“I just want to call the kids super quick,” she announced to her mom and sister. While they browsed the jewelry store nearby, Hanna sat down on a bench and FaceTimed the nanny’s phone.
“Hey, Mrs. P!” Dani answered in an energy only a twenty-two-year-old without kids could have. One of the things Hanna loved about her during the interview was how she didn’t have bags under her eyes. Hanna figured it meant she was well-rested enough to play with her kids the way she couldn’t. Dani seemed cool, too. Lucy especially loved her dipped pink hair. Not that Hanna could ever pull off such a bold look, but she appreciated women who did.
She could hear Drake and Lucy giggling in the background. “Hi! How’s it going? Just checking in.” Did she sound breezy enough? The last thing she wanted Dani to think was that she was a helicopter mom who was already freaking out just hours after leaving them this morning.
Drake and Lucy appeared in the corners of the screen behind the sitter. “Mommy!” Lucy screamed happily. Her son waved, showing the palm of his hand, which was covered in a white paste.
“What’s that on your hand?” Maybe this whole sitter thing was a bad idea. She could only imagine the trouble they were getting into.
“We’re making a papier-mâché solar system!” he said, grabbing Dani’s phone with his dirty hands to show her the different planets they had created from balloons and newspaper.
“The whole world is huge, Mommy!” Lucy said, smooshing her face against the camera. The way Lucy said “world,” making it sound like two syllables instead of one, made Hanna’s heart melt.
She already missed the hell out of her kids.
Dani took the phone back from Lucy. “We’re having a blast, Mrs. P! How’s New Orleans?”
“It’s great! Just finished up some shopping.” She couldn’t wait for them to see all the new furniture she got.
“Awesome!” Dani said, moving the camera to catch Lucy, who was running around the kitchen floor. Even though the video movement was a little shaky, Hanna was able to get glimpses of the new house. It looked so pristine and clean. Her kids were happy, and things seemed to be under control. “Go have fun and relax!” Dani said, waving her away. “Get a massage!”
Everyone was taken care of and she had no responsibilities for the rest of the day. A massage? she pondered. Hmmm…
After they ended their call, she opened Google Maps and typed “Spa.” Several locations popped up nearby. Don’t mind if I do!
* * *
Hanna felt like she was floating on air when she walked back to the hotel suite after her massage. The masseuse had worked out the knots in her shoulders and made her whole body melt with relaxation. Tom was the only other person to ever give her a massage in her life, and when it did happen, it only lasted about two minutes while they cuddled on the couch watching an episode of Survivor. Whoever said money couldn’t buy happiness had clearly never been to a spa.
Her mom and Lexi had come, too. It was a fun afternoon being together, the three of them. If only Callie could have been there as well. Where was Callie?
Lexi waved the hotel key card and opened the door to the suite they had booked for the night. While in the marble entryway, Hanna could hear Callie greet them from the bedroom. Their middle sister must have been watching a movie, because Hanna could hear the muffled yet distinct sounds of Julia Roberts and Richard Gere on the TV.
She headed through the living room, which had crystal chandeliers dripping from the high ceiling, and threw her Lululemon bag and purse on the antique drop-leaf table. As she walked through the double French doors to join her sister, Hanna stopped in her tracks.
“Holy shit—Callie!” She couldn’t believe the woman staring back at her. Hanna walked over to her sister and touched her hair, which had been trimmed, layered, and highlighted. And she was wearing makeup. Even her eyebrows were neatly trimmed and arched. She looked beautiful.
More than beautiful.
She was stunning.
“You like it?” Callie grinned, running her fingers through her shiny brown hair. “I was ready for something new.”
“Oh my gosh, Cal!” Lexi screamed, holding her hand to her mouth. Her tone was a mix of shock and anger. “I mean, you look effing great, but c’mon! Why’d you go to a complete stranger for this? I could have done it for you!”
“Are you forgetting the mullet incident?” Hanna reminded her, jabbing her in the ribs.
Lexi huffed and lightly punched her big sister in the shoulder.
“What inspired this?” Lynn asked, petting her daughter’s silky strands while looking on in pride.
“Just ready for a change,” Callie said, clasping her hands together nervously.
“Does this have anything to do with the new guy?” Hanna asked, plopping on the bed.
“Guy!?” both Lexi and Lynn yelled out in unison.
Hanna could see Callie’s perfectly contoured cheeks pinken.
After forcing Callie to reveal the details, Lexi chimed in, “He’s not going to be able to keep his hands off of you now.” She put a finger on her sister’s shoulder, making a sizzling sound.
“I think that’s the point,” Hanna said with a wink.
“How did your coffee date with Martin go?” Callie asked Lexi, clearly trying to change the subject.
Lexi leaned forward. “He’s in! He’s coming to Brady on Monday to help us plan the wedding! We have so much work to do.”
“That’s amazing,” Callie said, rubbing her plum lips together. She then turned to Hanna. “How was your day? What did you do?”
She thought back to her shopping spree and how much money she had spent at the furniture store. In hindsight, it kind of made her sick to her stomach, but she reminded herself that twenty-seven thousand dollars right now was like pennies to her before she won the lottery. “Went to the mall and got some new workout clothes and furniture for the house.” She pushed her hair behind her ears and the scent of the eucalyptus oil the masseuse had used brushed against her nose. “But the highlight was the massage we all got this afternoon. Definitely considering making that a weekly thing.”
“I knew there was something different about you,” Callie said, pointing her finger at Hanna.
“Yeah, I’m relaxed for, like, the first time in eight years,” she said, lying her head down on the bed. “I forgot what this feels like!”
“So, it sounds like we all had a great day.” Lynn clapped her hands together.
“Shall we go out and celebrate?” Lexi asked.
“Sounds good to me,” Hanna said, still feeling a bit like Gumby from the massage.
Callie smiled. “I’m in!” Before they left, she walked over to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror, mussing her hair with her hands. Hanna had never seen her sister appear so confident. And for the first time in their lives, she could tell that all of them were on top of the world. Hanna never wanted this feeling to end.
CHAPTER 16 Callie
Family Sundays at the Breaux house were a sacred tradition for as long as Callie could remember. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as everyone came together in her parents’ wood-paneled eat-in kitchen, chopping, cooking, and laughing for hours. From the stove, the comforting smell of the Cajun holy trinity—chopped onion, celery, and green pepper—would envelop the room.