“…greet our guests!”
“Gueth?” Kaitlin asks in horror. Anna nods, already putting Laura into a fresh footed onesie. “I don’t want people to thee me when I’m thith thmall!”
“Well, I couldn’t just turn them away when they showed up,” Anna says. She pulls a sparkly dress over Kaitlin’s head, then some purple leggings on underneath. “My daughter struggles to be a stay-at-home mom at times. She needs some help and quality time with her mother.”
“Your daughter’th here?”
“Yes. And she brought her kids, too, so you girls have someone to play with!” Laura and Kaitlin exchange a horrified look. They don’t want to play. They already feel like they’re becoming more childish the longer they stay this young. “Okay, let’s go say hi!” Anna picks Laura up, grabs Kaitlin’s hand, and brings them both downstairs.
Sitting in the kitchen is a middle-aged woman drinking a cup of coffee. A boy around Laura’s current age is sitting in the playpen, while a girl around Kaitlin’s current age plays with the dollhouse Kaitlin played with the night before. The woman in the kitchen looks up and beams.
“These are your coworker’s children?” she asks. Anna nods.
“This is Kaitlin, and this is her baby sister Laura.” Anna looks at Kaitlin. “Don’t worry, I already told her that your mommy and daddy had to leave town suddenly, so they brought you here to be watched over for a while. You don’t have to tell her.” Kaitlin merely nods, glad that Anna thought to tell her what lie she gave her daughter.
“Kaitlin, how old are you?” Anna’s daughter asks.
“Five.”
“What a coincidence! So is Riley!” At the sound of her name, the girl playing at the dollhouse looks up. She gets to her feet and walks over to Kaitlin, looking her over. “And how old is Laura?”
“Me two,” Laura says, holding up two fingers. Anna’s daughter beams.
“Wow, you’re quite the smart cookie! Lucas is a year older than you, but don’t worry.” Anna’s daughter winks. “He still wears diapers, too.” Dread fills Laura as she realizes she’s the youngest person in the house. Younger than the actual toddler in the playpen.
Anna deposits Laura in the playpen next to Lucas.
“I’ll get you out when it’s breakfast time. For now, play with Lucas,” Anna says. Laura looks over at Lucas, who doesn’t seem to have realized she’s there.
“This will be good for him,” Anna’s daughter says. “Ever since his daycare closed, he hasn’t had much chance to play with kids his own age.” A worried look crosses her face. “Hopefully, he won’t be too rough with her. Before the daycare closed, we got some complaints about him playing rough.”
“Wuff?” Laura squeaks. Anna pats her head.
“That’s right, Laura, that’s what a dog says! Now, play with Lucas.” Anna turns to Kaitlin. “Kaitlin, why don’t you and Riley play until breakfast is ready?” Kaitlin looks over at Riley, who beams at her.
“…Okay,” she says after a moment. Riley’s smile broadens further.
“Where do you wanna play?” Riley asks.