“Did you go all the way to one of the islands to get the groceries?”
“Huh?” Zach had piled the food he’d bought on the kitchen table.
“I think you forgot something.” Jay’s eyebrows had an ‘I-told-you-so’ look to them.
“I didn’t forget anything.”
“And the Parmesan cheese is where?” Jay said.
Zach scanned the groceries again. The cheese was nowhere to be found. “I didn’t forget it. I definitely bought it.”
“Did you feed it to some mice along the way?”
“Dad, stop. It’s not funny.”
“OK. You’re right. It’s not funny. And now I’m being serious. I depended on you to get this done, and you promised you would get it right. I know it doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it’s important. I’m trying to make a nice dinner for everyone, and I can’t do this all alone.”
Zach mumbled something that sounded like “And that’s my fault?”
Jay’s brow furrowed. “I guess we’ll be cheeseless tonight.”
“I don’t want to be cheesles.” Cassie announced as she walked into the kitchen. “It sounds like measles.”
“Cheese-less. Not cheese-ells.” Jay corrected.
“I don’t want to be either.” Cassie proclaimed. “Wait, what does it mean to be cheeseless?”
“It means your brother forgot the parmesan cheese for the pasta tonight.”
A wounded look crossed Zach’s face. Jay didn’t notice as he was tending to the cooking and his back was turned.
“Zaaaaach.” Cassie whined.
“I don’t know what happened. I bought it, and it’s not here. It must have fallen out at some point.”
“What fell out?” Binny asked as she joined the fray in the kitchen.
“Next time, say the dog ate it. That’s a classic.” Jay suggested smugly.
Cassie lit up. “Dad can we get a dog?”
“Yeah. I want a dog.” Binny chimed in.
“I’m not quite sure how many times I need to repeat myself on this topic, but let’s do it one more time. I can barely take care of the three of you on my own. I certainly couldn’t take care of a dog on top of that.” Jay said.
“But we’ll take care of it.” The girls chimed in.
Zach was happy the subject had changed.
Cassie peppered Jay with ‘please’s.
“What are you begging for now?” Julie smiled at her daughters. She had just arrived in time for dinner.
“Daddy won’t let us get a dog.” Cassie informed.
Julie smiled at her ex-husband. “Thanks for having me over for dinner.” And then back at her daughters. “Do you realize that having a dog is a huge responsibility?”
“Yes. Absolutely.”
“Maybe a small dog?” Julie winked at Jay.
“Hey, stop causing trouble.” Jay protested.
“A puppy maybe?” Julie continued.
Jay feigned anger.
“You could call it Krypto.” Julie was having fun.
YOU ARE READING
The Madrona Heroes Register: Underneath It All
Teen Fiction(Note: This book is the sequel to the first book in the series - The Madrona Heroes Register: Echoes of the Past which you can read here: http://www.wattpad.com/story/19419860-the-madrona-heroes-register-echoes-of-the-past) A year has passed since t...
