pot on top of a cooker with a gas flame fed from a propane bottle sitting next to it. I dashed back and forth between the kitchen and the table placed next to the pot. Mrs. Sanford and her husband helped my aunt dump seasonings into the boiling water. At the picnic table, Brynna sat thumbing through a magazine, not bothering to help at all. She grinned at me when I passed her on yet another trip inside. Beside Brynna sat a miniature version of the older girl. Bailey was nine and had arrived in Labeaux yesterday after spending the first part of the summer with relatives in Florida. Lucky her.
I dug through cabinets, still uncertain where Louise kept everything.
“Don’t mind Brynna. She’s a pain.”
Surprised, I realized the mini Brynna had followed me inside.
“Why do you say that?”
“Duh, because it’s true.” The younger girl sat in a chair at the table.
“You’re her sister. Aren’t you two supposed to be on the same side, you know, take up for each other.”
Bailey rolled her eyes, which was so Brynna-ish. “I can tell you’re an only child. She treats me like she does you.”
I folded my arms in front of me and leaned against the counter. “How’s that?”
Two reddish brown brows furrowed together. “Like you’re an idiot.”
Bailey was looking at me as though she might have to agree with her sister on this one. I sighed, turning to continue my search.
“She just doesn’t like me.”
The little redhead snickered. “Yeah, that too.”
Finally finding the right cabinet, I scrounged up two more onions and made a step for the door when from nowhere a red blur came barreling at me. It barked and flew through the air, hitting me mid thigh. The thing was maybe a foot tall, but it still knocked me back a step and proceeded to lick my bare leg.
Ignoring Bailey, who squealed with laughter, and for the first time sounded like a nine year old, I scurried onto the deck with the dog right behind me.
“Aunt Louise, that voodoo woman has hexed a Doberman Pincher and shrunk it to the size of an extra big rat.”
Myles and his dad had arrived without me seeing them and he laughed at me, shaking his head. He picked up the dog.
“He’s not a shrunken Doberman, goofy. He’s a Miniature Pinscher.”
“That’s a completely different breed of dog,” Brynna called from the table.
The adults were busy in their own conversation so the Sanfords didn’t hear their daughter being a rude guest.
“Read that in a book, did you?” I inched closer to the table where she sat.
“That’s right. But it did have pictures. Would you like to borrow it?”
Bailey, who’d come back to sit next to her sister, grinned and shrugged.
“Alexis, go make another pitcher of tea.”
I groaned at Aunt Louise’s request and took off to the kitchen. At least there I didn’t have to put up with Brynna.
“I’ll help.” Myles followed behind me.
As I found the tea bags, Myles filled the big glass measuring cup with water.
“So, you all do this every Friday, huh?”
He took the bags and dropped them in the water. “Most Friday’s, why?”
I punched the time in on the microwave to boil the water, and he put the measuring glass in. I dumped sugar in the bottom of a tea pitcher sitting on the counter.
“Don’t you want to go to Channing’s party next Friday?”
Myles took the pitcher and ran a little water in it to start dissolving the sugar. “Yeah, I wouldn’t mind it.”
“If all three of us want to go maybe they would eat by themselves and let us go to the party. Do you think Brynna wants to go?”
He snorted. “No way.”
I bumped the cabinets with my foot. “Can we talk her into it?”
“That’ll be a hard sell.”
“But you’ll try?”
His eyes widened. “Why me?”
“Because she hates me.”
“She doesn’t hate you.” Myles rocked the tea pitcher from side to side as if the sugar hadn’t already liquefied.
“Yes she does.”
“No, I don’t. I don’t know you, so how
I dug through cabinets, still uncertain where Louise kept everything.
“Don’t mind Brynna. She’s a pain.”
Surprised, I realized the mini Brynna had followed me inside.
“Why do you say that?”
“Duh, because it’s true.” The younger girl sat in a chair at the table.
“You’re her sister. Aren’t you two supposed to be on the same side, you know, take up for each other.”
Bailey rolled her eyes, which was so Brynna-ish. “I can tell you’re an only child. She treats me like she does you.”
I folded my arms in front of me and leaned against the counter. “How’s that?”
Two reddish brown brows furrowed together. “Like you’re an idiot.”
Bailey was looking at me as though she might have to agree with her sister on this one. I sighed, turning to continue my search.
“She just doesn’t like me.”
The little redhead snickered. “Yeah, that too.”
Finally finding the right cabinet, I scrounged up two more onions and made a step for the door when from nowhere a red blur came barreling at me. It barked and flew through the air, hitting me mid thigh. The thing was maybe a foot tall, but it still knocked me back a step and proceeded to lick my bare leg.
Ignoring Bailey, who squealed with laughter, and for the first time sounded like a nine year old, I scurried onto the deck with the dog right behind me.
“Aunt Louise, that voodoo woman has hexed a Doberman Pincher and shrunk it to the size of an extra big rat.”
Myles and his dad had arrived without me seeing them and he laughed at me, shaking his head. He picked up the dog.
“He’s not a shrunken Doberman, goofy. He’s a Miniature Pinscher.”
“That’s a completely different breed of dog,” Brynna called from the table.
The adults were busy in their own conversation so the Sanfords didn’t hear their daughter being a rude guest.
“Read that in a book, did you?” I inched closer to the table where she sat.
“That’s right. But it did have pictures. Would you like to borrow it?”
Bailey, who’d come back to sit next to her sister, grinned and shrugged.
“Alexis, go make another pitcher of tea.”
I groaned at Aunt Louise’s request and took off to the kitchen. At least there I didn’t have to put up with Brynna.
“I’ll help.” Myles followed behind me.
As I found the tea bags, Myles filled the big glass measuring cup with water.
“So, you all do this every Friday, huh?”
He took the bags and dropped them in the water. “Most Friday’s, why?”
I punched the time in on the microwave to boil the water, and he put the measuring glass in. I dumped sugar in the bottom of a tea pitcher sitting on the counter.
“Don’t you want to go to Channing’s party next Friday?”
Myles took the pitcher and ran a little water in it to start dissolving the sugar. “Yeah, I wouldn’t mind it.”
“If all three of us want to go maybe they would eat by themselves and let us go to the party. Do you think Brynna wants to go?”
He snorted. “No way.”
I bumped the cabinets with my foot. “Can we talk her into it?”
“That’ll be a hard sell.”
“But you’ll try?”
His eyes widened. “Why me?”
“Because she hates me.”
“She doesn’t hate you.” Myles rocked the tea pitcher from side to side as if the sugar hadn’t already liquefied.
“Yes she does.”
“No, I don’t. I don’t know you, so how
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