Most of the humorous scenes in the book that revolve around the children are based on real-life incidents with my own kids. The events were more traumatic than funny in the heat of the moment, but the passage of time has allowed the angst to fade and humor to surface and shine through. Below is an excerpt from the book. It was one of my editor’s favorite scenes.
As I was preparing dinner, the landline rang. Cameron beat me to the phone. I arched my eyebrows and pointed my finger as I made eye contact with him, a not-so-subtle reminder to be polite.
“Scott residence, Cameron speaking.” My heart thumped with pride. For once, he didn’t grunt and speak in monosyllables like a caveman. He’d been articulate and courteous. There was hope for the future.
“Who is it?” I whispered as I took the receiver and ruffled his hair affectionately.
“Dad,” he replied.
“Hi, honey! What a day! I’m ready for some snuggles tonight,” I gushed.
Dead silence. I checked to see if the call had been disconnected, but the line appeared to still be open. After an uncomfortable pause, my caller cleared his throat and finally spoke.
“Emma, this is Richard Brown. I am calling to confirm that the King case has been settled…,” the senior partner at my law firm stated primly.
I stared at the phone in horror. I’d just called my boss “honey” and said I wanted to snuggle. Awkward! Would I be summoned by HR for propositioning the senior partner? My face burned with embarrassment. How could I talk to my boss after such a major faux pas?
“Uh, hello,” I stammered. “Sorry. I thought you were my husband.” Thank goodness I hadn’t said something really risqué. “The parties have agreed on the settlement terms…the case will be dismissed…”
“Excellent…,” he said in a clipped tone and hung up. The frost in his voice chilled my ear.
I turned to Cameron with gritted teeth. “Why did you tell me that Dad was on the phone? It wasn’t your father… it was my boss!”
“Well, he sounded like Dad.” Cam shrugged and went back to his homework. I wanted to dig a hole and hide in it until the memory faded. I might be down there awhile. I hoped someone sent chocolate.
