by E. N. Joy
“Yes, may I speak to Sammi?” the male voice on the other end of the line asked.
“Bo?” Sammi said in a surprised tone. She hadn’t even heard a ring on the other end, and yet Bo was on the line.
“Yes, it’s me. I hope I’m not calling too late.”
“Well, no, as a matter of fact, I was calling you?”
“Good, then I didn’t catch you sleeping and interrupt a sweet dream or anything,” Bo flirted.
This made Sammi smile. It also made her relax. She had not known what to expect from Bo the next time she spoke to him after that dinner fiasco, but she hadn’t expected him to be his usual charming self. Even though it sounded as if Bo had already forgiven and forgotten, Sammi still felt the need to speak on the situation.
“Bo, I can’t apologize enough about yesterday’s dinner,” Sammi started.
“Sure you can, and you have,” Bo said. “You apologized enough yesterday. Sorry I couldn’t accept your apology, but my mouth was kind of, you know…”
“Yeah, I know,” Sammi sighed. “I still feel so awful. I never expected my girls would ever do anything like that.”
“They’re kids,” Bo reasoned. “Kids who love their mother and who might be feeling a little anxiety about the new man in their mother’s life.”
“That’s still no excuse for doing what they did.”
“I’m not condoning the girls’ actions not one little bit. All I‘m saying is that I understand.”
“I’m glad you understand. I, on the other hand, am still trying to process it all. I guess I just need to sit down and have a reasonable conversation with them when tempers aren’t flared. Because believe you me, I had a good talking to them all right,” Sammi assured him.
“And are they on any type of punishment?” Bo asked.
Sammi felt a little thrown off by Bo‘s question at first. She hoped Bo wasn’t about to try and tell her how to discipline her girls. “Well, no, uh…”
“Good, because I was hoping I could have one more shot at getting the girls to warm up to me,” Bo said. “My company picnic is at the Columbus Zoo on Saturday, and I was hoping that maybe, well, that you, me and the girls could go. That‘s why I was hoping you went easy on them and didn‘t put them on punishment or anything.”
Sammi exhaled. Bo was a dream come true. He was more understanding about the situation than she could have ever hoped for. Not only was he willing to give her a second chance, but he was willing to give Kennedy, Daryn and Joy a second chance as well. It was obvious that he realized, without Sammi having to say it, that her and her girls were a package deal. No matter how rotten they may have acted, they were still her girls.
“We’d love to go to the zoo on Saturday,” Sammi gladly accepted the invitation.
“Great. I’ll get the times down for everything and let you know all the specifics.”
“I’d like that,” Sammi blushed.
“Me too,” Bo replied. “So just talk it over with the girls and you and I will talk later. Goodnight, Sammi.”
“Goodnight, Bo.” Sammi hung up the phone and couldn’t get the grin off her face as she sunk down into her pillows. Her smile soon faded once she realized that the deal wasn’t completely sealed yet. She now had to make a deal with the packaged deal, A.K.A. her daughters, B.K. A. (better known as), the Soul Sisters.
Oh, my, Sammi thought before turning off the light. I’d perhaps rather make a deal with the devil.
Chapter Thirteen
Life’s a Zoo
“Thank you for giving my girls another chance at making an impression on you,” Sammi said as she and Bo walked hand in hand through the Columbus Zoo. “And for giving me another chance too. I promise you that’s not how the sauce was supposed to taste,” she smiled.
“It’s okay.” Bo returned the smile. “Trust me, like I said, I understand what it can be like for a kid to accept someone other than their biological parent in their life.” He looked over his shoulder at the girls who were eating cotton candy and ice-cream as they trailed behind the couple.
Once Kennedy, Daryn and Joy saw Bo looking at them, they plastered fake smiles on their faces. As soon as he turned back around, their smiles turned to devious frowns.
“Besides,” Bo continued, “they’re girls with sweet, little innocent faces. They can’t be all that bad, can they?”
Sammi bit her tongue and quickly changed the subject. “Hey, we’ve been walking around this place for almost an hour. What do you say we take a load off for a minute?”
