sitch right now. I am having a meltdown and cannot add anything else to it.”
“You are not adding anything to your meltdown, Mia. This problem,” she said, gesturing at both dogs, “is not a problem. Think of it as a playdate.”
Another shriek and a loud thud made both of them wince.
“Mommy! Mommy!” Bo screamed, and came running down the stairs. “Finn hit me!”
“No, I didn’t!” Finn shouted, running down the stairs behind his brother. At the top of the stairs, little Millie had to stop and turn around so she could crawl backward down the stairs.
“Finn. Stop hitting your brother!” Mia shouted.
Finn instantly burst into tears and ran off in the direction of the kitchen. But the rush of shouting children had stirred up the dogs, and they began to bark. The barking only excited the children more, and as Bo and Millie ran from the dogs, Hazel thought it was an invitation to play, and went chasing after them. Baxter followed, barking loudly and often, then running back to make sure Carly hadn’t deserted him.
Finn reappeared, still sobbing. “I don’t like you, Mommy!” he shouted, and ran up the stairs.
“I know why mothers eat their young,” Mia said tearfully. “I totally get it. They never sleep. They eat like animals. They won’t mind me.”
Carly noticed then that Mia’s hair, as light as Carly’s was dark, was standing on end. She had a mysterious stain on her shirt, and her chinos were worn at the knees. “Where is your nanny?” Carly asked.
“Oh, didn’t I tell you? She left! Got a job in West Lake Hills that paid better. Second nanny this year to find a better job in West Lake Hills, and we are paying top dollar.”
“Let’s fix your plumbing problem,” Carly suggested evenly.
Mia pointed toward the guest bath.
Crammed together into the small room, they stared down at the toilet and the bear leg, the only part of the bear that was visible. “What are we going to do?” Mia asked.
“Dig it out,” Carly said.
“I don’t know what I’d do without you, Carly. You always know what to do,” Mia said. “You’re always there for me and my hellions.”
“I don’t know what to do, but it seems like the only solution. And I don’t know what I’d do without you, either. You were there for me when I got laid off. And when Blake broke up with me.”
Mia thought about it a moment, and nodded. “You’re right. So it’s like you practically owe me this.” She smiled.
Carly laughed.
It took fifteen minutes to dig the bear out of the toilet. Carly did the digging. Mia stood over her, too close, watching and offering her opinion about how it should be done. But somewhere in the middle she said, “Do you think Mom and Dad are getting back together?”
“What?” Carly yanked on a soggy paw. “Why would you even say that? They are divorced. The ink is dry on that deal. It’s over.”
“I don’t know,” Mia said. “Don’t let it drip on the floor!”
“Then could I have a plastic bag, please?” Carly asked.
Mia moved to dig a plastic bag out of a bigger plastic bag, and when she did, Hazel suddenly appeared. She chomped down on the wet teddy that Carly was holding between two fingers, yanked it free, and raced away with it, leaving a trail of toilet water down the hall. Somewhere close by, Baxter barked.
“Why did you let that dog have it?” Mia exclaimed.
“I didn’t let her! She took it,” Carly said. They hurried out of the bathroom and down the hall after Hazel. The dogs were nowhere to be seen, but standing in the living room was Finn. He was clutching marigolds. His face and shirt were smeared with dirt.
Mia blinked. “Where are your brother and sister?”
“Outside,” Finn said, and sniffed back tears. “Mommy? I’m sorry.” He held out the clutch of marigolds.
“Aww,” Carly said.
“Oh, Finny,” Mia said, and went down on one knee. “C’mere.” She opened her arms to her son. Finn ran to her, and Mia hugged him and kissed his dirty cheeks, and as she pushed his hair back from his eyes, she said, “Where did you get the flowers, sweetie?”
“Out there,” Finn said, pointing to the backyard.
A tiny little red flag reluctantly presented itself in Carly’s brain. She sidestepped her sister and walked to the windows that overlooked the backyard . . . and stifled a scream, lest she upset Mia even more.
From that distance, she couldn’t say which of those bad dogs was