"No."
"Did someone call you that?" DJ asked her and frowned.
"Some kids," Sammy said but she didn't seem bothered by it.
"That's mean," DJ said and looked ready to fight them even if Sammy didn't look upset.
"Maybe she likes salami," Rico said.
"I like pepperoni," Riley said to Sammy. "You can be our little friend. We won't let anybody call you any names."
His big brother jumped in to inform him, "You're little too, Ry."
"She's littler," Riley insisted.
All this went on while Sammy fumed silently. Seeing her with her little fists balled up, ready to blow her top, Rico went over and whispered in her ear.
She nodded then turned to the boys and informed them. "I'm exactly as big as I'm supposed to be!"
She mispronounced exactly but she made her point. Then banana cream pie was served and Sammy was happy when everyone said what a good job she did. Afterward the kids went off to try and find a frog that was croaking nearby. That gave Grandma a chance to tell Mitch about the previous owners of the house he was fixing up.
"The Dunbars owned that house then they both died and the place went to their son, Harry. He didn't do much with it, just came for a visit now and then. Then he died too. He owned an electronics store and someone broke in. Poor Harry was working late and... Well he was just unlucky, I guess. That was just this past spring. After that the house went to some niece who sold it to me lock stock and barrel," Grandma told him.
"That's a nice house," Sam said. "I hate to see old houses sitting abandoned like that place near the creek."
"You have a soft spot for houses too," Wyatt said and gave him a kiss. "Yesterday he rescued a bee from a spider web."
"Bees are precious. They're dying out," Sam said defensively, but he just couldn't help being a sweet and gentle guy at heart. And neither Wyatt or Rico could help teasing him about it.
While they all talked, Rico kept an eye on Mitch to see if he would be standoffish with Sam and Wyatt. He didn't seem to be. He fell into a conversation with Wyatt about building a garden shed for Sam.
"Sam is planting crops in the back yard. It would be good to have somewhere to store tools and what have you," Wyatt said.
"It's not crops. It's just a small vegetable garden," Sam said.
"There is definitely agriculture going on back there," Wyatt insisted to Mitch. "Let me know when you have time. I'm not handy enough to pull that off myself."
Sam was shaking his head at Wyatt, but his eyes were happy. The constant teasing couldn't hide how much those two adored each other. And here was Rico admiring a straight guy, a straight guy with a kid no less.
Thinking about Sammy gave him an idea, so he hijacked his grandmother for a raid on her closet. The two of them were gone for a little while. When they got back, Grandma called Sammy over.
"I have something for you," Grandma said and held out a floppy, lilac hat with a fuchsia ribbon.
"I pretty hat!" Sammy said.
"It's big," Riley said.
Rico agreed. "She could live inside that thing."
"What are you on about? You're the one who picked it out, and you went straight for the biggest one," Grandma said while Rico looked around and put on a "Who? Me?" face.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, but even Sammy didn't believe him.
"Thank you, Rico. Thank you, Mrs. Del Rio," Sammy said sweetly while Grandma put the hat on her and made her pretty much disappear from sight. The hat had a ribbon that tied under the chin and she tied it into a big bow.
"It's picture time," Rico said and elbowed Mitch lightly.
"Thanks for the reminder," Mitch told him as he snapped one shot of Sammy under the hat, almost invisible, and one with her holding up the brim so she could peer up at him adorably.
