Part of Liam’s punishment for what he did to Jess and Molly was that Jess was granted full control over his mouth, since he apparently could not control it properly. When the kids came down for breakfast, she made her new puppet say all sorts of things to make the children laugh at, and bond with, their estranged uncle.
“I’m not saying it,” Liam whined as he flipped the Mickey Mouse-shaped pancakes she also decreed he would make for everyone.
“I think what you mean to say is, ‘No problem, Jess. I’ve been a horrible person, and I don’t have the right to speak out of turn anymore.’”
“Fine.” He turned to the table full of expectant children, his father and brother-in-law and said with a morose expression, “I have a smelly butt.”
The children roared and immediately began teasing their uncle, not holding back out of politeness. Liam was becoming part of the family again, thanks to Jess and her roundabout way of forgiving him. He faked a surly face at his sister and poured out more batter into the pan.
When Liam refilled the empty plates with hotcakes, little three-year-old Genevieve spoke up. It was the first time she had spoken directly to the scary man. “I don’t like Mickey Mouse. Can I have Minnie? I’m a girl.”
Eyebrows furrowed, Liam tried to strategize a way to give the mouse ears a bow using the batter. “Um, I’m not sure how to do that.”
Jess intervened. “Just talk to her using the pancake, but do it in Minnie Mouse’s voice.” When Liam cast her a dubious look that begged her to be joking, Jess remained firm. “Only if you’re serious about being a decent person. Nate would do it. He wouldn’t even need to be asked.”
Liam bent down to Genevieve’s level and lifted her pancake off the plate. Donning his best caricature voice, Liam squeaked, “Please eat your pancakes, Genevieve. It would make me, Minnie Mouse, oh so happy!”
Genevieve clapped her hands and giggled up at him. Then she did something he did not expect. She grabbed his face with her chubby fingers and planted a loud, slobbery smooch on Liam’s cheek.
Liam beamed up at Jess, who nodded her approval. He wiped off the spit, which unwittingly broke the magic of the mood.
“He wiped my kiss away, Mommy!” Genevieve cried.
Jess stood behind her brother and leaned her elbow hard on a nerve in Liam’s shoulder. “Oh! Baby girl, you have to be patient with Uncle Liam. He doesn’t have any ladies in his life! Isn’t that sad? He’s all alone because he acts a fool all the time. You have to teach him how to behave around a lady. That’s your new job.” She patted her daughter’s head. “Give him another kiss, baby, and tell him you’re not supposed to wipe them away.”
Genevieve repeated her mother’s instructions to Liam concerning kisses before leaving an even sloppier kiss on his other cheek.
“Thanks, Genevieve,” Liam said, and then turned back to the stove, the spit catching the air and reminding him of its constant presence. “Thanks for that,” he grumbled to his sister. “How long do I have to leave it there?”
“Only as long as you love her,” Jess explained, banging a wooden spoon on the pot of oatmeal. “People are messy, Liam. If you can’t accept that, you shouldn’t take love from them. Can’t have the good without the bad. Let that be a lesson to you the next time you turn your back on a woman because she can’t control everyone else in her life, like you seem to think is possible.”
“I got it, I got it,” he mumbled humbly. “Remind me to never cross you again.”
“Oh, you won’t need the reminder after today. Did you call the florist yet?”
“Left a message. I don’t think they’re open this early. Eight-thirty on a Sunday?”
Jess called over her shoulder. “Dad, do you have your bullhorn still?”
Mr. DiNatali answered without looking up from his paper. “You mean the lazy man’s alarm clock? Sure do. Your mother hid it from me when I got overzealous last Christmas, but I know where she put it.”
“Liam needs to borrow it.” Jess served up the hot oatmeal to the adults, sending a private smirk to her brother.