“LET’S GO, LET’S GO, LET’S GO! I’M READY. LET’S GO, EVERYBODY!”
Ali was already in his shirt and tie, and as far as he was concerned, that meant it was time to leave. The sooner we got out of the house, the sooner he could be back home and out of that cursed silk noose around his neck.
“Just sit tight, little man,” I said. “Maybe your big brother will do a little wakeboarding with you.”
I did what I used to promise myself I never would, and plopped Ali in front of a video game to distract him. Damon, who was home from boarding school for the Thanksgiving weekend, picked up the other Wii controller.
“It’s good to have you here, Day,” I said. “We miss you like crazy.”
“And I miss kicking Ali’s butt,” Damon said, jumping into the virtual water with both feet. “Let’s do this, little man.”
The ladies of the house were all still in their rooms. I ran upstairs and knocked on Jannie’s door, where the sounds of Jennifer Hudson’s latest were playing at full blast.
“Don’t come in!” she yelled over the music.
“Ten minutes, Miss Cross.”
Ava was already dressed. Her door was open and she was sprawled on the bed, reading Nana’s latest assignment—Twilight.
“How’s the new book?” I asked.
She gave me one of her trademark shrugs. “S’okay. Kind of weird.”
“I’m glad you’re reading anyway,” I said. “It’s good to see.”
She just nodded and turned the page. Another scintillating conversation between the two of us, but I had to keep moving.
The foster parenting application, meanwhile, was working its way through the system. Bree and I had done the required twenty-seven hours of training with Child and Family Services, and it looked like Ava would be staying with us for the foreseeable future. Damon would bunk with Ali while he was home, and then next summer—well, we’d figure that out next summer.
I was running way behind. Still, I was determined to get a quick shower. The fact that I found Bree already in there was what you call a lucky break.
“Mind if I sneak in?” I asked, rattling the curtain.
“You’re going to have to ask my husband about that,” she said. “And grab a washcloth, please.”
Fifteen-plus minutes later, everybody was finally assembled downstairs. Nana was fussing over the bow tie she’d gotten me for my birthday, and Bree was still fixing Jannie’s hair even as the coats were going on.
“Why are you smiling like that?” Jannie asked, eyeballing me in the hall mirror.
“I’m just glad to have all of us together,” I said. “It doesn’t happen often enough.”
“Mmm-hmm,” Nana said pointedly. Then she gave my tie one last adjustment and patted my chest to let me know we were finally good to go.
With that, the Cross family tornado was out the door.
“You look cute in that tie.” Damon got in a last little dig.
“Adorable,” said Jannie, piling on.