Hush Baby Hush

“Kenzie, you remember April,” Hollywood says.

April waves. “Hi, McKenzie.”

“Hey.” I recall that I actually have met her briefly at one of the Pope and Parkes barbecues. Her husband, Jonathan, is the tallest human I’ve ever seen, which is saying something because Austin and Jonah are both well over six feet. Jonathan doesn’t work for Pope and Parkes, but they hire him to do a lot of their electrical work.

“I like your dress,” she says to me.

“Thank you.” I look more closely at the pattern on her skirt. “Are those cats wearing glasses?”

“Yeah, they are. I saw the skirt online and thought they looked so much like my cat, Mango, that I just had to have them. And check out the best part.” Her hands disappear inside the fabric.

“Ooh, are those pockets?” Teagan joins us on the floor just as Baby Lucy lets out a long, high-pitched howl.

“I think somebody’s hungry,” Mary says, handing Lucy off to her mom.

Teagan sighs. “I swear, this kid’s got a sixth sense for when I’m finally comfortable.” She unbuttons the front of her dress, exposing a lacy hot-pink bra.

“Is that a nursing bra?” April asks.

“Yeah, it’s pretty cute, right?”

“Very. It looks like the kind of bra I wore back when I was camming, minus the nipple flap. Though I’m sure there’s a market for nipple flaps.”

“Oh yeah,” Teagan says. “I should tell Jonah I’m considering picking up a side gig. He’ll love that.”

I blink, not sure whether I heard them right.

"You used to cam?"

April nods. “It's how I paid for my first year of college, after my stepmom convinced my dad to cut me off.”

“Bitch,” Teagan grumbles.

Hollywood flashes me a look of encouragement.

“I was a cam model for a while, too,” I say.

April’s eyes light up. “Really? That's so cool. I've never met another cam model in person. What sites were you on?”

Her enthusiasm is infectious. I, too, have never had anyone to swap anecdotes with about my days in front of the webcam. Hollywood was around for it all, but she didn’t participate. Talking to someone who knows what it’s like to perform for an invisible audience is refreshing.

“Lucy, take the nipple,” Teagan pleads. “I know you can do it, you’re your father’s daughter.”

“And that’s my cue to go get more snacks,” Mary says.

Teagan laughs. “Bring us back some of Kenzie’s pie, please.”

Hollywood perks up. “You brought pie?”

“Even better,” Teagan says. “Shebakedtwo pies.”

My best friend eyes me like she suspects I’ve been taken over by an alien parasite. “Since when do you bake pies?”

I shrug, though honestly, it feels good knowing I’ve brought something that people are excited to try. “Austin’s raspberry bushes were ripe. I wanted to make something with the fruit.”

“You should see the two of them together.” Teagan grins. “So cute, you want to barf.”

My face and chest smolder. I can tell Hollywood wants to ask about my relationship with Austin, but she’s not sure if she should wait until we’re alone.