Her smile bright, Betsy held out her hands to the baby. “Come to Grammie, sweetie.”
Kim was almost as relieved as her mother probably was that Daryn made the transfer agreeable enough. She wasn’t particularly surprised; Daryn enjoyed attention and wasn’t usually shy in accepting it.
Daryn made a quick grab for her grandmother’s red-framed glasses, but Betsy was able to catch the little hand and plant a cooing kiss on it. Though cynically aware that part of this touching encounter was a performance for Bob and Tate’s benefit, Kim wanted to believe she saw a measure of real affection in her mom’s smile. She warned herself not to let past slights make her too jaded when it came to her mother, but sometimes that wasn’t easy.
While her mother played with the baby, Kim helped Bob clear away the breakfast dishes. They wrapped up a plate of leftover waffles in case Stuart wanted them later, though Bob repeated that Stuart rarely ate breakfast, despite his mother’s disapproval.
“I’d better go give Daryn her bath and get her ready for the reunion,” Kim said when the kitchen was spotless again.
“Be sure to dress her in something especially adorable, since she’ll be meeting her great-grandmother for the first time,” Betsy advised, leaving a bright smear of lipstick on the baby’s soft cheek before handing her over. “And there’s plenty of time for you to get dressed, too, Kim, so don’t feel you have to rush.”
Kim lifted an eyebrow. “I’m dressed, Mom. This is what I’m wearing today.”
“Oh. Really? I thought maybe a skirt?”
“No. This is what I brought to wear.”
Her mother gave a mournful little sigh. “Well, I’m sure it’s fine, then. Everyone understands a busy young mother has little time for primping.”
Daryn bounced in Kim’s arms, still waving the wooden spoon and coming very close to bopping Kim in the head with it. “Mamamama,” she trilled.
“She said Mama!” Her criticisms apparently forgotten, Betsy clapped her hands. “That’s the first time I’ve heard her speak. Has she said it before?”
Smiling at the child, Kim swiped at the lipstick smear with one fingertip as she answered, “A few times, though I’m never quite sure if she’s saying my name or just babbling.”
“Sounded like Mama to me,” Bob assured her. “You can tell she’s a smart one. Say Grandpa, Daryn.”
Daryn responded with an unintelligible string of syllables that ended with what sounded very much like a raspberry, making all the adults laugh.
“Okay, so much for that,” Bob said good-naturedly.
Betsy reached out to pat Daryn’s back, motioning toward Tate with her other hand. “Say DaDa, Daryn. It would be lovely if you’d say that today at the reunion. DaDa?”
The pleasant moment was ruined. Kim turned sharply, drawing Daryn out of her mother’s reach. “Honestly, Mom,” she snapped.
Betsy blinked in oblivious innocence. “What?”
“Just stop, okay? If you want Tate and me to go to this thing today, you’ll have to back off.”
Looking aggrieved, Betsy began, “But I was only—”
“I’ll go get her dressed. Bob, while I’m gone, maybe you can explain to my mother that she’s skating on very thin ice this weekend, and she needs to watch her step for the rest of the day.”
/> Without giving anyone a chance to reply, she carried Daryn out of the kitchen. She sensed Tate hesitate a moment, as if unsure what to do, then he followed her out.
Chapter Five
“I must have completely lost my mind to agree to this nutty plan in the first place. What was I thinking, letting a silly bet and a few dares convince me to bring my child into this insanity?”
Fifteen minutes after storming out of the kitchen, Kim was still muttering beneath her breath, even as she efficiently dressed her freshly bathed daughter in a frilly lavender romper.
Looking up from the chair where he’d been checking and answering email on his phone while Kim took care of the baby, Tate said cautiously, “Maybe you’ll have such a nice visit with your grandmother that it will all be worth it.”
“I’m not sure any visit could be that nice,” she grumbled. She closed her eyes momentarily and exhaled gustily. “I’m sorry, Tate. I don’t mean to take out my frustration with my mother on you again.”
“Hey, that’s what I’m here for.”
She wrinkled her nose at him, a rueful smile reflected in her eyes. “Not exactly, but thanks, anyway.”