Bo spotted a bench that sat up against a half brick wall. He led Sammi over to the bench while the girls went and sat on the wall, finishing off their snacks.
“You know, I hated the zoo when I was little,” Sammi confessed to Bo.
“Is that so? Tell me about it.” Bo used this opportunity to show attentiveness to Sammi by scooting in close to her and putting his arm around her.
Just then, Kennedy interrupted. “Mom, my lovely sisters and I would like to go see the gorilla exhibit f you don’t mind?” Kennedy was acting so sweet, she’d give a dentist a cavity.
“Honey, we just sat down,” Sammi told her. “How about you girls give us a minute to rest up?”
“Kennedy can watch us while you and Mr. Bo stay here,” Daryn suggested.
“Yeah, Mom,” Kennedy agreed. “I watch them for an entire half hour everyday when we get home from school-sometimes a whole hour if you’re running late. Surely I can watch them for five minutes at the zoo.”
“Ummm, I don’t know. I better just go ahead and go with you guys,” Sammi said as she prepared to stand. Bo removed his arm from around her and prepared to follow suit.
“Mom, come on,” Kennedy begged as she began to wink her eye at her mother as she leaned down to her ear and whispered. “Come on, Mom. We’re doing this for you so that you can have some alone time with Mr. Bo. Do you really think we want to go look at a bunch of extra large monkeys that smell bad, stick their finger in their own butts and smell it?” Kennedy stood back up and began using her regular tone of voice. “The gorilla exhibit is just right in there.” Kennedy pointed to the indoor cave like tunnel, which was a maze through the various species of gorillas and monkeys.
Sammi observed it. “Yeah, but I don’t know if I want you girls going in there by yourselves,” she said in a leery voice.
“Uh, duh…hello, Mom. I’m thirteen years old. I’m not a baby any more. I think I can handle being the boss of those two long enough to make it through the gorilla exhibit.” Kennedy pointed at her sisters who made innocent faces while shifting their heads from left to right for dramatic effect. “Plus, you wouldn’t want to deny your youngest two daughters the opportunity of getting a peek at their cousins, would you?”
Daryn and Joy’s innocent expressions turned to tight lip frowns.
“Hey,” Daryn spat.
Kennedy whispered over her shoulder between closed teeth, “Hey, I gotta make this thing look real don’t I?” She then turned a smiling face back toward her mother. “So what do you say, Mom?”
Sammi had no idea how much her response depended on the success of phase two of the Soul sister’s operation.
“Well…” Sammi hesitated.
“Oh, Sam, go on and let the girls go,” Bo said, hoping to get brownie points with the girls. “Let them enjoy themselves.” Not to mention the possibility of him getting some alone time with Sammi.
“Yeah, Mother,” Daryn jumped in. “And while we’re gone, that will give you and Mr. Bo a few minutes alone to talk about grown up stuff.”
Joy nudged Bo on the arm. “Yeah, maybe even steal a little kissy-pooh-pooh while you’re at it.”
“Joy!” Sammi exclaimed with a flustered look on her face as she tried to cover up her blushing.
“Can we, Mom? Can we please?” the girls begged with their hands folded.
“All right. Get out of here…please,” their mother gave in.
The girls ran off, leaving Sammi and Bo alone.
“Yeah, like I said,” Bo told her, “it just takes time for kids to accept a partner for their parent outside of their other biological parent.”
“Maybe you’re right,” Sammi shrugged. “And who knew all it took was a trip to the zoo?”
“I knew,” Bo bragged. “But anyway,” Bo started as he put his arm back around Sammi. “You were telling me about how when you were little you didn’t care for the zoo.”
Sammi smiled at Bo’s slick gesture and his attentiveness. He‘d heard every word she had said and remembered where she‘d left off. “Well, I just always found it quite boring. I mean, I could never understand what was so exciting about having a stare down with a bunch of animals. I mean, really, think about it. What is the most excitement one can have at the zoo?”
Bo chuckled. “Well, I can tell you a couple of things.” Bo furrowed his brows in a flirting manner.
“Then why don’t you just come right out and tell me, Mr. Hart?” Sammi leaned in closer to Bo. Just as his lips were about to touch hers, Daryn came running over to the bench in hysterics.
