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1
DANA
The house is quiet.I don’t like it.
My childhood home has always been filled with noise. I mean, five girls will do that. Someone always has something going on.
Except, not lately, I guess, with everyone slowly moving on and moving out.
Can you suffer from empty-nest syndrome when you’re not even a mom?
God, life was simple once, wasn’t it? Now? Nor so much.
I tighten my hands around my cup of coffee, the warmth seeping through my palms and into my body.
Two arms loop around my waist. Kira tucks her chin on my shoulder. “Morning, sis.”
I giggle and snuggle with my sister. “Hi, honey. You just rolled out of bed, huh?”
“I was at the office late working on a bug,” Kira grumbles and then trudges over to the coffee pot. Her brown hair is lumpy and unbrushed and the lenses of her glasses could use buffing.
“You’re working too hard,” I say as kindly as I can, though I’m starting to get worried. Ever since management at Kira’s company began to change hands, she’s been working overtime.
Kira shrugs. “It’s not like I have anything else to do.”
Yeah, me either. Only, my job doesn’t afford me the luxury of overtime, unless I took on a couple more clients. Still, though, would be nice not to have to think about my own problems.
“Besides, Orlie gave me the day off,” Kira says with a yawn.
“Kira. It’s Saturday.”
She stops in her tracks and then mutters, “Damn, that jackass.”
“Dana! What a surprise!” Dad announces as he comes into the kitchen.
I frown. “It’s the second Saturday of the month.”
“I suppose it is,” he says with a cheery grin, tightening his striped necktie.
“We usually all get together for breakfast on this day,” I say.
Dad chuckles. “Well, at least you two keep up with tradition.”
I bristle. “Is no one else coming?”
“I thought we’d kind of done away with the second Saturday breakfast thing,” Kira says uneasily.
My heart sinks. “Amy’s not home?”
“That’s her new default,” Kira says.
I see Dad wince as he pours himself a cup of coffee. “I wouldn’t say default…”
“Daddy, she’s engaged. It’s only a matter of time before she moves out,” Kira says with a smile. “Right, Dana?”
I blink. I guess I hadn’t realized that our silly monthly tradition had petered out.
Sure, since Harley had Tana, she’d been more sparing in her attendance. And when Gillian and Axel got together, I guess she had started dedicating more time to being with him. That left just Kira, Amy, and me.
