The Humdrum Life of a Hero

Chapter 7

Gosh, I can't wait until they're seventeen and I'll have to buy them each their own large pizza.

Well, I take that back. I can wait. I don't want them to grow-up. They're my little brothers who I love very much as nine-year-olds. And if they grow up, that means I'm still taking care of them.

I have hardly had time to create grocery lists let alone think about what's going to happen when I graduate in a year and a half. It's obvious I'm not going off to a four year party school like Tony is, but I don't want to just sit around the house all day, waiting on the boys hand and foot. I'd like a life for myself at some point, but I have a feeling that won't happen until the boys are eighteen.

"Sarah, what're you doing here?"

I look up to find the familiar shaggy blond hair and gray/blue eyes of one Jay Keely staring at me, but as my eyes cascade down his body almost by instinct, I realize he's holding someone's hand. The hand in comparasion with his is tiny, and when I connect that hand to the rest of its body, I find a tiny, little girl clutching a cup of tokens.

Her big, blue doe eyes glare at me while her long blonde hair falls in waves over her shoulders. She's a beautiful little girl, and not to mention she's the spitting image of Jay.

This must be his little sister.

My eyes flick back up to meet his. "Birthday party," I say. And as if on cue, the center of the restaurant erupts into a round of 'Happy Birthday.'

"Mine are around here somewhere!" I shout over the singing. Jay nods but doesn't attempt to reply through all of the noise. Instead he gestures to the empty booth seat across from me, and I nod my head a little more enthusiastically than I normally would.

They pile into the booth as the singing dies down and the volume returns to its previous level. Jay sets his number on the edge of the table while the little girl stares me down. Her brow is furrowed, and she doesn't look like she wants to be here.

I feel her pain. I don't want to be here either.

"Jay," I adress him as he relaxes against the back of the booth, draping an arm over the top of the seat. "You haven't introduced me to your date."

I grin at her, but the icy stare remains. "Sarah, Annalise. Annalise, Sarah."

The boys come bounding back to the table, shaking their empty cups in my face. "Tokens?" they both ask.

I normally would not let them have more tokens, but since Jay's here, my being stuck here doesn't seem so bad when he's sitting across from me. So, I dig out a twenty from my wallet.

I hesitate when handing it over. "Why don't you guys take Jay's little sister Annalise with you?"

They look over at her. Connor practically shrinks into himself at the prospect of having to interact with a girl, while Nick beams with excitement. "Come along, Annalise. Let me show how spectacular I am at Skee-Ball."

Being the gentleman he's never been before, he extends a hand to her. She actually smiles, dropping the icy exterior, and exchanging it for bubbly. She takes his hand and slides out from the booth all the while I catch Nick eyeing her tokens.

Such a little con-artist I'm raising.

That leaves just Jay and I. "You're probably going to have to buy her more tokens."

"Why?" Jay raises an eyebrow. He obviously did not see the twinkle in Nick's eyes.

"Although your little sister is adorable," I smile at him. "That look on Nick's face was aimed toward the cup of tokens in her hand, not her."