Wicked Game

Chapter 4

Rhea should have known better. Mothers seemed to have a special sense for when something was wrong, after all. Hers certainly did, as did her grandmothers, so she wasn't sure why she expected Becky to miss or ignore the signs. As soon as Rhea spotted their table, Becky tilted her head in that motherly way that managed to convey both exasperation and empathy. "Hey, Roux Crew!" Rhea kept her voice big and bright as she approached. "How's everyone?"

Seth seemed to sense something amiss as well, but he hid it better than Becky did. "Oh, you know, not enough sleep, not enough coffee."

"Coffee's there, Dada!" Roux pointed to the carafe at the middle of the table.

A server approached just as Rhea sat down beside Becky. "Hi. Any refills?" Then he turned to Rhea. "Would you like to order?" He started to hand her a menu.

Rhea didn't trust herself to make any decisions quite yet, not even for something as simple as breakfast. "Coffee and... toast with jam, if you've got it." She hoped he didn't whip out a smaller menu just for jams and other spreads.

"Of course. More coffee for the two of you as well?" After Becky nodded, the server looked over at Roux, who was furiously scribbling on some colouring book pages. "And some fresh crayons."

"Yes please!" Roux chirped, barely looking up from her art.

After the server left, Rhea reached across the table and grabbed Roux's purple and black crayons. "Then you won't be needing these," she grinned, starting to draw a little demon face on the top of the colouring book page.

Rather than whine in protest like some kids might, Roux took it as an invitation to join in. "Oh yeah? I draw a beastie that eats him!"

"Maybe we should have got two kid menus," Seth joked. The server brought back a fresh carafe and an extra cup, and Seth poured Rhea's coffee first.

When the box of crayons came next, Roux immediately swiped the purple and black—and the grey for good measure. "Now we can both draw demons," she said sweetly, making sure her beastie had extra pointy horns before trading her blue crayon for the black one.

"Drawing demons while wearing a Disney princess dress," Becky remarked as she sipped at her coffee. "Raise a daughter who can do it all."

"Not hard when her mama already is." Seth leaned in to kiss Becky's cheek. "Except maybe the Disney princess dress. But we can arrange that."

Rhea watched their quiet connection with a pang. She remembered their first days as a couple, sneaking looks and kisses—and quickies, she was sure—backstage, all while their relationship was blossoming into something more. It had taken a few detours due to COVID, a delayed wedding, and Roux's birth, but they seemed to have settled into a wonderful balance of comfort and connection. No one looking at them could deny that the spark between them was still very much alive and well. "Well, Princess Leia is technically a Disney princess now, so—"

"No metal bikinis," Becky said flatly. "He doesn't even like Star Wars."

"Is that a prerequisite for liking metal bikinis?" Seth grabbed a green crayon from the pile and doodled a quick little lizard for Roux's demon to eat.

"You're lucky you're not taller," Becky replied, "or else I'd make you dress up as a Wookiee for next Halloween." Then she smiled over at Rhea, giving her knee a gentle pat under the table. "So what's your week looking like?"

As small talk went, it was bland, but it let Rhea get her thoughts in order. The extra colouring sheet Roux shoved her way helped too. "More demons!" Roux requested. "My beasties need breakfast!"

Rhea raised an eyebrow at Becky as she accepted the page. "You're going to have some interesting comments on Meet The Teacher nights."

"That was always going to be a given. Her parents beat people up on national television," Seth pointed out." When a server approached with a plate of toast and little packets of jam, he gestured to Rhea. "It's for her."