“Mother! Mother! It’s Joy!” Daryn yelled frantically.
“What is it?” Sammi said with fear. She didn’t like Daryn’s tone. Her heart began pounding and she couldn’t have cared less about the kiss she had been about to receive from Bo. “Where’s your sister? What’s the matter with her?”
“She’s gone missing,” Daryn said.
“Gone missing? What do you mean gone missing?” Sammi jumped up off the bench.
“Just gone,” Daryn said, throwing her hands up. “One minute we’re looking at the gorillas and the next minute she’s gone. We looked everywhere for her. Kennedy is still in there trying to find her.”
“Oh, no. We better go help find her,” she said to Bo.
“Just relax,” Bo said, rising and taking hold of Sammi’s hand. “She’s not a baby. The girl is twelve years old.”
“Eleven,” Sammi snapped. “And do you know what happens to eleven year old little girls who get lost at the zoo while looking at gorillas?”
“They go bananas?” Bo tried to joke to get Sammi to relax and calm down.
“That’s not funny, Bo,” Sammi said sincerely. “Maybe you wouldn’t find it funny either if it were your daughter missing.” Sammi rolled her eyes at Bo. Daryn grabbed her by the arm as they headed toward the gorilla exhibit to search for Joy.
“I’ll go with you,” Bo told Sammi.
“No!” Sammi was quick to say. “You stay here just in case she comes back to the bench looking for us.”
“Good idea,” Bo agreed.
“Come on, let’s go,” Sammi told Daryn as they headed off into the gorilla exhibit.
Bo stayed put and kept an eye on the Gorilla display. The gorilla display was U shaped. There was an entrance and an exit door about six feet from each other. If Joy came out of there before they could find her inside, he would be right there waiting. He knew that Sammi was upset with his, what appeared to be, lack of concern. Therefore, he had to admit that the male macho side of him wanted to make it up to her by being the one to find Joy. He wanted Sammi to be able to look at him like a hero. Seems like almost everybody had their own hidden agenda…especially the girls.
Chapter Fourteen
Devil in Disguise
Kennedy knew she didn’t have much time if their plan was going to work. It was all about timing. Just as she was about to give up hope, she saw her.
“That’s her. That’s the one,” Kennedy said to herself as she made her way toward a woman who was standing next to one of her girlfriends checking out the Pink Flamingos. “Hi,” Kennedy said after tapping the woman on the shoulder.”
“Well, hello,” the woman replied, batting her mascara covered fake eyelashes. “What can I do you for, sweetness?” the unknowing accomplice asked Kennedy.
“Well…I…Uh,” Kennedy stammered purposely. “I really don’t know how to say this, but…do you see that guy over there?” Kennedy pointed to Bo who was sitting on the bench watching the gorilla entrance and exit doors.
The woman perked up after seeing the attractive man on the bench…all alone. “Well, sure I see him.” She licked her lips and not one bit of the ruby red lipstick she had matted on her lips came off. The woman then said under her breath to her girlfriend, “Who could miss his fine-”
“Well, see, he’s my dad,” Kennedy cut her off. “And he’s a little shy. He and my mom have been divorced for quite some time and he’s never even dated. I mean, in all honesty, he’s never even found any other woman attractive…that was until he looked up and saw you.”
“What? Who me?” The woman put her hand on her chest, which appeared to be well endowed thanks to the little tube top she was wearing. She was obviously flattered.
“Yeah. I mean he froze like a deer in headlights when he saw you. But he’d never actually come over here to talk to you. He doesn’t even know that I’m over here talking to you. I told him I was going to see the gorilla exhibit.” Well, Kennedy had only partially lied.
“So what do you suggest I do?” the obviously eager, single woman asked Kennedy.
“I don’t know,” Kennedy shrugged. “How about going over and asking him for the time, just to strike up a conversation. You know what I mean?”
The woman looked at Bo; she then looked at her friend for approval. Her friend gave an indifferent shrug as if she didn’t care one way or the other. “Oh, little mama, I know exactly what you mean.” The woman straightened out her denim mini skirt, and before Kennedy could say another word, Miss Thing was switching on her way toward Bo.
