Dad knocked on the bedroom door. “Come on, Sleepyhead,” he called. “Everyone else is up already.”
Shelley yawned. She felt tired and grumpy. Kyle and Marcus had kept her awake last night, giggling and talking in the next room.
“Last call to breakfast,” Uncle Ray shouted from the kitchen.
“Better hurry,” said Dad.
Shelley rolled out of bed. She looked out the window. Oh no! Rain pelted against the glass. That meant no swimming, boating, hiking or picnicking. It meant no exploring or building forts and clubhouses. It meant an indoor day.
Shelley remembered a rainy day last summer. They’d had a Monopoly tournament. Everyone joined in. They made popcorn. They toasted marshmallows and made s’mores in the fireplace. A rainy day could be a fun day too. Shelley didn’t feel tired or grumpy anymore.
After breakfast, Shelley helped with the dishes. Topper came into the kitchen. She had her old gray ball. She went to the door and looked back at Shelley. Topper wanted to play outside.
Shelley scratched Topper’s ears. “I’ll play fetch with you when it stops raining,” she said. “Right now I’m going to get everyone to play Monopoly.”
Shelley went looking for Kyle. He and Marcus were in the living room. Cardboard boxes and pieces of wood littered the floor.
Kyle looked up. “We’re making a city,” he said. “It’s going to be huge. Do you want to help?”
“There isn’t room for three people to work on it,” said Marcus.
“Sure there is,” said Kyle. He pushed aside markers and scissors and scraps to make room for Shelley.
Shelley picked up a tall box. “I can make a neat apartment building with this,” she said.
“You can’t use that,” said Marcus. “It’s part of my garage.”
“Here, Shelley,” said Kyle. He held out a piece of cardboard. “You can make the road signs for our city.”
“I don’t want to make road signs,” said Shelley. “Let’s play Monopoly instead.”
