Silt, Denver Cereal Volume 8 Read Online Free Page B

asked.
    Valerie heard a sound and looked down. She
was carrying Jackie next to her heart. Claire Martins had modified
a Moby sling into a short-sleeved top that crossed over in the
front to form a kind of baby sling. Claire showed Valerie how she
could set Jackie on one side with the fabric crossing from the
other side. The third piece of fabric held Jackie tight in place.
Claire had modified the wrap with a piece of lace to cover Jackie’s
face if they were assaulted by the paparazzi.
    Valerie wore a pair of Mike’s old overalls
to make double sure that Jackie wouldn’t fall out. Today was her
first day trying this outfit and so far, it worked really well.
Valerie made a soothing sound to Jackie and kissed her face. Jackie
went back to sleep.
    Valerie grabbed the full trash bag from the
can and went out the back door. From the deck, she could see
Sandy’s kids helping to clean up from Yvonne and Rodney’s
celebration. She was always amazed at the way Sandy and Aden could
get these kids to do things. Sandy said it was a mixture of bribery
and threat, but Valerie thought they were just nice kids.
    “ I can take that,” Nash
said. He held out his hand for the trash bag.
    “ Great,” Valerie gave him
the trash bag. “Thanks Nash.”
    Nash blushed, nodded, and trotted off. He
picked up a bag of trash near the end of the fence and went out
into the alley. Taking in the warm day, Valerie stretched her arms
and neck before returning to the kitchen. She had her head in the
refrigerator when Nash burst in the backdoor.
    “ Mrs. Valerie! Mrs.
Valerie!” Nash yelled.
    Valerie stood up quickly. Nash’s yell and
Valerie’s sudden movement woke Jackie. She gave a rousing wail.
Valerie scowled at Nash, and soothed Jackie back to sleep.
    “ Sorry,” Nash said. “I
didn’t . . .”
    “ I know,” Valerie said.
“What happened?”
    “ When I went out into the
alley, there was a photographer on a ladder just behind the police
video camera,” Nash’s voice came in one excited rush. “I threw out
the trash and called the police. They must have been close because
bam they were right there.”
    “ Great,” Valerie smiled.
“Thanks.”
    “ But . . .”
Nash’s face clouded.
    “ What
happened?”
    “ The photographer saw me
and yelled that he’d already sent the photos
off . . .” Nash swallowed hard. “And Delphie told me
to come in and tell you immediately. And Dad, well, he was really
mad. He got Mike and Charlie, and they went around making sure
there aren’t more photographers back there.
And . . .”
    “ What did the
photographers say?” Valerie asked.
    “ Now, I didn’t say this,”
Nash said. “I’d never say this to anyone,
but . . .”
    “ The photographers are
pigs,” Valerie said. “What did he say?”
    “ He said he’d already sent
in photos of . . .
um . . .”
    Valerie waited.
    “ That pig Valerie Lipson,”
Nash said. “He made a rude gesture like you’d gotten really, really
fat. They were putting him in the police car when he yelled that
you should be on the Biggest Loser.”
    “ He didn’t get a photo of
Jackie?” Valerie asked.
    “ You can’t see her in the
overalls,” Nash said. “I mean, I knew she was there. Sandy wears
Rachel like that sometimes, and really where else would Jackie be?
But . . .”
    “ What?” Valerie
asked.
    “ You look really fat in
that outfit,” Nash said.
    Valerie looked down at Mike’s old
overalls.
    “ I know that’s not a nice
thing to say,” Nash said. “Dad always says to never tell a woman
she’s fat, and Sissy has an eating disorder, so we don’t talk about
it in our family, but . . .
um . . .”
    “ I look pretty fat,”
Valerie said. “So what?”
    “ Delphie said you should
call your publicist,” Nash said.
    “ Why?”
    “ Something about the
upcoming premiere and your next movie part?” Nash
shrugged.
    At that moment, Valerie’s cell phone
rang.
    “ That’s probably them,”
Nash gave her a