Nora rolled her eyes. “Well, just get up to the room and get you a shower and some food and some rest!”
“You’re being a worrywart,” Grant grumbled.
“You’re my child; I’m allowed,” Nora countered.
They all climbed the stairs to their second floor hotel rooms, and Nora began spreading dinner across an oblong table next to the air conditioner unit.
Emily sat Indian style on the bed farthest from the table, wearing baby blue, flannel pajamas with smiley, green frogs all over them. She just shook her head when she caught a glimpse of the green and white themed paper products Nora pulled from her shopping bag. Jessica sat next to Emily in her black and white flannel pajamas with little pink panda bears. Both girls sipped from straws in orange Sunkist cans. Nora fixed their plates as Jack and Hailey walked through the interior door that divided the two rooms.
Hailey had her hands tucked in the front pocket of an oversized, gray hoodie with the single word ARMY written across the chest in black letters. Her hair was still damp from her shower, and her curls cascaded over her shoulders.
Just then, Grant walked from the bathroom, his hair wet and pointing in a hundred different directions. Wearing Tar Heels basketball shorts and taking his glasses from the counter and sliding them on, he walked across the room toward the pizza box and took a slice of pepperoni.
Hailey crawled onto the empty bed opposite her sister and Emily and leaned against the headboard, a pillow wedged behind her back and a slice of pepperoni pizza perched on the plate Nora had handed her.
“Son, do you think you can maybe put a shirt on before you eat?” Nora scolded. “You’ll never get well if you don’t take care of yourself.”
Grant took a huge bite of pizza before dropping the rest of the slice back into the box on the table.
“Hello…you’re sick!” Emily protested to no avail.
“You gave it to me; I’m trying to give it back,” Grant sang out.
“Who wants cake?” Nora called eagerly, intent on stopping any bickering that might ensue.
“Did you bring me any Zingers?” Grant asked as he crawled onto the bed and stretched out next to Hailey.
Hailey handed Grant the white Tar Heels hoodie he had left draped across the lamp. “Mind your mama,” she said softly.
“We have birthday cake,” Nora replied as she began slicing it. “Wouldn’t you rather have some of this?”
“No,” Grant replied easily as he slid into his sweatshirt.
Nora smiled, stopped what she was doing, reached into her bag and tossed Grant a package of yellow Zingers.
“God bless Dolly Madison,” he said, kissing his favorite snack.
“Snack cakes for the common man that were good enough for the White House,” Hailey recalled her lesson on the subject.
“Nice,” Grant winked.
“Guys I know usually bless Dolly Parton; who’s this Dolly Madison you’re talking about?” Jessica blurted.
“She was the first lady,” Hailey answered quickly. “She was married to James Madison, the fifth president of the United States.”
“Fourth,” Grant coughed.
“Fourth,” Hailey gulped, and Grant rubbed her leg.
“So did she really come up with the recipes for snack cakes?” Emily asked.
“No,” Hailey responded, hoping Grant was as proud of her as she felt of herself. “The bakery was named in her honor long after her death, based on her reputation as a premier hostess during her days in Washington.”
“Just for that, I’m gonna offer you half of my pack of Zingers,” Grant declared.
Hailey laughed, loving the genuinely proud smile he gave her. “Sorry, Babe, no offense to Dolly…but I’m gonna opt for the birthday cake!”
Nora chipperly passed out plates of cake, noticing that Grant had eaten little more than a bite of pizza. “Grant,” she said, offering him a plate of his half-eaten slice, “don’t you want to eat?”
Grant shook his head and set his snack cakes aside after only one bite. “I’m not that hungry,” he frowned.
“Well, you’re missing out,” Emily announced. “This cake is some kind of yummy!”
“Indeed,” Hailey agreed.
Grant glanced at Hailey and laughed. “Hey, Posh, you have a little icing on your face there!”
Hailey swiped at the wrong side of her mouth with her napkin.
Grant stared at the chunk of red icing still dangling irresistibly from the side of her lip. Without thinking, he leaned over and quickly kissed it off. Then, as he pulled away slowly, he realized what he had just done. He and Hailey eyed each other in a moment of humorous recognition, and Hailey could hardly resist the urge to giggle.
Grant looked around quickly, hoping everyone had been too busy eating to notice. When Jack cleared his throat, Grant refused to look at him. “Grant,” Jack chuckled, “did you just kiss my daughter?”
“No, Sir,” Grant grinned. “She just had a little…there was some…what can I say, I find the intense bitterness of red food coloring irresistibly appealing.”
“He hasn’t eaten much, you know…” Hailey added.
“Oh, I see,” Jack nodded as he brought his hand to his chin and stroked it thoughtfully.
