It was clear that Jess was teasing her mom, good-naturedly, but she wasn’t wrong. Bonnie was gorgeous.
“Stop.” Bonnie was smiling but Sara would recognize the I’m-serious mom tone anywhere.
It made Sara happy imagining herself having a relationship like Bonnie and Jess had with Charlotte when she was an adult. Sara had never had that kind of relationship with her own mother. And her grandma had passed away when Sara was a teen. She’d never known what that looked like, now that she saw it in front of her, it made her even more grateful for her munchkins.
That wasn’t the only relationship that was inspiring to Sara. John and Bonnie’s love was the kind of thing Sara had only read about in books, and seen on television and in movies. Sara’s sister Shelby and brother both had healthy, happy marriages but they were newlyweds. Forty years together was such a huge accomplishment. Especially if the spark, the magic was still alive. And that was just how long they’d been married. Jess had said that John met Bonnie when they were ten.
“I can’t believe you’ve been together since you were ten.” Sara knew she kept harping on the age, but it just seemed so young.
“Oh no.” Bonnie shook her head. “We didn’t get together until we were sixteen.”
She said that as if it was so much different. That was still incredible to Sara.
“Mom had to wait until dad grew taller than her.” Jess smiled widely.
“You did?” Sara chuckled. She’d been envisioning this epic, love story and hearing that Bonnie hadn’t wanted to date John until he was taller than her struck her funny bone.
“Yeah,” Bonnie said, clearly still standing by her decision.
“Does he know that?” Sara asked.
“Of course.”
“He thinks it’s cute.” Jess explained. “He thinks everything my mom does is cute.”
Bonnie shook her head. She was clearly as uncomfortable with the conversation turning to how cute she was, as she was with it being about how hot she was. So like any seasoned mom, since the warning didn’t work, she steered it in a new direction. “So, how are you liking Whisper Lake, Sara? I heard you’re staying over at the Princess and the Pea.”
Wow. News travels fast in small towns.
“Yep. My grandmother stayed there when she was sixteen. She believed that the town was magic and told me all about the magical summer she spent here, and that she always hoped one day I would experience that. So here we are.” Sara didn’t know if this place really was magic but there was definitely something in Whisper Lake that caused her to open up with people in ways she never would in Phoenix.
“Wow. And Austin’s staying there, right?” Bonnie smiled. “Are you two getting to know each other?”
Why did Sara get the distinct feeling that this was a set up…?
“I love Austin,” Charlotte suddenly tuned into the conversation she’d been oblivious to, all it took was hearing Austin’s name.
Bonnie’s smile grew even larger as she looked down at Charlotte. “You do?”
“Yes,” Charlotte replied earnestly as she lifted her ringlet-framed face up from staring at Sara’s phone. “He has a tattoo, like my daddy. He knows how to tie shoes. He’s makes funny faces. He doesn’t get mad if you spill pudding on his floor. And I love how he looks at Mommy.” She exhaled a dreamy sigh.
Oh no.
The show Kids Say the Darndest Things was popular for a reason; no one ever knew what was going to come out of a kid’s mouth.
“How does he look at your mommy?” Jess’s tone dripped with amusement.
“Yeah, how does he look at her?” Ali followed up as Brynn leaned in.
It appeared everyone was as interested to hear what her daughter was about to say as she was. Sara had no idea what it would be, but if Charlotte had a mute button, she would’ve pushed it without hesitation.
Charlotte twisted in Sara’s lap so that she was facing her mom. She lifted her little arms and cupped her mom’s cheeks. Then, leaning in close, she loudly whispered, “Like she’s a princess.”
“Awww,” All four women chorused.
Tears filled Sara’s bottom lids as she grinned and attempted to redirect Charlotte’s attention. “Watch your movie, baby girl.”
There was no way she’d be able to pull the Frozen move out of her go-to mom bag of tricks very much longer, but when Charlotte settled back down on her lap and picked up the phone, Sara sighed with happiness that she was able to get a little more mileage out of it.