Can't Fake It

8

"Mom, I have literally been gone for a week." Kenna mumbled through her mom's shirt as she attempted to escape the spunky woman's tight grasp. Her mom's grip tightened for a moment more before she finally released her with a cheerful smile. 

"I know, I just hate it when my children aren't with me. And you're my baby!" She goes to hug Kenna again but Kenna is quick to duck away and pick her laundry bag back up from where she had dropped it on the floor of their living room after her encounter with her mom. 

Kenna walked to the laundry room, depositing her bag before walking back in the living room to take a seat on the couch. She sighed a breath of relief after the long drive as she watched her mom busy herself straightening up the house. Her frantic actions set Kenna on edge and she leaned forward where she sat to stare at her mother.

"Mom, is someone coming over?" Her mom froze for a moment, laughing nervously as she picked up Kenna's father's old newspaper and empty coffee cup from that morning. Kenna watched her quietly, giving her a chance to speak up before finally letting out a groan and pushing herself to her feet. 

"Who's coming over mom?" Kenna questioned, following her mom into the kitchen where the older woman started in on the dishes. Kenna continued to watch her humming mother before finally letting out a huff of defeat and storming from the kitchen and back out the door of her house.

She shut the door behind her and glanced over on her porch to see her seven year old beagle, Preacher, sprawled out behind one of the two rocking chairs stationed on either side of the door. Kenna smiled as he let out a small bark in his sleep and leaned down to reach behind the chair and give his ears a quick rub. 

Preacher stirred in his sleep and lazily lifted his head to look at her, offering a tired wag of his tail. Kenna chuckled softly, knowing that's the best she'd get from the exhausted dog, before straightening back up and walking down the steps of the porch and onto the dirt path leading from her house and into the stretch of woods that separated her house from Chris'. 

Her walk was short, but peaceful and she quickly caught sight of the two story log cabin that housed her brother and sister-in-law. When she neared she was met with the sound of her brother's coon dogs howling, announcing her arrival. This howling signaled her sister-in-law's black lab, Pepper, to run up to her with tail wagging furiously. 

Kenna patted Pepper's head on her way up the steps of the porch where she didn't hesitate to let herself in. The door being unlocked, like usual, swings open, revealing chaos to Kenna's amusement. 

Chris sat in the floor surrounded by wooden parts of a crib with his hands in his hair, showing his frustration as the shriek of a buzzer filled the air along with traces of smoke that wafted from the kitchen. Chris looked up at the sound of the door and mouthed 'help'.

Kenna closed the door behind her, shaking her head at her overwhelmed brother as she kicked off her shoes before heading to the kitchen. She shut the oven's buzzer off and opened the oven to be hit with a mixture of heat and smoke. Kenna coughed, her eyes watering, as she snatched a dishtowel from the counter and waved the smoke away.

She quickly removed the charred remains of whatever her poor brother had been attempting to cook before setting it on the top of the stove and taking it upon herself to open windows up around the house in an effort to clear out the smoke. 

When she had finished she returned to her brother who had yet to move an inch from his panicked position. "Well, I see you have everything under control." Kenna joked, kneeling in front of him as she glanced around at the different crib parts curiously. 

Chris looked up at her and sighed, running a hand through his hair as he shook his head at her. "I'm going to be a dad and I can't even put together a crib and make dinner while my wife is visiting her parents." Chris groaned and Kenna rolled her eyes at him.