“All by itself, huh?”
“Yeah,” Wild Hair said.
Toothless added a bobblehead nod.
“And we couldn’t help but see you had a pretty smelly roller thingie,” Wild Hair said.
Lanie did in fact have a roller perfume. It was her favorite scent and it was ridiculously expensive, but when she’d gotten this job, she’d treated herself to it.
Toothless pulled something from her pajama pocket.
The perfume roller.
Empty.
Lanie took it back. “Wow.”
“We’re sorry,” Wild Hair whispered, and Toothless nodded again, and Lanie was reluctantly moved by their collective adorableness.
“Are you a-hundred-and-fifty-dollars sorry?”
They both gasped. “That’s a lot!” Wild Hair said. “You shouldn’t spend so much money.”
And just like that, it got a whole lot easier to not be moved. “You girls owe me.”
“But we only get five dollars a week,” Wild Hair said, horrified. “And we only get that if we do our chores. Which we keep forgetting.”
“Well, I’d start remembering,” Lanie said. “And maybe pick up some extra chores too.”
The girls looked at each other, again had some silent exchange, and then nodded solemnly.
“We will,” Wild Hair said, very seriously now. Grin gone. “Don’t be mad at us.”
Feeling like a jerk, Lanie sighed. “It’s not about being mad, or even about the money. It’s more about breaking trust. You disregarded my privacy when you went through my things. And then you took something that wasn’t yours and used it. Neither of those things are okay and they might make it so a person could decide not to like or trust you in the future. Do you understand?”
The twins nodded vigorously.
“But I like you,” Wild Hair said to Lanie. “A lot. So I’d be really sad if you didn’t like me back. Especially ’cuz I’m really, really sorry.”
“Sorry for what you did, or that you have to pay me back?”
“Both?” Wild Hair asked with such sweetness that damn, Lanie had to work at biting back a smile.
“We really do like you,” Wild Hair said, and Toothless nodded vigorously.
“I see you two at lunchtime,” Lanie said. “You like everyone.”
“No, we don’t. We don’t like Great-Uncle Jack’s grandkids and we don’t like Alyssa’s boys, and we especially don’t like the customers. They bend over to speak to us and use baby talk like we’re short and stupid. And they treat us like we’re five!”
“Aren’t you five?” Lanie asked.
“We’re six,” the kid said proudly.
Lanie nodded with a reluctant smile. “Okay, good to know. What are your names?”
“I’m Samantha,” Wild Hair said. “I go by Sam. And she’s Sierra. Sometimes Daddy calls her Sea.”
Toothless, aka Sierra, aka Sea, just stared at her with those guileless, fathomless, sweet eyes.
“She doesn’t talk,” Samantha said.
“Ever?” Lanie asked.
Sierra looked down to stare at her feet.
“Not anymore,” Sam said. “But it’s okay ’cuz I talk for her.”
Lanie studied Sierra’s bowed head and realized she wasn’t looking at her own feet, but at Lanie’s, which were also bare. She’d given herself a pedicure the night before, so she was sporting pretty purple toenails, which Sierra seemed fascinated by. “I’m sure someone’s worried about you by now,” Lanie said. “It’s late.”
“It’s Grandma’s turn to watch us,” Sam said. “And she fell asleep watching her shows. Who’s your favorite superhero?”
“Wonder Woman,” Lanie said.
“Us too! Who’s your second favorite?”
“Um . . . Thor.”
“I like Thor too,” Sam said. “Who’s your third favorite?”
“Gee, I’d have to think about that one,” Lanie said. “So about bedtime—”
“Do you have ice cream?”
Lanie felt her heart squeeze. Their dad should be with them at night at least, especially since by his own admission he worked long hours. These girls were so young, they needed their parents, something she of all people understood. “I’m sorry. I don’t have ice cream,” she said, although now she wished she did. “Actually, since I haven’t been to the store, I don’t have anything.” Well, except the emergency Snickers in her purse. It was her favorite candy bar and also her PMS med of choice.
The girls seemed devastated at this. But then Sam eyeballed the couch, where some of Lanie’s things sat. “You do have lipstick.”
“Lip gloss,” Lanie started to say, but the girls were gone, bee-lining for the couch. “I really think I need to get you back—”
“Ooh,” Samantha breathed, lifting the lip gloss. “Pretty!”
Sierra did the same to the small bottle of purple nail polish that matched Lanie’s toes and clutched it to her chest like it was a found treasure.
Lanie let out a breath and peeked out her front door and down the walk, hoping someone had sent out a search party.
No one, but then again, her hopes and dreams never came true, so why should they start now . . . “I’ll tell you what,” she said. “If you let me take you back to your beds, you can use my nail polish.”
Sierra clasped the purple nail polish to her chest in glee.
“Now?” Sam asked excitedly.
“Tomorrow after work,” Lanie said and gave herself an inner kick. What was she doing? The objective was to survive the next two months and move on with her life. The objective was not to get attached to anyone, especially these two crazy cuties.
The twins looked at each other and some silent communication went on. Then Sam met Lanie’s eyes. “Can we use the lip gloss now?”
A young negotiator. Lanie was impressed. “Fine. Lip gloss now. Nail polish later.”
“Tomorrow after work,” Sam said. “Right?”
“Right,” Lanie said. “Why do I get the feeling you’re going to be a lawyer someday?”
“I’m gonna be a sheriff,” she said proudly. “Like my daddy. Sierra’s going to be the lawyer.”
Sierra nodded.
Lanie held up her compact mirror for each girl in turn as they carefully applied the lip gloss. And then she pulled on a pair of sweats over her PJs and walked the girls to the big house. They went in the back door and tripped over a sleeping Gracie.
The English sheepdog was sprawled on her back, her four legs spread-eagled out at her sides, snoring—and drooling—away. “Love her killer instinct,” Lanie said, and the girls giggled.
“Gracie would show a burglar where Great-Grandma keeps the silver,” Sam said. “That’s what Grandma always says. But at least she doesn’t threaten to sell her to the glue factory anymore.”
When Lanie looked at her, the little girl smiled. “Gracie was a very naughty puppy. She’s one now, so she mostly knows better than to chew our shoes, but she still forgets sometimes.”
Note number two to self: do not leave shoes out anywhere for Gracie to eat.