Heart of Clay

  Chapter Twelve

  Callan couldn’t stop laughing at her brother. He and Jenna arrived at half-past five and he continued to behave with all the grace of a five-year-old anxious to open his presents Christmas morning.

  Clay had played plenty of jokes on them all over the years and it was extremely hard to get him back. Josh clearly anticipated watching Clay’s reaction to Callan when he arrived home.

  “Your brother is completely obnoxious.” Jenna shook her head as she and Callan worked in the kitchen. “I don’t know when I’ve seen him this excited to play a joke on someone. He barely gave me time to get dressed. I hope you don’t mind we came early.”

  “No worries, Jenna. Besides, the joke isn’t on just anyone. Clay deserves it after all the jokes he’s played, so we’ll let Josh have his fun.” Callan sincerely hoped Clay would be a good sport about the whole thing.

  When Bobbi and Steve arrived, Josh opened the door and ushered them inside.

  “I’ll just set down dessert before I take off my jacket,” Bobbi said, walking toward the kitchen.

  “Why don’t I take that for you?” Josh offered, not wanting Bobbi to drop the plate and ruin a perfectly good pie when she saw Callan. Bobbi and Steve removed their coats then walked into the kitchen.

  Jenna and Callan stood with their backs to the door. Jenna insisted Callan not look up until Bobbi got closer.

  “Hello, Jenna. How are you?” Bobbi asked. “Who do we have here? Callan didn’t mention any other guests.”

  Callan turned around, beaming. “Surprise!”

  “Oh, sweetie!” Bobbi gasped, clasping her hands beneath her chin. “You look amazing! When did you do this?”

  “Jenna, Laken, and I went into the city yesterday. They helped me pick out some new clothes and a hairstyle. We even got our nails done.” Callan wiggled her fingers at her mother-in-law. Bobbi grabbed her hands and admired the manicure.

  “Has Clay seen you yet?” Steve asked, hugging his beautiful daughter-in-law. It had been a while since he’d seen her eyes spark with such life and excitement.

  “No. He took the kids to the district competition last night. He’ll be home in about twenty minutes.”

  Steve started laughing and slapped Josh on the shoulder. “Oh, this is too good. I want to see his face when he comes through that door.”

  Josh shot Jenna and Callan a “see, I told you” look while he and Steve went into the family room to wait for Clay’s arrival.

  The hug Bobbi gave Callan was almost as big as her smile. “Callan, you just look radiant. I’ve never seen you look so beautiful!”

  “I have you to thank, Mom. I put that gift card you gave me for Christmas to good use yesterday. It made it so easy to do this. I want you and Dad to know how much I appreciate it.” Callan hugged her mother-in-law again, giving her an extra squeeze.

  “Don’t thank me,” Bobbi said, a mischievous glint in her eye. “I think Steve would pay money to be able to watch Clay tonight.”

  Jenna and Callan joined in her laughter.