3. Good Sense Of Humor

3

GOOD SENSE OF HUMOR

" Y ou know you can't bring a dog into my restaurant," Duke said two days later.

"You're not open for a few hours," Kelsey said. She had Frankie in her arms, but he was wiggling to check out her twin brother.

"Doesn't matter," Duke said. "I don't want to be shut down."

"It's not going to happen and you know it. He's in my arms. I'm just dropping off your bank bag."

Her brother didn't work on Wednesdays in his flagship restaurant, Duke's. Yesterday morning she came in to pick up the deposit from the night before and take it to the bank for him.

She didn't think her brother would be here and had a key to let herself in and out easily enough. She came in the back door and went right to his office.

Nowhere near the kitchen.

"Thanks," Duke said, reaching for it. "How's the escapee doing?"

She'd told her mother what happened on Tuesday. It was hard not to when her mother worked part time in the same office building as her.

It just happened to be a day her mother was in the office so she shared her fun-filled lunch hour.

"He's fine," she said. "I'm taking him into the office with me more now. If I'm out for an hour, someone is keeping an eye on him or he is sleeping under my desk."

"Don't want to slip in any more dog shit barefoot?" Duke asked, grinning.

"No," she said, shivering. "It was nasty and I'm having PTSD over it when I let him out and then have to walk around cleaning up the poop. I went and bought a pair of Crocs to slip on my feet now for walking in the yard. I can hose them off easier if I step in it."

"I still can't believe you got the mutt."

She turned Frankie around and nuzzled her nose to his. "He's far from a mutt. He's a purebred."

"You know what I mean," Duke said. "How much swearing were you doing while you were on the call asking for backup?"

"Ha ha," she said. "I didn't do too much that I can remember. Nothing more than saying Mr. Franklin multiple times. I yelled it once. The nine-one-one operator told me yelling his name won't help."

Duke was roaring with laughter. "Did you explain the meaning of Frankie's name?"

"No," she said. "Only family knows it. And certain family at that. Alex only found out because I told Avery when Frankie had his visit. She thought the name was cute. When I brought my car in for an oil change Carter didn't know and called him Mr. Franklin and I burst out laughing. He wanted to know why."

"And you had to explain. Alex had to have been there to hear it," Duke said.

"No, but other people were. Carter doesn't say much, but I'm sure some of the other employees did. They all thought it was funny. Hey, it got Mom off my back."

"Sure, it did," Duke said. "It stopped your swearing in the office, but to call your dog that?"

"I didn't mean to," she said. "It's just, you know. Frankie came running over to me and it was the first words in my head. In a good way. I can't help it."

Duke rolled his eyes. "Everyone thinks you're an angel."

She snorted. "No one thinks I'm an angel. Who are you kidding? It's the long blonde hair that makes me look it, but I'm far from acting it."

"Very true," her brother said. "You keep looking out into the kitchen. Do you want me to make you breakfast?"

"I'm always hungry," she said. "I could stay in here if you want to make it to go. You know, dog hair and all."

Duke stood up from behind his desk. He was much bigger than her. She got her short stature and petite frame from her mother. Duke got his large height and bulky frame from their father. They shared the blonde hair from their father. Duke's was even longer and pulled back.

"What do you want?" he asked. "And you can come in to keep me company but stand back and keep Frankie in your arms. Make sure his tail isn't wagging either to shed."

She laughed. "I can do that," she said. "Make me whatever you want. I never complain."

She stood there as her brother brought out a slab of bacon and started to slice it into thin strips and put it in a pan. Next he was whipping up flour, sugar, milk, butter and eggs.

Woohoo, she was getting pancakes.

"Fruit?" he asked.

"Yes, please," she said.

Duke walked away and went into the cooler, then came back with blueberries and strawberries. One to go in the batter, one to be on top.

"Are you going to the office right from here?" her brother asked.

"I am," she said. "I'll eat at my desk."

"Mom in?"

"Yes," she said.

"Then you can bring her one too or I'll never hear the end of it."

She smiled. "Mom will appreciate it. It will save her from yelling at me that I made you prepare me breakfast."

