Page 9 of Came the Closest
I purse my lips like I’m contemplating deeply. “You…cast a spell on your dad and now, when he talks, bubbles come out of his ears. Pink glittery ones.”
“No,” Jolene laughs, twisting herself sideways in that way kids do. “That’s not possible, silly.”
“Hey, now. What did I tell you when you said you couldn’t get the hang of jump rope?”
Jolene flashes a sheepish smile. “That I can do anything I set my mind to, if I listen to what’s in here and in here.” She taps her heart, then her head, and her grin becomes lopsided. “And if Daddy would like it.”
Chuckling, I reach over to tweak her nose. “You got it.”
“But you still have to guess,” she says, far too seriously for her age. “I’ll give you a hint—it’s here.”
“Hmm. Blueberry muffins?”
“No, silly!” she exclaims. And then, because she’s too excited to contain it any longer, she says, “We’re gonna put the dock in! And Grandpa said someone’s comin’ to put a hoist thingie in too!”
She bounces on her knees with all the cheerfulness of a child. I try for her sake to keep my expression from slipping, but…what? Dad hires someone to put his dock in—and beyond that, he doesn’t have a boat. Enough money to buy one, or two, or five, sure, but it’s been years since we went out on the water. I have no idea why he’d install a hoist.
Or, again, why someone else isn’t installing both.
“We are?” I ask. It seems like the most logical—and, frankly, honest—response.
Jolene’s head bobs in a nod. “Uh-huh. Are you excited? ‘Cause I am. Grandpa said we get to go to the marina after it’s all done, and that he’s gonna get a boat! Do you think he’ll let me drive? I’m very responsible. I watered all of Sydney’s plants for her yesterday. She wanted to let me have two muffins at the coffee shop, but Daddy said I couldn’t and then they kissed.”
Well, the marina thing answers one question.
“Sounds like fun,” I say lightly to mask my apprehension. “And you might be able to drive the boat when it’s parked at the dock.”
She laughs and scrambles off the chair when the door behind us slides open. “Daddy! Uncle Coat said I could drive Grandpa’s new boat when he gets it!”
“Uh, no, Uncle Coat did not say that,” I say, easing to my feet. My oldest brother has one brow raised in silent question, and I hold my hands up, palms out. “I said she could drive it while it’s at the dock. Big difference.”
Graham steps outside behind Jordan. “Is Collie being a bad influence again?”
I’m deeply grateful the comment goes over Jolene’s head. I will, however, be short-sheeting Graham’s bed for making the comment in the first place.
No.
Better yet, I’ll replace his milk with water and short-sheet his bed. Then I’ll lead him to believe it was Jordan. It can be payback for when he hid all of my t-shirts in his deep freezer last summer.
“Who’s ready to put this dock in?” Gran appears next, and I’m not sure which disturbs me more—her sequined shirt and safety goggles, or the drill in her hands. “The reward is a brand-new boat at your father’s expense, so let’s get this done!”
“Yeah, I’ll take this now. Nobody will be using a drill today.” Graham reaches for the drill when Gran presses the button and wiggles her brows. He glances at Jolene. “Your job, Jo-Bell, is to make sure GG stays well within the confines of the yard. Got it?”
Jolene wrinkles her nose. “But you already asked me to hand you nails.”
Graham snaps his fingers in an oh, shucks motion. “Shoot, you’re right.” He turns to Jordan. “You’re on babysitting duty, then, J-Lo.”
Jordan lifts an arm and flexes. “You’re saying you don’t want all this helping you?”
I shade my eyes and squint. “What’s all this? I just see a farmer’s tan and a disturbingly large freckle.”
“You wish you were funny,” Jordan retorts, “but you’re not.”
“Oh, I don’t know.” I drop my voice to a stage whisper. “Jojo is trying pretty hard to contain her laughter.”
Jolene giggles, but she slaps a hand over her mouth when she takes in her father’s arched brows. “No, I’m not!”
“Uh-huh, we’ll see about that.” Graham passes the drill off to Jordan before swinging Jolene into his arms sideways. “If you laugh, you’re going completely upside down like a monkey.”