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Tyler was at the stove, his back to Cassie as he flipped pancakes, and Heather was pouring juice.
Her daughter, with bed head and still in her jammies, was sitting at the table, with one of her Dr. Seuss books. She was pretending to read it out loud even though Daisy only knew a few of the words. Basically, her daughter was pointing to the pictures and reciting the book from memory since Cassie had read One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish to her five million and one times. Like Daisy, she could probably recite it in her sleep.
However, Daisy said flish instead of fish.
“It’s fish, honey,” Heather was correcting her as she placed a small glass of OJ in front of Cassie’s daughter. “One fish, not one flish.”
“Don’t even bother,” Cassie told her sister as she entered the kitchen. “She knows what it is. She chooses to destroy Dr. Seuss’s greatest classic by choice.”
“Momma!” Daisy squealed and scraped her chair back, jumping down and running at Cassie like a slo-mo Godzilla with exaggerated steps and flying arms. At least that gave Cassie time to prepare for the impact.
Daisy hit her legs, wrapped her arms around them and glanced up. “Where were yoooooou? I was all alone!”
“You were not. Aunt Heather and Uncle Tyler were here. And if they weren’t, you’d be getting cereal and not pancakes from me.”
“Then I’m glad you weren’t,” her daughter huffed. “Because pancakes are waaaaay better than cereal.”
“That we can agree on.” She peeled her daughter off. “Uncle Tyler has a plate ready for you.”
Daisy did her dramatic slow motion run back to the table and scrambled into her seat. Tyler pushed her closer to the table and put the plate down in front of her. Cassie went over and plucked the Dr. Seuss book off the table so it wouldn’t get coated in maple syrup. Right now, she didn’t want to waste the little money she had on a new copy.
“Got your text,” Heather said in a low voice as she shuttled past her with a couple more plates piled with an adult-sized portion of pancakes. “From an unknown number.”
Heat immediately filled Cassie’s cheeks and her sister shot her a knowing look with raised eyebrows.
“Late night, huh?”
“Mmm.”
“Everything okay?” Tyler asked, his eyes holding amusement.
“Mmm hmm.”
“Momma, you made me sleep alllllll by myself alllllll night. I was lonely.”
She gave her daughter a dubious look. “I doubt you were lonely since you were asleep.”
“Yes, it was a very lonely sleep.”
Cassie rolled her eyes and sat down in the fourth spot at the table. After last night’s activities, she was starved.
Tyler dropped his head to hide his laughter, then picked up his mug of coffee.
Coffee.
Yes, that was what she needed. Coffee would have to replace the sleep she really needed.
“Guess you forgot to take a brush to your sleepover,” Heather asked with a smirk.
Cassie’s hand immediately raised to her hair and she quickly combed her fingers through some of the knots. “Mmm. Yes.”
“Aunt Heather said you had a sleepover last night with one of your friends,” Daisy said around a mouthful of pancakes.
“Uh... Yes, sweetie, I did. But please don’t talk with food in your mouth.”
Daisy made a big display of swallowing it down, then opened her mouth to show Cassie it was now empty before asking, “Did you have fun?”
“Umm. Yes, it was fun.”
“Did you play games?”
“We... uh... Yes.”
“Did you win?”
A loud snort came from Tyler’s end of the table. Heather shot up from her seat, almost knocking her chair over. “I’ll get you some coffee, sis.”
“Did you win?” Daisy repeated in a scream this time.
Cassie winced. “Inside voice, young lady.”
“This is my inside voice.”
“No, it isn’t, and you’ll go up to your room without finishing your pancakes if you don’t find it.”
Daisy’s mouth dropped open, snapped shut and then she whispered, “Sorry.”
“Apology accepted.”
“Did you win?” Daisy asked again in a loud whisper.
Cassie wrapped her hands around the mug Heather set in front of her. There wasn’t enough caffeine in the world for her to come up with a good answer, so she simply said, “Yes.”
“What did you play?”
Oh good God.
“I think it’s a game called slap and tickle, Daze,” Tyler said, struggling to keep a straight face.
“I never heard of that game before,” Daisy said with all seriousness, then shoveled a stuffed forkful of pancakes into her mouth, syrup dribbling down her chin.
“That’s good,” Heather said, tears escaping the corners of her eyes and her face turning red from trying to contain her laughter. “It’s a game for adults.”
“Why? I like being tickled!” Daisy declared loudly. “No slapping though. I don’t wanna be slapped.”
“That’s good,” Cassie said, setting down her mug and eating a mouthful of pancakes. She needed to change the subject. And fast. “Why is there luggage by the door?”
“We’re goin’ on a trip!” Daisy announced.
