Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 117574 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 588(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117574 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 588(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
Despite her niche online fame, Charlotte still hasn’t bumped into anyone in real life who says, “Wait, aren’t you The Unicorn?” But maybe that’s because people are too embarrassed to admit, in the real world, they’re fans of that sort of thing.
As far as I’m concerned, I see no reason to feel embarrassed about what my wife does for a living. My brilliant wife works maybe ten hours a week, at most, and she earns a monthly income that’s more than the highest yearly flight-attendant’s salary. Plus, she loves what she does. So, what’s there to be ashamed of, when you look at it like that?
Admittedly, even though we’ve told Ryan and Tessa and my family the truth, we still do keep secrets from lots of people. Our new neighbors, for instance. Also, the parents of kids at Althea’s preschool we’re friendly with. And, of course, Charlotte’s Irish-Catholic mother doesn’t have a clue what her talented daughter actually does for a living. My mother-in-law thinks her vivacious daughter is a full-time mom to Althea, while I’m the breadwinner of our family—the reason we recently moved into this amazing house.
I suppose, given how successful veterinarians can be in wealthy neighborhoods, it’s not a crazy thing for her to believe. She knows I own my own animal hospital with three veterinarians and an army of vet techs working for me, after all, and I don’t even think she realizes half my practice caters to rescue organizations. So, we let her think I’m the reason for our recent move.
Personally, I don’t like Momma McDougal not knowing what a kickass businesswoman Charlotte really is. I wish she knew about Charlotte’s success, and I wish she’d be accepting, if she did know. But in the end, it was Charlotte’s call to make, whether to keep or tell her secret to her mother, and Charlotte unequivocally said, “Nope. My mother can never know.”
Speaking of secrets, the one that initially brought Charlotte and me together is long dead now. We never heard from Mr. DiMarco or Carlo again after Bella’s birthday party. Are those guys out there with new usernames, regularly keeping up with The Unicorn? God only knows. Charlotte and I try not to think about it.
Tessa pokes my arm, jerking me from my thoughts. “I’m gonna get the birthday cake now,” she whispers.
“Okay, good. Right after she blows out the candles, look at me and be ready to push the button on the song.”
“Roger.”
“Rabbit.”
Tessa giggles. Anyone who hangs out with any member of the Morgan family for any length of time eventually picks up the habit.
Tessa says, “I’ll tell Ryan to find the birthday girl, so she’s not in the bathroom or whatever when the cake comes out.”
“Perfect. I’ll get the guys wrangled, too.”
As Tessa heads off into the house to get the cake, I head in the other direction to find my big brother, somewhere in the crowded party. When I find Max, he’s hanging out with his wife, our mother, Mom’s husband, Henry, and several other partygoers. I pull Max aside and ask him to marshal the troops for my big birthday surprise for Charlotte, and he says he’s on it. Granted, Max rolls his eyes when he says it, making sure I know he’s doing this crazy thing for me against his will. But, still, he dutifully heads off to get everyone gathered and in place.
From Max, I head onto the lawn to find my silly, happy, chatty two-year-old, Thea, full name, Althea. I know she’ll want to be there when we sing happy birthday to her beloved mommy—and even more importantly, to help Mommy blow out the candles. Thea’s got flaming red hair, so she shouldn’t be hard to find. Plus, she’s surely following around her cousins, Ripley and Marcus. Or if not them, Ryan and Tessa’s daughter, Claire, who’s basically a celebrity, as far as Thea’s concerned. So, at least, I’ve got a good idea of the various faces I’m looking for to lead me to my spitfire of a daughter. We knew there’d be so many kids at this birthday party, many of them under five, we hired a slew of roaming babysitters to play with them and watch over them. So, at least, I know Thea’s safe and sound, wherever she is.
Ah. There she is. Thea’s with Claire and Ripley, with all of them playing with Old Man Lucky and one of our two dogs. Lucky’s facial fur has turned all-white by now. He’s probably not long for this world. But the good news is whenever he reaches the Rainbow Bridge, I’m positive he’ll turn around and say, “I’ve had the best life, ever. Thank you.”
I lean down to the girls on the lawn and tell them we’re going to sing and cut the birthday cake now, and they excitedly follow me back to the patio area. When we reach the patio, Ryan appears with Charlotte. My wife greets me and starts to say something about how much fun she’s having, but she’s interrupted by Tessa emerging from the house with a large, blazing cake. When Tessa and I lock eyes, she nods to signal me, so I start dutifully singing the ritualistic birthday song at the top of my lungs, and, in short order, the entire party follows suit and begins converging on the patio.