Page 36 of Recipe for Rivals
Ben huffed, then ran ahead of us.
Alice slid her little hand around mine, and suddenly my mistake really didn’t seem like a big deal. Her small fingers squeezed. I would do anything for this girl.
I texted Dusty separately with my free hand.
Nova
Thanks
Dusty
I would say anytime, but I’m guessing you don’t want it to happen again
Nova
Preferably not, but it wasn’t the first, and it probably won’t be the last
Dusty
I’ve got your back
My stomach did a weird leap. I shoved the phone in my pocket and tugged Alice closer. “Tell me about your day, little sprite.”
When we reached the apartment, I helped the kids empty their folders and sort their homework. Ben beamed over the perfect score on his spelling test and munched on pretzels. I laid out his clothes and rubber cleats for practice, then filled his bottle with ice water.
He went into the room he shared with Alice, and I sat beside her at the table, helping her finish her math page.
“Alice!” he called. “Where’s my Chewbacca?”
“I don’t have it,” she yelled back.
“It was on my bed and now it’s gone.”
“Quit yelling,” I yelled at them both. “Ben, come out here if you want to talk to your sister.”
He stomped from the room, his brow furrowed. “I told you he couldn’t marry your Barbies. Where did you put him?”
She looked outraged. “I didn’t want him to marry my Barbies. I was using him as Bob’sbrother.” Bob, her Minion.
“What about Stuart?” Ben asked.
She kept a straight face. “He’s in the hospital. He had an accident.”
Good grief. “Did you take Chewbacca?” I asked her.
She focused on the bumblebee she was supposed to be filling in on the page, different colors coordinating to different math problems.
“Alice,” I said sternly.
“No.”
“Can you help Ben look for it?”
“Fine.” Alice hopped up and ran into their bedroom. Ben let out a long-suffering groan before following her.
When she came back to the table a while later, it was after a series of somersaults, one of which landed her back against the wall. “Can I do tumbling with Kendall?”
“Maybe,” I said, my whole body tightening. How much did it cost? Those classes could be pricey. “I can ask her mom where she goes and look into it. For now, let’s worry about your math. Gigi will be here soon to pick you up.”