Angie smiles. “Yay…”

“Go put your overnight bag in the laundry room for me, honey….”

“Can I call Mama?” Angie asks as she turns and walks out of the room.

Tina gently smiles and nods. “Sure….” She says, yawns again, and sips her coffee as she strolls behind her daughter….

***

Porter Household….

Bette takes a slow sip of her steaming coffee, the rich aroma filling her senses as she flips through the crisp pages of the morning newspaper. Her eyes scan over the articles and headlines, but they always come back to the crossword puzzle on the back page. Just as she reaches for a pen, her phone vibrates and skips across the table. With a soft sigh, Bette sets her mug down and carefully unfolds one side of the paper before reaching for her phone. The screen illuminates Tina’s name flashing in bold letters, causing a flutter of anticipation to stir in Bette’s chest. She picks up the phone and presses it to her ear. “Good morning…” she says in a flirtatious tone.

Tina smiles as she buttons her shirt. “Hey, I hope I’m not disturbing you?”

“Of course not…” Bette says as she leans back in her chair. “How are you? Did you get enough sleep?”

Tina giggles as she unties her messy bun, freeing her hair that cascades down her back. She runs her fingers through the silky strands, releasing any remaining tangles and letting them flow freely. “Is that a serious question, Bette Porter?”

Bette gently laughs into the phone.

Tina’s lips curve upwards in a playful smirk as if she is about to say something seductive to Bette, but before she can, Angie walks into the room.

“Is that Mama?” Angie asks.

Tina clears her throat and nods at her daughter. “Um, I almost forgot why I was calling. Your daughter wants to speak with you.” She says to Bette.

Bette’s smile widens. “Oh…awesome. I guess we’ll continue our conversation later…” She flirtatiously says.

“We’ll see…” Tina quietly says as she matches Bette’s flirty tone. She then smiles at Angelica as she hands over her phone. “Here you go, sweetie…”

Angie grabs Tina’s phone and brings it to her ear. “Hey, Mama…we’re goin’ to The Planet; wanna come?” She asks.