I’m with you, kid, he thought to himself.
Stephen learned judges frowned on parents who had to coach their kids behind the judges’ backs. Well, Philly had this contest on lock. Now he understood why Lexi made her practice over and over. Even on vacation, she made her practice. The one person who didn’t practice was Kimber. She wouldn’t even speak to him on the phone when he tried to wish her good luck this morning. As much as it pained him, coparenting did not work, not with Nate undermining him at every turn. Last night, he had not appreciated being outnumbered. Kimber had lied to them, and they rewarded her by letting her compete in a pageant she hadn’t prepared for in order to satisfy Lexi’s revenge against the Laings.
A woman in front of him turned around when he snorted. She curled her lip in disgust and turned back to the event on stage. Why should it matter if one more person hated him? Stephen spotted an empty seat closest to the front of the stage with better access to cheer on Philly. She was in the next age group, four-to six-year-olds. Nate buzzed around somewhere. Stephen cut his eyes to the left and right and found Kimber’s fake boyfriend, Marvin, and her real boyfriend, Philip. His lip curled like the woman in front of him. This new boyfriend was exactly what he had feared—tall, a jock, tattoos and facial hair. Kimber tried explaining all about Philip—all the things he should have been told when they started to date. A round of applause shook him out of his funk. At least now Philly would be up. The emcee told everyone they would take a five-minute break and would resume with the next age group. There was no point for Stephen to get up. He stretched his legs a little farther, this time adding his arm. His back popped against the back of the chair. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of her. Lexi. The glittering pink-and-black T-shirt with Team Philly across the front caught his eye in the sea of waiting mothers and children. Her long, slender hands rested on Philly’s shoulders. When Lexi turned to talk to the ladies near her, he easily read the back of her T-shirt: Team Kimber. He wondered how she found the time to make a shirt.
Three ailments afflicted him at once. Anger for her being so intrusive with his family; anger at her for still making his body stiffen like Pavlov’s dog at the mere sight of her; and of course anger for her betrayal and secrets.
“Mami always told us if you frown like that your face might freeze,” teased Nate as he started coming down Stephen’s aisle.
Why Nate needed to come here baffled him. “Go away,” Stephen groaned.
Still coming, Nate shook his head. “Last night you had this same sourpuss mug on your face, and see here, you still got the same.”
The emcee tapped on the metal microphone. Waverly had done a more entertaining job in Savannah. “Ladies and gentlemen, if you’ll return to your seats, we’ll get started on the four-to six-year-olds. If you have a child in the seven to twelve, please get them ready.”
Stephen pinched the bridge of his nose. Pressure relieved it a little. “Where have you been all morning?”
Nate shook his head. “Philly’s flipper arrived. I had to make sure she got it.”
Stephen shook his head. “I am mad you know what a flipper is.”
Nate stretched out his legs and inhaled. “Keep in mind that it’s the little things that get me all these numbers.” He waved to an Indian woman with a dolled-up baby on her lap.
“I’ve said it before, man—you’re sick.” Stephen shook his head.
“Sick, but at least one of us has been with a woman in the last twenty-four hours. Can you say the same thing?” Nate teased.
“What number is Philly?”
“She’s next, I think.”
Stephen tried to judge if Philly was next or not by the order of the mothers behind the judges. The last girl exited the stage and the mother walked behind the judges table to meet her on the other side of the stage. A wave of anger washed over Stephen when his eyes darted to the empty space behind the judges. Lexi had abandoned her? His thoughts were drowned out by the applause erupting from the room.
At the center of the stage stood his poised Philly, in a custom-designed peach-colored dress. Her little legs walked slowly in her white Mary Jane shoes. White ruffles fluffed the bottom of the dress. Strategically placed sparkles caught every aspect of the light. She glittered on the stage. Philly walked with her head held high and smile wide. Her front teeth now were perfectly white and even.
“The flipper,” Nate whispered and tapped his two front teeth.
Unlike all the other girls who needed help, Philly stopped at the X on the stage without having to look down. She cradled her cute little baby cheeks at the judges and showed off her perfect cupcake hands as she turned around to walk back behind stage. Not once did she turn her head for guidance from Lexi. After she blew the judges an air-kiss from her glossed lips, she exited the stage, where Lexi waited. The crowd rose to their feet in applause. Lexi swung Philly in her arms and visibly mouthed how wonderful she was.
“That’s our girl!” Nate whooped, pumping his fist in the air.
“Where was Lexi before?” Stephen frowned.
Nate rolled his eyes. “Didn’t you pay attention to when Lexi trained her?”
He paid attention to Lexi, not necessarily her words.
“Even though those mothers are behind the judges—” Nate pointed his long finger up ahead to where one overly plump mother imitated the cupcake walk with her hands down as if fluffing an imaginary tutu “—the judges are aware. They take off points on their scoring cards if the parents are too obnoxious. Lexi is off to the side. Check out how irritating those mothers are. They’re ridiculous.”
“Speaking of obnoxious.” Stephen cleared his throat.
Nate nodded and winked, “Yeah, you’ve been obnoxious.”
He ignored his brother’s comment. “What’s with this Philip guy?”
Slinking in his seat, Nate groaned and rested his head on the back of the chair to view the high ceiling. “He’s a good guy, Stephen. Do I like the way Kimber went about it? No. If you’re going to live here with us, you need to understand and accept the fact that Kimber is sixteen and not the angel on the pedestal you’ve placed her on.”
“You need to be quiet talking about Kimber.”