called. ‘And help me finish up the soup.’
They trooped down the hall into the kitchen; the smell of onions had started to fill the air. Brendan had to duck to avoid the copper pots that were hangingfrom the ceiling, and definitely looked out of place next to the blue-and-red checked tablecloth.
‘What can I do?’ Brendan offered.
‘Nothing, nothing,’ Rebecca insisted, so Brendan sat down at the table awkwardly.
‘So, Ivy … Olivia gave me the summary all about you,’ Rebecca said, snipping up chives into the soup pot. ‘Why don’t you give me the rundown on your sister?’
Ivy pretended to think hard. ‘Well, she’s a neat freak, much too cheerful in the morning and has a flare for extravagant party planning.’
Olivia smiled. Ivy was such a cute grump.
‘Oh yeah, and – as you know – she’s dating the most famous movie star in the whole world.’
Rebecca clapped. ‘I know!’ she squealed and turned to Olivia. ‘Tell me all about it.’
That wasn’t something Olivia had trouble talking about at all. She launched into the storyof how they’d met, when he’d dressed up as a security guard.
But a nagging voice at the back of her mind kept piping up:
He still hasn’t kissed you yet!
Ivy and Brendan sat quietly while Olivia and Rebecca babbled on about cheerleading, horses and Jackson. Gonzo and Gibson, the Labradors, kept an eye on them from matching baskets in the corner of the kitchen.
‘So, Brendan,’ Rebecca said in a rare lull in the bunny conversation. ‘Why don’t you tell me a little about you?’
Brendan pushed his curly hair away from his face. ‘Well, uh, there’s not much to tell. I like running and am kind of a science geek, like my dad – chemistry, building stuff.’
‘Are you in any after-school clubs?’ Rebecca asked.
Brendan shook his head. ‘The kind of stuff I like tends to be less crowded.’
‘He plays a mean game of air hockey,’ Ivy put in.
Rebecca didn’t look impressed.
It’s not fair
, Ivy thought to herself.
Comparing Brendan to Jackson was like comparing funeral wreaths to wedding bouquets. Jackson might be the most amazing guy according to the entire world, but Brendan takes me by surprise every day.
‘Aunt Rebecca,’ Ivy said. ‘Do you mind if I take Brendan on a little walk around the yard before he rides home? We promise not to disturb any of the animals.’
At least, she hoped they wouldn’t.
‘Of course, sweetie.’ Rebecca looked relieved, either that they were going for a walk or that he was going to ride home.
Probably both
, Ivy thought. ‘It makes sense to head out long before sunset.’Ivy remembered Rebecca saying something similar to her dad.
‘Do you want to come, Olivia?’ Ivy asked.
Olivia shook her head and held up her script. ‘I was going to run through my Juliet lines.’
‘Ooh, can I help?’ Rebecca offered.
‘Sure!’ Olivia replied and handed over the papers.
Brendan grabbed Ivy’s lightweight buckled coat, and they headed out on to the front porch.
The sun was low and the sky was turning yellow.
‘I think your aunt doesn’t like me much,’ Brendan said, as they wandered past one of the weeping willow trees casting shadows across the yard.
‘She thought you were stalking her chickens.’
Brendan chuckled. ‘They are some crazy-looking chickens.’
‘She doesn’t seem to be a big fan of black,’ Ivy said. ‘She doesn’t like my dad much either. But she is really nice, and she’s already told us a ton about our mom that we never knew. Olivia is loving every minute.’
Brendan nodded. ‘There might be parts of your mom that Olivia understands better, but there are parts just for you, too.’
Ivy thought of Jane Austen again. ‘You’re right.’
‘And you’re beautiful,’ Brendan replied, giving her a little kiss on the nose. ‘I’d better go, before the sun sets and either my bike turns into a pumpkin, or I turn into a chicken-stalking zombie … Grr arrg!’ He held up his
They trooped down the hall into the kitchen; the smell of onions had started to fill the air. Brendan had to duck to avoid the copper pots that were hangingfrom the ceiling, and definitely looked out of place next to the blue-and-red checked tablecloth.
‘What can I do?’ Brendan offered.
‘Nothing, nothing,’ Rebecca insisted, so Brendan sat down at the table awkwardly.
‘So, Ivy … Olivia gave me the summary all about you,’ Rebecca said, snipping up chives into the soup pot. ‘Why don’t you give me the rundown on your sister?’
Ivy pretended to think hard. ‘Well, she’s a neat freak, much too cheerful in the morning and has a flare for extravagant party planning.’
Olivia smiled. Ivy was such a cute grump.
‘Oh yeah, and – as you know – she’s dating the most famous movie star in the whole world.’
Rebecca clapped. ‘I know!’ she squealed and turned to Olivia. ‘Tell me all about it.’
That wasn’t something Olivia had trouble talking about at all. She launched into the storyof how they’d met, when he’d dressed up as a security guard.
But a nagging voice at the back of her mind kept piping up:
He still hasn’t kissed you yet!
Ivy and Brendan sat quietly while Olivia and Rebecca babbled on about cheerleading, horses and Jackson. Gonzo and Gibson, the Labradors, kept an eye on them from matching baskets in the corner of the kitchen.
‘So, Brendan,’ Rebecca said in a rare lull in the bunny conversation. ‘Why don’t you tell me a little about you?’
Brendan pushed his curly hair away from his face. ‘Well, uh, there’s not much to tell. I like running and am kind of a science geek, like my dad – chemistry, building stuff.’
‘Are you in any after-school clubs?’ Rebecca asked.
Brendan shook his head. ‘The kind of stuff I like tends to be less crowded.’
‘He plays a mean game of air hockey,’ Ivy put in.
Rebecca didn’t look impressed.
It’s not fair
, Ivy thought to herself.
Comparing Brendan to Jackson was like comparing funeral wreaths to wedding bouquets. Jackson might be the most amazing guy according to the entire world, but Brendan takes me by surprise every day.
‘Aunt Rebecca,’ Ivy said. ‘Do you mind if I take Brendan on a little walk around the yard before he rides home? We promise not to disturb any of the animals.’
At least, she hoped they wouldn’t.
‘Of course, sweetie.’ Rebecca looked relieved, either that they were going for a walk or that he was going to ride home.
Probably both
, Ivy thought. ‘It makes sense to head out long before sunset.’Ivy remembered Rebecca saying something similar to her dad.
‘Do you want to come, Olivia?’ Ivy asked.
Olivia shook her head and held up her script. ‘I was going to run through my Juliet lines.’
‘Ooh, can I help?’ Rebecca offered.
‘Sure!’ Olivia replied and handed over the papers.
Brendan grabbed Ivy’s lightweight buckled coat, and they headed out on to the front porch.
The sun was low and the sky was turning yellow.
‘I think your aunt doesn’t like me much,’ Brendan said, as they wandered past one of the weeping willow trees casting shadows across the yard.
‘She thought you were stalking her chickens.’
Brendan chuckled. ‘They are some crazy-looking chickens.’
‘She doesn’t seem to be a big fan of black,’ Ivy said. ‘She doesn’t like my dad much either. But she is really nice, and she’s already told us a ton about our mom that we never knew. Olivia is loving every minute.’
Brendan nodded. ‘There might be parts of your mom that Olivia understands better, but there are parts just for you, too.’
Ivy thought of Jane Austen again. ‘You’re right.’
‘And you’re beautiful,’ Brendan replied, giving her a little kiss on the nose. ‘I’d better go, before the sun sets and either my bike turns into a pumpkin, or I turn into a chicken-stalking zombie … Grr arrg!’ He held up his
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