6.4 Climbing Vines, Tangled Vines

Nan was making an effort to enjoy her maternity leave. She had kept up her exercise program as long as she could, but now that she could barely see her feet, much less reach them, she was limited to pottering about the kitchen, sitting at the computer, and taking naps.

When the big day finally came, no one was happier than Nandina! All the pain and frustration were forgotten when Nan held little Cassia in her arms.

 

Nan didn’t want Holly and Laurel to feel neglected because of the new baby, so she made a point of spending time with them while Cassia was napping.

 

Nan wanted to give her hubby some attention, too, but it wasn’t always easy to find a quiet moment to spend together.

Sometimes Kale would help out with his nieces, especially if Petal was on a date.

And sometimes Petal’s dates went so badly that she would rather have been home with the kids.

Cassia grew quickly, possibly because of the large quantities of oxygen she took in between cries and screams. She was a very vocal little girl, but she seemed to be content when she played with her funny little doll.

Nan and Brady did their best to teach their three small girls what they needed to know. The most important thing to know, of course, was that they were loved.

Love was not on the radar of one member of the household, however. Ivy had kept up her nightly escapades and was bent on building up her stash of SETs (Shiny Expensive Things). She was an expert at slipping in and out of a home or business unnoticed and had purloined a wide variety of gems, precious metals, paintings, and statues.

One particular night, she and the other “night visitors” had mapped out their plan of attack to ensure that nobody stepped on anybody else’s territory. One of them challenged Ivy to nab a particular gold figurine from a wealthy family that was known to have a superb alarm system. She boldly accepted his challenge.

She had never dreamed that the challenger planned to betray her. He tipped off the police, and her getaway was interrupted. Ivy had to endure the indignity and the crowding of a night in Legacy Valley’s jail, and the added insult of being bailed out the next day and released into the custody of her younger, baby-factory sister.

 

Nan was horrified to find out what her sister had done. Stealing? From their neighbors? She tried to find out why Ivy would do such a thing, when the Foliages had everything they could possibly need already, but Ivy just stared back at her and said she was using her talents as their mother had always encouraged them to do. Nan’s mouth fell open at that bizarre take on things, and then she said, “Very well. It’s time you used your other talents. I know you’re a gifted gardener, so here’s how you’ll work off the bail money. Tend the garden and keep our kitchen stocked with perfect produce.” Ivy simply gave Nan a cold look and squatted to tend the plant nearest to her. Nan walked away, none to sure of the situation but muttering to herself, “Maybe it will be a lesson in working to provide rather than taking the fruits of others’ labors. Or maybe it will at least keep her too busy to sneak out at night.”

What Nan didn’t know was that before being caught, Ivy had managed to hide her latest SET, and she retrieved it while ostensibly taking some vegetables down to the family’s bistro. While under the Foliage variety of house arrest, she could at least console herself by admiring the little fox.

And when she was on baby duty, she could find other ways to amuse herself.

Now that she noticed, though, there was something about that Cassia. She would have to keep a close eye on her; she might have potential!

With Ivy at home now, Petal found herself with a little more free time. She could feel her biological clock ticking, and more than that, she felt lonely for someone she wasn’t sure that she had met yet. She chatted with neighbors, gave tourists directions, and even invited some guy friends on dates.

She liked it when they complimented her fashion sense, and she loved to sit together and watch the stars.

Would she ever find Mr. Right? She was not getting any younger, a fact which was made impossible to ignore by the twins’ birthday. Holly and Laurel had grown into beautiful little girls.

 

Blonde-haired Holly was eager to take a music class in school; apparently she had taken after her parents in their love of music. Slim, dark-haired Laurel was more interested in signing up for ballet class. The girls did share an interest in art, if little else.

As the bus pulled away from their house, Nan felt a motherly pang of sadness that her girls were growing up. She thought about little Cassia in her crib and made a vow to cherish her pre-school days that were passing all too fast.

She also vowed to keep balance in all her relationships, meaning she wouldn’t let the cares of motherhood and the ambitions of career come between her and Brady. She took that moment to go find him just finishing shaving.

After a -ahem- romantic interlude, they went upstairs to assemble the girls’ birthday gift.

When they had finished, Nan went to feed Cassia and Brady went out to the garden. When Kale got home from work, he joined Brady in the garden and told him about his promotion.

The men of the house had been bonding lately, which was necessary to survive in a household with six females.

Holly had overheard the promotion announcement, and she also heard Kale talking to Quiana on the phone. When he finished his conversation, she went over to him and got straight to the point. She wanted to know when he was going to be marrying Quiana. After all, he got a promotion, so he must have a good job, and he said all those lovey dovey things to Quiana on the phone. Why wouldn’t they get married?

Kale didn’t quite know what to say.

Laurel, on the other hand, was tired from running around at recess and then taking ballet class, plus she wanted to stake her claim to the top bunk.

With the girls getting bigger, Nandina went back to work and was pleased that the team’s losing record was starting to turn around. She still made an effort to spend time with her daughters, commenting on Holly’s first painting and helping Laurel with her homework.

Evenings were reserved for family time around the Foliage house. Nandina hoped that things were headed in a good direction.

–

Previous

Advertisement