"You never make me do it," Duke said. "I'll have some too. Maybe I expected to see you this morning and held off eating."

It was true in her eyes that twins knew what the other was thinking and feeling most times.

Not with everything, which was good. The last thing she wanted was to know what her brother felt when he was with a woman or thinking about a woman.

Nor did she want him to ever feel her frustration over her crappy dating situation.

Having her pup do what he did was just another embarrassing moment in her life piled on many more.

She had a good sense of humor about it all and kept the family entertained.

"Then load me up," she said. "You know it might be the only meal I eat today."

Which was another lecture she got. She didn't care. She ate when she was hungry. One big breakfast from her brother was better than three small processed ones or fast food.

Twenty minutes later she was walking into her mother's office with three containers of food and Frankie was on his bed under her desk already sleeping.

Her mother sighed. "You didn't make Duke cook for you."

"Of course I didn't. He offered," she said. "And he made one for you too. We can eat together like mother and daughter and talk work while we do it."

Her mother pursed her lips. Karen Raymond was just as sarcastic and funny as her daughter. Kelsey knew she inherited her personality from the woman in this room.

"What did Duke make?"

"Blueberry pancakes with strawberry topping. There is bacon and toast and containers of syrup and homemade whipped cream in the other container."

Her mother opened her desk drawer and pulled out two forks. "Your brother knows how to fatten me up."

"You're as trim as you always are," she said. "I get my wonderful genes from you."

"A nice backhanded compliment," her mother said, slicing into the pancakes at the same time as her. They both groaned in pleasure together.

"Be honest," she said. "You love it when he cooks like this just as much as me."

"I'd be stupid not to," her mother said. "This is just way too much to eat. I'll put some away. Your father would have normally finished this off for me. Maybe I'll call him to come get it."

"I'm eating it all," she said. "I don't share. I'll just unbutton my pants at my desk for a few hours."

"Kelsey!" her mother said. "That's not professional or ladylike."

"It's not like I'm entertaining in there. I'm just working. I'll button them up if anyone comes into the office. This is the bulk of my calories today. You know how it works."

Her mother rolled her eyes. "Yep. Yogurt or a piece of fruit for a snack later on if you're hungry and then a salad or crackers and cheese for dinner. You eat like a college kid half the time."

"That's how I keep this smoking body," she said, smirking.

Her mother snorted and they continued to eat for a minute. "No Frankie today?"

"He's in my office sleeping. He got a bite of bacon and a tiny pancake at Duke's."

"Your brother fed a dog in his restaurant?" her mother asked almost looking appalled.

"No," she said. "Duke gave it to him outside. I held onto Frankie the whole time and didn't let him drop one strand of hair on the floor. He's probably cleaner than some of Duke's chefs at the end of the night after they've sweated through their clothes. I'm not sure what the big deal is."

"Did you bathe him again?" his mother asked.

"I did on Tuesday night. I had to make sure there wasn't any hidden dirt on him. Then I blow-dried his fur. He loves it when his ears and his tail fly in the wind. Want to see?"

"Sure," her mother said, reaching her hand out for Kelsey's phone.

She found the video she'd taken while she'd groomed her puppy.

She knew the dog might be high maintenance, but some said she could be too.

Why not have a dog that was as pretty as her? At least her father had joked about that when he'd found the litter.

She'd only been kidding about getting a dog and said she'd want something small she could cuddle with since she didn't have a man and couldn't find one.

Her father always called her a princess as a child, then a queen as an adult. He thought the breed was both fitting and hilarious.

She agreed and shocked him and had gone to pick one out a month ago.

Since then her life had resulted in less sleep, more stress, but a lot of laughter and some serious cuddles at the end of the day.

Not a bad tradeoff in the scheme of things.

"Kelsey," her mother said softly watching the video. "That is just adorable."

"Isn't it?" she asked. "Just like I told Dad. This is better than a man. I've got a drawer full of toys to take care of other needs."

"Kelsey!" her mother said, laughing. "You share that with your girlfriends, not your parents."

"Come on, Mom. You're far from a virgin. I'm an adult."

Her mother smirked at her like she always did but didn't say another word while they ate their breakfast in silence.