clanging of pots and pans. “Do you have internet here, Tess?”
“Of course, dear. You should be fine, Desmond just recently put in wireless. Your family would probably like to hear from you,” she hinted, not knowing I was already on that page as well.
Jamie grabbed her purse and body bag of a suitcase, disappearing. “I’m going to go find a room for us.” She was being surprisingly aloof all of a sudden. Weird. I’d let her storm take its course. If she was mad at me, I would hear about it at some point. Jamie wasn’t one to bottle too much up.
I grabbed my computer and walked into the kitchen, not wanting to distance myself from the perpetual happiness this group had. They made it impossible not to smile. It was nice. Sitting down, I opened Skype, hoping Mom remembered to leave hers ready.
“Remember, there’s a six hour time difference, so it’s eight in the morning in Ohio right now,” Issac called over from the pantry. He was grabbing bags of unknown substances, undoubtedly for Tess to continue whipping up whatever concoction she was creating over the stove.
“They should be up, my mom insisted on me letting her know we were here the minute we touched down,” I joked.
Sure enough, Mom was already logged in and calling before I even had the chance to look back at the screen. Clicking to answer, the little green light on my webcam sprang to life. Mom and Memaw were looking at me, smiling.
Mom breathed a sigh of relief as though she had expected the plane to burst into flames over the Atlantic. She had the tendency to be a worst-case scenario worrier. “You got there safe!”
Tess leaned over my shoulder to wave to my mom. “Sure did, Sarah. Hi, Emily.”
“Hi, Tess,” they said at once. My mom smiled at the large woman threatening to crush me from behind. “It’s good to see you again.”
Unaware that Mom knew our cousins let alone their friends, I looked at her questioningly. If she caught my gaze, she didn’t acknowledge it.
Mom moved to the side, allowing Memaw to take precedence in the camera. “I won’t keep you. I’m sure you’re hungry and excited to see the sights. Please keep in touch and send us lots of pictures!”
“Ash, where’s Jamie?” Memaw asked.
Why did she care? If Jamie had been arrested in Manchester for physically assaulting the luggage handler, Memaw probably would have broke into a touchdown dance while singing the “I told you so” song.
Shrugging, I grinned into the camera. “She’s Skyping Mark, I think. She went to scope out a room for us.”
“I see,” she said, looking up at Tess. I looked back at her, worried.
“Should I tell her you had a specific room for us?”
“No, no, you’re fine taking whatever room you want. The boys will sleep in the living room most likely anyway. They all have night jobs so there won’t be much trouble with sleeping arrangements.”
“How is your Liam, anyway?” Memaw asked Tess, grinning now. Uh oh. She was up to something.
Liam was sitting across the table, legs across two chairs and back against the wall, reading something. His eyes were stuck in the same place on the page. He was listening to his mother’s conversation as much as I was.
Tess returned Memaw’s smile, leaning forward and pressing me down into the computer. My face was practically smashed against the keyboard as Tess struggled to get her entire body into the frame of the tiny webcam. “He’s great, Em, thanks for asking.”
“How old is he now? He must be about Ashlyn’s age, right?” Mom called from outside the lens of the camera on their end. They were trying to hook me up, half a world away. That was a failure of an idea. I couldn’t even find someone in the entire high school. I blushed, thankful my face was hidden from the boy across the table. I hadn’t even talked to him and they were trying to get us
“Of course, dear. You should be fine, Desmond just recently put in wireless. Your family would probably like to hear from you,” she hinted, not knowing I was already on that page as well.
Jamie grabbed her purse and body bag of a suitcase, disappearing. “I’m going to go find a room for us.” She was being surprisingly aloof all of a sudden. Weird. I’d let her storm take its course. If she was mad at me, I would hear about it at some point. Jamie wasn’t one to bottle too much up.
I grabbed my computer and walked into the kitchen, not wanting to distance myself from the perpetual happiness this group had. They made it impossible not to smile. It was nice. Sitting down, I opened Skype, hoping Mom remembered to leave hers ready.
“Remember, there’s a six hour time difference, so it’s eight in the morning in Ohio right now,” Issac called over from the pantry. He was grabbing bags of unknown substances, undoubtedly for Tess to continue whipping up whatever concoction she was creating over the stove.
“They should be up, my mom insisted on me letting her know we were here the minute we touched down,” I joked.
Sure enough, Mom was already logged in and calling before I even had the chance to look back at the screen. Clicking to answer, the little green light on my webcam sprang to life. Mom and Memaw were looking at me, smiling.
Mom breathed a sigh of relief as though she had expected the plane to burst into flames over the Atlantic. She had the tendency to be a worst-case scenario worrier. “You got there safe!”
Tess leaned over my shoulder to wave to my mom. “Sure did, Sarah. Hi, Emily.”
“Hi, Tess,” they said at once. My mom smiled at the large woman threatening to crush me from behind. “It’s good to see you again.”
Unaware that Mom knew our cousins let alone their friends, I looked at her questioningly. If she caught my gaze, she didn’t acknowledge it.
Mom moved to the side, allowing Memaw to take precedence in the camera. “I won’t keep you. I’m sure you’re hungry and excited to see the sights. Please keep in touch and send us lots of pictures!”
“Ash, where’s Jamie?” Memaw asked.
Why did she care? If Jamie had been arrested in Manchester for physically assaulting the luggage handler, Memaw probably would have broke into a touchdown dance while singing the “I told you so” song.
Shrugging, I grinned into the camera. “She’s Skyping Mark, I think. She went to scope out a room for us.”
“I see,” she said, looking up at Tess. I looked back at her, worried.
“Should I tell her you had a specific room for us?”
“No, no, you’re fine taking whatever room you want. The boys will sleep in the living room most likely anyway. They all have night jobs so there won’t be much trouble with sleeping arrangements.”
“How is your Liam, anyway?” Memaw asked Tess, grinning now. Uh oh. She was up to something.
Liam was sitting across the table, legs across two chairs and back against the wall, reading something. His eyes were stuck in the same place on the page. He was listening to his mother’s conversation as much as I was.
Tess returned Memaw’s smile, leaning forward and pressing me down into the computer. My face was practically smashed against the keyboard as Tess struggled to get her entire body into the frame of the tiny webcam. “He’s great, Em, thanks for asking.”
“How old is he now? He must be about Ashlyn’s age, right?” Mom called from outside the lens of the camera on their end. They were trying to hook me up, half a world away. That was a failure of an idea. I couldn’t even find someone in the entire high school. I blushed, thankful my face was hidden from the boy across the table. I hadn’t even talked to him and they were trying to get us
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