t wait to actually meet you guys,” she gushed. “It’s gonna be so cool to finally have sisters.”
“We’re so bummed we can’t do the bridesmaid thing for you, Summer.” Lorelai looked like she might cry. “Dawn’s too pregnant, and I’m having some issues. My doctor wants me off my feet as much as possible.”
Anxiety pinged her emotions. Summer didn’t like what she just heard.
“Is everything okay?”
Dawn smiled. She put an arm around Lorelai. “She’s fine. Not to worry. We share the same OB/GYN. She’s got a bad case of around-the-clock morning sickness.”
“Hyperemesis gravidarum?”
“Exactly,” Dawn murmured and nodded.
“Sucks,” Lorelai snarled. “All day, most days. Jon is beside himself. He manages his stress by cooking,” she explained.
Dawn cut in, “Jon doesn’t just cook. He’s a self-made chef who deserves to have a James Beard award hanging in his home kitchen.”
“Oh, I see,” Summer murmured. “And the smell of food makes your hyperemesis worse?”
Lorelai made a pained face and nodded. “My poor husband.” She then chuckled. “He took over Dawn’s big kitchen to make soup from scratch. And by scratch, I mean starting with a fresh, organically raised chicken.”
“My friend Lynda makes chicken matzo ball soup from scratch. She calls it Jewish penicillin—a recipe from her Bubbe.”
“Oh, how wonderful,” Lorelai exclaimed. “Believe it or not, Jon has a recipe for Cajun-style trinity matzo ball soup. In whatever form it comes, chicken soup really is a tonic for the soul. But not so much for my brand of morning sickness. I felt so bad.”
“And now I have three huge containers of soup in my freezer.” Dawn gestured with her fingers.
Lorelai playfully nudged her friend and made a face. The two laughed, and then Dawn looked into the camera.
“You didn’t get us in your wedding party, but you are getting my kids. Jack is taking his ring bearer job quite seriously. He and King have practiced and everything.” Dawn’s smile stretched across her whole face. “They’re so cute!”
“And then there’s Nic,” Lorelai drawled. “Oh my dear sweet baby Jesus. That little girl loves her some Uncle Arnie. Mm mm mm.”
Dawn giggle-snorted. “True that. Lucky for you, she already knew about you, Summer, or she might not be so welcoming.”
“Knew about me? What do you mean? I don’t understand.”
“That big, ole teddy bear was having tea with my daughter when the subject of Arnie’s love life came up.”
“Excuse me?”
Dawn and Lorelai grinned at the camera.
“That’s right,” Dawn replied. “I was there when they had their tea party. Not with them—I just mean I was home while my precocious preschooler entertained a gentleman caller in her bedroom.”
Lorelai laughed so hard she had to move out of view to blow her nose with loud laughing honks.
“This was pre-wedding for us, and according to Nic’s report of the encounter, she was bitching about wanting King and I to have a baby. Somehow, the topic changed, and while Uncle Arnie expressed his appreciation for dancing, he became sad. Nic asked if he was okay, and he replied with a story about a girl named Summer who lived far away. She named you, Princess Sunflower.”
Summer blinked a few times and squinted at the screen. She shook her head to see if it helped her understand what she was hearing.
“Arnie told your daughter about me?”
“Apparently,” Dawn replied. “As I said, I wasn’t in the room, so I didn’t hear any of this. She only said something when King and I told her Uncle Arnie was getting married and asked her to be in his wedding.”
“I’m confused,” she stammered. “When was this?”
“Last summer. In August. Right before our wedding.”
Gasping, she covered her mouth and caught the reflection of her engagement ring as it flashed on the screen. Last summer? Last summer before Arianne was born he confided in a little girl during a tea party?
Just when she was sure it wasn’t possible to love him even more, she found out how wrong she was.
“When we told her you guys had a baby, she went nuts. Wait till you see the presents she’s bringing.” Dawn snickered. “Girls, you have no idea how savvy today’s kids are. What Nic knows about online shopping is freaky!”