Free Bad Hair 8 - Day Perish By Pedicure by Nancy J. Cohen Page B

term? Way to go, pumpkin.”
    “Soccer?” Marla said. “You didn’t tell me about that, sweetie,” she added, turning to Brianna. “I think you’d be great at it, with your long legs.” At thirteen, Brianna already showed promise of being tall. She’d started filling out, and height wasn’t the only manifestation of her growth. Soccer would be really good to keep her in shape. But who would take her to the games if Vail had to work late?
    “I don’t know, Marla,” Justine said, glaring at her over a slightly uptilted nose. “Raising a teenager is a big responsibility. Brie will need someone to drive her around, and that’s only the beginning. These can be tumultuous years.”
    “I drove Brianna to ballet class for a while, so I know what to expect,” she retorted, her muscles tensing. “And Brie already looks to me for guidance on grooming matters, right?” she asked the girl, who nodded. “We’ll work things out.”
    Justine’s lips tightened, making Marla wonder how Vail had described their arrangement. He’d promised she wouldn’t get stuck with housekeeping duties or attending school functions unless it was her choice. Knowing how she felt about children, he understood the reason for making these promises, but Justine and Larry had no knowledge of the tragedy in her past or even about her previous marriage.
    “I’ll bet your daughter would be proud of the young lady Brie has turned into,” Georgia said to Justine as she nudged Marla’s knee under the table. What was she trying to do, forge a mutual admiration society? Pam’s parents would never accept her as a substitute for Brianna’s mother.
    Justine’s eyes misted. “You’re right. Brianna has her same dark eyes, too. She’d only want what’s best for you, dear,” she told the girl.
    “Mom would want Daddy to be happy, too.” Fiddling with her fork, Brie spoke quietly. Marla’s heart went out to her. Caught in the middle, she shouldn’t be forced to choose sides.
    “Your father needs a strong woman to support him. He works long hours in the police force, and some nights he doesn’t come home at all. That’s not the proper forum in which to raise children, unless he has a wife who cares more about her family than her job.”
    Marla half rose from her seat. “Excuse me? Today a lot of families have two-career households. I can provide the same level of care as a stay-at-home mom. In addition, I’ll be a good role model for Brie.”
    “Marla is there for us when we need her,” Vail added, his fierce scowl challenging his in-laws to defy him. “She may wear a lot of hats, but she puts her heart where it counts.”
    “No kidding,” Georgia put in with a teasing grin. “It’s true that if Marla says she’ll do something, she’ll follow through to the end—and that doesn’t always work to her advantage. Like when we were college freshmen and she was put in charge of the light-bulb sale to raise money for our sorority. When the day came to distribute the bulbs, Marla noticed the supply fell short. She went around and unscrewed all the lights in the common rooms that weren’t being used and gave them to people to sell. She’d planned to run to the hardware store later to buy more, but before she could replace the bulbs in the empty sockets, the dean dropped by for a surprise visit. Needless to say, she got in a heap of trouble.”
    Marla flushed in embarrassment while the others laughed, all except Justine, who didn’t appear amused. Marla remembered how she’d tried to live up to her commitment and had fully intended to replace the missing bulbs before the day’s end. That lesson taught her to expect the unexpected and to assess a situation before she got involved in it. Of course, sometimes she got sucked into things she’d rather avoid anyway, like this conversation.
    “Let’s talk about something else,” she suggested, leaning back while the waitress delivered their meals.
    “Yeah, Marla, let’s talk about