Bo didn’t notice the woman coming his way. He hadn’t taken his eyes off the doors to the gorilla exhibit not once. That was until something caught his eye. He saw a little girl sitting behind a tree peeking around it. He noticed that this little girl was wearing a white tee shirt and her hair was in two ponytails with hot pink ribbons in it, just like Joy had been wearing.
He wanted to be certain that it was her, so he waited for her to peek her head around the tree again so that he could get a better look this time. In a few seconds, the little girl peeked around the corner again. It looked like Joy, but she didn’t appear to be the least bit afraid. A lost little girl would have surely been afraid. In fact, this child was happily licking on a vanilla ice cream cone. If he recalled correctly, a vanilla ice cream cone is exactly what Joy had been eating prior to going into the gorilla exhibit.
Bo stood up and sighed. He then shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. He didn’t know what the girls were up to, but he was about to find out.
“Sir, do you have the time?” a woman interrupted Bo just as he was about to head toward the tree.
“Excuse me?” he asked, halfway paying attention to the gorgeous, young woman.
“Do you have the time?” the woman repeated.
By now, Sammi and Daryn were exiting the gorilla display, which was Joy’s cue to frantically go running over to them. She took two huge last licks from the cone, dropped it on the ground, and ran over to her mother and sister. Kennedy headed in the same direction.
All the while, Bo was oblivious to the entire, well planned out scene that was taking place. “It’s 2:17,” Bo told the woman.
“Oh, thank you, sir,” the woman said, batting her eyes. “I’m supposed to be meeting one of my girlfriends that I came here with outside of the gorilla display at 2:30. I came with a girlfriend because I don’t have a boyfriend.”
Bo raised his eyebrows at the woman.
“Oh, no. It’s not what you think. Not a girlfriend-girlfriend that a nice, handsome guy like you might have. Speaking of which, do you have a girlfriend?” The woman put her hand over her mouth in embarrassment. “Oh, forgive me for being so frank. Anyway, like I was saying. I’m
supposed to meet a friend of mine that’s a girl, only silly me, I forgot that I didn’t have my watch on,” the woman babbled on, placing her hand on Bo’s shoulder. “Luckily, the gorillas are our last pit stop. If you ask me,” the woman said, moving in closer to Bo to speak in a whisper, “there’s not a darn thing exciting about the boring ol’ zoo. I mean, what’s so fun about watching a bunch of animals eat, sleep, and lick themselves?” The woman began to laugh a loud and annoying laugh, catching everyone’s attention within earshot, including Sammi’s and the girls’.
Sammi had to admit that she became a little jealous when she looked up and saw the good time Bo appeared to be having with the woman. Right now, though, she could only concern herself with her daughter’s well-being.
“Joy, are you okay?” Sammi asked, pulling her daughter against her to hug her. At the same time, she couldn’t help but allow her eyes to wander back over to Bo and the woman touching him.
“Yes, Mommy,” Joy said dramatically. That crash drama lesson Daryn had given her was really paying off. Sammi sure did seem to find the entire act believable. “I stopped to look at the baby gorilla. I guess Kennedy and Daryn didn’t notice that I had stopped, so they kept on going and left me.” To add a cherry on top of her performance, Joy squeezed out some tears. “I started looking all over for them, but I couldn’t find them anywhere inside, so I came out and just hid behind a tree so that a stranger wouldn’t see me wandering alone and try to snatch me.” For the finale, Joy cried out, “Oh, Mommy!” and fell weak into her mother’s arms. “I was so scared!”
Joy buried her face against Sammi and pretended to weep from fear. All the while, she was peeking over at Kennedy and Daryn grinning and holding up the “ay-okay” sign with her thumb behind her mother’s back. Her sisters smiled and winked back at her.
“Well, it’s all right now,” Sammi comforted her youngest daughter. “It’s all right, baby.”
Just then, Bo walked over after managing to shake off the desperate acting, flirty, young woman. “I see she’s turned up and isn’t lost anymore.” Bo shot Joy a look of disbelief as she peeled herself away from her mother and wiped her forced tears.